HomeTech.fm

Ever wonder what the how the rest of the world perceives home technology integrators? Wonder no more. We kick this week's episode off by sharing the audio from a YouTube clip we think sums it perfectly. Not sure if we should laugh or cry, but a little levity never hurts either way. Regarding (somewhat) more serious matters we discuss a few follow up thoughts on Just Add Power's new 3G line, a new entrant to the cloud-based video surveillance market, and a rather abrupt closure from a well-known speaker manufacturer. We bring the show to a close discussing the creation of a new Slack chat channel exclusively for HomeTech Patrons . We look forward to your participation in the channel and think it will be a fun way for all of us to interact! To access the channel you simply need to become a Patron of the show which you can do for as little as $1 a month. Learn more here Thanks as always for listening. We'll see you next week!

In what has become a bit of a rare occurrence lately this week's show actually features both of your regular hosts. No interview guest, but plenty of interesting news and opinion pieces to discuss. First we provide a wrap-up of the CEPro Summit, an event recently attended by Jason. Focused primarily on the professional integrators in our audience, the conversation provides an interesting peek behind the curtain for end-users and enthusiasts as well.

Next up we discuss a few news stories including the announcement of UHD-enabled products from Just Add Power, an interesting hardware play by Google (and what it could really mean for the smart home), as well as a recent venture funding story with a few names you might just recognize.

We bring the episode to a conclusion with another must-hear discussion for the integrators in our audience. A number of columns have appeared recently in CEPro that got our attention. Submitted by a Joseph Kolchinsky, of OneVision Resources, the pieces focus on a handful of critical flaws that pervade many of our business models. These flaws lead to a lack of profitability and respect amongst our trade partners. Joseph's articles offer great insight as to how we can improve, in turn enabling us to provide a higher level of service to our clients. We would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on this important conversation so shoot us an email or drop us a line on twitter.

Thanks as always for listening and we will talk to you next week!

Show Notes

• CEPro Summit
• Just Add Power reveals Ultra HD over IP at 2015 CEPro/CI Summit Event
• JAP Tiling, 4K, Videowall, and non HDCP 2.2 on same system
• Ring News - Richard Branson's latest investment: Santa Monica company making video doorbells
• Google announces OnHub
• Mike Wolf: With OnHub, Google Just Fast-Tracked the Post Smart Home Hub Era
• CEPro: Death Knell Ringing for Manufacturers, Integrators Who Still ‘Don’t Get It’
• CEPro: No Respect: Why Custom Electronics is Rodney Dangerfield of Design/Build Sector

In what has become a bit of a rare occurrence lately this week's show actually features both of your regular hosts. No interview guest, but plenty of interesting news and opinion pieces to discuss. First we provide a wrap-up of the CEPro Summit, an event recently attended by Jason. Focused primarily on the professional integrators in our audience, the conversation provides an interesting peek behind the curtain for end-users and enthusiasts as well. Next up we discuss a few news stories including the announcement of UHD-enabled products from Just Add Power, an interesting hardware play by Google (and what it could really mean for the smart home), as well as a recent venture funding story with a few names you might just recognize. We bring the episode to a conclusion with another must-hear discussion for the integrators in our audience. A number of columns have appeared recently in CEPro that got our attention. Submitted by a Joseph Kolchinsky, of OneVision Resources, the pieces focus on a handful of critical flaws that pervade many of our business models. These flaws lead to a lack of profitability and respect amongst our trade partners. Joseph's articles offer great insight as to how we can improve, in turn enabling us to provide a higher level of service to our clients.

Many tech companies are quick to use the word "security" when describing features such as mobile alerts and remote access to cameras. While certainly convenient these technologies are necessarily limited by their reactive nature, likely affording you little more than a front row seat to the violation of your home. Lost in all this marketing hype is the fact that a true security system's biggest benefit lies in it's ability to proactively prevent an intrusion from happening in the first place.

Enter BeON, an innovative smart lighting system designed to deter would-be intruders. BeON accomplishes this by intelligently learning and automatically mimicking the way you use your lights, giving your home the natural appearance of occupancy whether you are there or not. Alongside a handful of other nifty features BeON also has the ability to "listen" for events, such as the sound of your unique doorbell. Upon hearing the chime BeON will respond in a natural way making it appear, for example, as though someone is walking down the hall to check the door. The vast majority of home intruders will only act if they are confident a home is unoccupied. BeON intelligently exploits this fact, and in so doing provides a nice layer of protection that can either stand on its own, or serve as a compliment to traditional security systems.

On this episode we are joined by Co-Founder and CEO of the company Alexei Erchak to discuss this unique product. With a Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from MIT, and over 70 patents to his nameAlexei brings a very impressive resume to his current endeavor. We had a great time producing this episode and hope you enjoy the conversation!

