Episode 28 - Smart Home Market Trends with Mike Wolf of NextMarket Insights

If you are a fan of the HomeTech Podcast, and aren't familiar with Mike Wolf, you should be!  Mike is a good friend of the show, and a great source of knowledge and insight when it comes to the smart home market.  He is the founder and chief analyst at NextMarket Insights, a premier market research firm in the connected home space.  As a fellow podcaster Mike hosts the NextMarket Podcast as well as the Smart Home Show, which both come highly recommended.  Mike also runs the Technology.fm podcast collective, where we at HomeTech are honored to be listed.   

On this episode of the podcast Mike joined us for a chat that was bit outside of our normal format.  Instead of talking about a specific product or company we opted to keep it loose, discussing a handful of recent home technology stories and their respective impact on the smart home market at large.  We also discussed Mike's work at NextMarket, including a recent report they put out covering the burgeoning DIY home automation market.  We really enjoyed chatting with Mike, and hope you enjoy listening! 

SmartHomeMarket

Episode 27 - Your Face. Your Key. | With Chui Founder Shaun Moore

On episode 27 of the HomeTech podcast we were joined by co-founder and CEO of Chui, Shaun Moore.  Chui claims to be the "world's most intelligent doorbell".  And after our conversation with Shaun, it would be hard to argue against their claim.  The concept of a a smart, connected doorbell is not completely novel.  There are a number of products on the market that can alert to you to someone being at your door, and send you alerts, notifications, and live streaming video based on this information.  And while Chui can do all of this, what takes the product to the next level is it's facial recognition technology.  

Utilizing a combination of facial detection and proprietary recognition technologies, Chui's built in camera is capable of automatically detecting who is at your door.  Through integrations with other smart home products, Chui can then act as a trigger point for home automation scenes based on this information.  So, for instance the locks could automatically open when you come to the door, or automatically lock and send you an alert if it's your ex girlfriend (or boyfriend).  Pretty cool stuff.   

We had a great time chatting with Shaun about Chui, and about the smart home landscape in general.  Download the episode now to learn more about this exciting new product!

Episode 26 - 'Water Smarter' | Smart Sprinkler Control with Skydrop Founder Clark Endrizzi

It is estimated by the EPA that up to 50% of landscape water usage in the US is wasted by over-watering.  This means that on average Americans are spending roughly twice as much money to water their lawns as they should be.  Perhaps even more disturbing though, is the fact that this wastage is taking place in the midst of major droughts throughout the country. 

On this episode of the Home Tech Podcast we were joined by Skydrop Co-Founder and CTO, Clark Endrizzi.   Skydrop is a smart sprinkler controller that promises to bring irrigation control into the era of the smart home.  Users simply have to replace their existing controller with the Skydrop unit.  Skydrop then jumps on the WiFi network, and the magic begins. 

Through its use of aggregate weather data the system can prevent sprinklers from running unnecessarily, for example during a rain storm.  The Skydrop software will also help users create an optimized watering schedule, tailored to their specific lawn, by having them answer a series of simple questions.  The system is controllable via apps and a web interface, giving users the ability to monitor usage and alter settings as their needs change.  

We enjoyed the conversation with Clark, and hope you do as well! If you're so inclined, please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes or Stitcher.  Thanks for listening!

Show Notes

skydrop_smart_sprinkler_controller.jpg

Episode 25 - The Prosumer Smart Home Market with Richard Gunther

In broad terms, the smart home market can be divided somewhat cleanly into a few different camps.  On one hand you've got the traditional dealer-installed technologies like Crestron, Savant, and Control4.  On the other end of the spectrum you've got home automation-in-a-box solutions like SmartThings, Revolv, and the Staples Connect.  But somewhere in the middle lies an entire community and ecosystem of products designed for the more hardcore hobbyist / enthusiast crowd, or as we like to call them 'prosumers'.

On this episode, Seth and Jason sat down with home automation prosumer, and fellow podcaster / blogger Richard Gunther.  Richard hosts a podcast called Home : On over at the Digital Media Zone.  The show and the website are  both great resources for anyone interested in home automation and the smart home in general, especially for DIYers and hobbyists. 

As someone who has implemented his own home technology for years, Richard has a very unique and hands-on perspective.  We enjoyed chatting with him about both his personal experiences, as well as the broader home technology landscape. 

Show Notes:

Source: insteon.com

Source: insteon.com

Episode 24 - Talking HomeKit with Macworld's Chris Breen

On this week's show Jason and Seth were pleased to welcome Macworld Senior Editor Chris Breen onto the show for a conversation all about Apple's entry into the Smart Home market with the HomeKit initiative.

Typically HomeTech show guests come directly from the smart home background, so the conversation with Chris provided a fresh perspective. As someone who lives and breathes Apple, Chris provides a unique take on HomeKit. From specific topics, such as the possibility of the AppleTV acting as a Home Automation hub, to a general overview of Apple's ambitions in the smart home space, the conversation covered all things HomeKit.

Show Notes