Episode 32 - The Unified Smart Home with Revolv Co-Founder Mike Soucie

As a listener you're no doubt aware of the pace at which the smart home landscape is evolving.  It seems that literally every week there are new solutions coming to market.  As we've discussed at length, the clear problem this creates is segmentation within the home (one app for the lights, another for the temperature, and so on).  It will not come as news to you that this segmentation is problem that many players are looking to solve through the creation of so-called smart home hubs.  

Boulder, CO based Revolv was one of the earliest entrants into this nascent market.  Self-professed to be the world's "most powerful" smart home hub, Revolv continues to makes strides towards the mainstream market.  With 7 different radios (not all of them currently active) and an impressive list of compatible devices, the product has a lot to offer its users. Co-Founder, and head of marketing, Mike Soucie, joins us on this episode to discuss what the company has cooking. Revolv has clearly been very busy lately, announcing a new Android app, IFTTT integration, a Global Cache partnership aimed at controlling A/V devices, and a new CEDIA dealer program.  Mike clearly has his finger right on the pulse of the smart home market.  We really enjoyed the conversation, and hope you do to...

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Episode 31 - MaxMyTV with Meg Trite

We were pleased to welcome Meg Trite with MaxMyTV onto this weeks show.  The company came across our radar via a recent CEPro Article.  We thought the product looked very interesting and invited Meg on for a conversation about their unique approach to home automation. 

As anyone who follows the smart home space knows, home automation hubs are the latest craze.  With new offerings popping up nearly every week, it's become increasingly difficult for startups in this space to differentiate themselves.  While most hubs focus exclusively on the use of apps to control the home, MaxMyTV allows users to leverage any HDMI-Enabled display as a primary point of control.  

We discussed the benefits of using this approach with Meg.  Additionally we cover the hardware installation process, setup, as well as peripheral devices such as cameras and smart plugs that the company will offer.  MaxMyTV will be taking their product Kickstarter soon, so stay tuned as they work to bring this unique product to market.  

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UPDATE 10/15 - 
The folks at MaxMyTV have launched their Kickstarter campaign, which you can check out HERE!

HomeTech Special - CEDIA 2014 Wrap-Up

Jason and Seth sit down for a post-CEDIA 2014 wrap up. They discuss, well, everything. If you missed CEDIA you don't want to miss this episode.

Show Notes

Episode 30 - CEDIA 2014 Preview

Whether you are an end user, DIY enthusiast, or smart home professional, the CEDIA EXPO in Denver is a show worth getting excited about!  The HomeTech team will be in attendance at this years show.  We thought we would take an opportunity in this episode to let you know what we will be looking for at the EXPO. 

Between CEDIA sponsored courses, manufacturer trainings, the show floor, and countless networking / social events, EXPO is nothing if not an insanely busy 4 days! As anyone who has attended the show can attest, it's important to have a game plan heading into the event.  Join us as we discuss our plan of attack, and make some (bold?) predictions about what we expect to see from key manufacturers like Crestron, Control4, Savant, Sonos, and more.  

We also took a few minutes in this episode to discuss an upcoming announcement by Apple.  For better or worse, the CEDIA EXPO falls right on the heels of a highly anticipated Apple event.  We make some predictions about what Apple will be unveiling, and discuss how their event may, or may not, cast a shadow over coverage of announcements made at CEDIA 2014. 

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