Episode 588 - CEDIA and IFA 2026

On this week's show: TiVo decides skipping commercials should cost something, LG TVs face some very ugly privacy claims, Home Assistant 2026.9 brings a big Modbus cleanup, UniFi tries a friendlier whole-home Wi-Fi pitch, and Sonos rolls out Beam Ultra, Ace Ultra, and a whole new Sonos 27 software story. We also hit new gear from both CEDIA and IFA, a full mailbag of feedback for Gavin, project updates, and so much more!
• HomeTech Headlines• Apple announces September iPhone launch event (theverge.com/tech/983407/apple-iphone-launch-e…)
• TiVo Plans to End Free Automatic Commercial Skipping in November, Tests Paid Premium Replacement Service | Cord Cutters News (cordcuttersnews.com/tivo-plans-to-end-free-aut…)
• LG smart TVs caught logging audio with screen off and snooping on local devices (notebookcheck.net/LG-smart-TVs-caught-logging-…)
• Homey expands beyond the app with the Portal touchscreen and rotary controller (matteralpha.com/news/homey-portal-touchscreen-…)
• JBL takes on Sonos with new multi-room Cove speakers (theverge.com/tech/987322/jbl-cove-multi-room-s…)
• Shelly launches first smart camera at a budget price without any subscriptions (the-ambient.com/news/shelly-launches-first-sma…)
• Sonos Launches Beam Ultra and Ace Ultra Pre-Orders in Canada | iPhone in Canada (iphoneincanada.ca/2026/09/01/sonos-beam-ultra-…)
• How Sonos rebooted itself (theverge.com/podcast/988368/sonos-ceo-tom-conr…)
• Sonos 27: Why Your System Keeps Getting Better (sonos.com/en-us/blog/meet-sonos-27)
• Introducing UniFi Travel Router Long-Range (blog.ui.com/article/introducing-unifi-travel-r…)
• Introducing Whole-Home WiFi by UniFi (blog.ui.com/article/introducing-whole-home-wif…)
• ProStudio by Josh.ai Raises the Bar for Custom Home Control, Integration, & Installation at CEDIA Expo 2026 (josh.ai/stories/prostudio-by-joshai-raises-the…)
• AVA OS 3.0 Adds Over 100 New Features to Systems (cepro.com/news/ava-os-3-0-adds-over-100-new-fe…)
• Audio Pad Series | Architectural Audio Integrated into Faceplates | Magna Audio (magnaaudio.com/audiopadspeakers)
• CEDIA Announces Winners of 2026 Smart Home Awards Americas (ravepubs.com/cedia-announces-winners-of-2026-s…)
• Govee expands its smart lighting lineup at IFA 2026 with dual-zone outdoor lights, a simulated skylight, and new COB strips (matteralpha.com/industry-news/govee-ifa-2027)
• Aqara expands its global smart lighting range with Thread and Zigbee support at IFA 2026 (matteralpha.com/news/aqara-global-smart-lighti…)
• These new robot lawn mowers trim your edges (theverge.com/tech/988172/anker-mammotion-robot…)
• Roborock expands beyond the living room with automated pool cleaners and LiDAR mowers at IFA 2026 (matteralpha.com/news/roborock-expands-pool-cle…)
• iRobot unveils the Roomba Duo (theverge.com/tech/990045/irobot-roomba-duo-con…)

• Feedback• ICO – The Smart Pool Monitor (us.ondilo.com/product/ico-pool)
• Smart Pool Water Analyzer | Make Pool Care Effortless - iopool (iopool.com)
• Droplet: Smart Home Water Sensor (hydrificwater.com/products/droplet)
• Tailwind iQ3 Smart Automatic Garage Door Controller (gotailwind.com)
• ESPHome Tesla BLE (pedroktfc.github.io/esphome-tesla-ble)

• “How Many Gavins” Calculator (how-many-gavins.candid-map-9883.chatgpt.site)
• 2026.9: There's room on this bus (home-assistant.io/blog/2026/09/02/release-20269)
• E-Wand™ Single Unit – Current Luxury (currentluxury.com/product/e-wand-single-unit)