PS - As always we want to sincerely thank you for listening to HomeTech! If you enjoy the show please leave us a review on iTunes! Also we kindly ask that you consider supporting our ongoing efforts to produce the show by becoming a Patron.

show notes

• BeONHome.com
• [VIDEO] - Thoughtful Home Protection for Everyone
• Luminus Devices

Many tech companies are quick to use the word "security" when describing features such as mobile alerts and remote access to cameras. While certainly convenient these technologies are necessarily limited by their reactive nature, likely affording you little more than a front row seat to the violation of your home. Lost in all this marketing hype is the fact that a true security system's biggest benefit lies in it's ability to proactively prevent an intrusion from happening in the first place. Enter BeON, an innovative smart lighting system designed to deter would-be intruders. BeON accomplishes this by intelligently learning and automatically mimicking the way you use your lights, giving your home the natural appearance of occupancy whether you are there or not. Alongside a handful of other nifty features BeON also has the ability to "listen" for events, such as the sound of your unique doorbell. Upon hearing the chime BeON will respond in a natural way making it appear, for example, as though someone is walking down the hall to check the door. The vast majority of home intruders will only act if they are confident a home is unoccupied. BeON intelligently exploits this fact, and in so doing provides a nice layer of protection that can either stand on its own, or serve as a compliment to traditional security systems. On this episode we are joined by Co-Founder and CEO of the company Alexei Erchak to discuss this unique product. With a Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from MIT, and over 70 patents to his name Alexei brings a very impressive resume to his current endeavor. We had a great time producing this episode and hope you enjoy the conversation!

This week Seth takes the mic solo again and chats with (super) special guest Mike Wolf about his upcoming Smart Kitchen Summit event in November. They also chat about a few bits of news that happened over the past week including creepy TVs, a new DIY security platform, and robot chefs.

Mike's special offer to HomeTech listeners: Use the discount code HOMETECH when registering for the Smart Kitchen Summit and receive 15% off your tickets!

Show Notes

• NextMarket.co
• Smart Kitchen Summit - November 5 - Seattle, Washington
• Vizio IPO Reveals Spyware
• How to turn off creepy Vizio feature
• Your TV might be watching you
• Abode Security System
• Canary
• Alarm.com
• SimpliSafe Security Systems
• Front Point Security Systems
• Abode CEPro Article
• Vivint Security Systems
• 2gig Go!Control Security Panel
• SkyBell Wifi Doorbell
• Picobrew - Home beer brewery
• ChefSteps.com - Recipes and Videos
• Sous vide cooking
• Book - Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking
• June Intelligent Oven
• Sharp Microwave Drawers
• The Colbert Report: The Vessyl Digital Cup
• Plated - Fresh ingredients delivered
• Amazon Dash Button
• IZZE Organic Sparkling Water

This week Seth takes the mic solo again and chats with (super) special guest Mike Wolf about his upcoming Smart Kitchen Summit event in November. They also chat about a few bits of news that happened over the past week including creepy TVs, a new DIY security platform, and robot chefs.

This week Seth and Jason are back together to chat about the last few weeks in HomeTech. A little follow up here and a little news there -- overall a really fun show this week. Thank you to all our Patreon supporters for showing your support! You guys rock!

Show Notes

• Control4 Announces Record Q2 Revenues Up 22%
• 1985 Unity Home Automation System
• Pair of Bugs Open Honeywell Home Controllers Up to Easy Hacks
• Quirky's CEO: Quirky is out of money and needs to find funds for itself and Wink
• Technology.fm
• Let's Talk Bitcoin Podcast
• Support the Show

This week Seth and Jason are back together to chat about the last few weeks in HomeTech. A little follow up here and a little news there -- overall a really fun show this week. Thank you to all our Patreon supporters for showing your support! You guys rock!

This week Seth sits down to chat with industry veteran and Editor-at-Large of CEPro Julie Jacobson. Julie has been covering the home automation market for more than two decades and has been one of our go to sources for home automation news each week. We chat about the interesting stock performance of Control4 and Alarm.com and discuss the recent news of Savant killing off their LiteTouch panelized lighting control system.

Show Notes

• HomeTech CEDIA 2014 Wrap Up
• CEDIA 2015
• Crazy Home Automation Stocks: Control4 is Tanking, Alarm.com is Volatile
  • Control4 Home Automation
  • Alarm.com
  • Control4/Alarm.com Comparison Chart
  • ADT and LG team up on new security device
• Savant Kills LiteTouch; Lutron to the Rescue; Debating Hardwired Lighting Control
• Replacing Savant’s LiteTouch Lighting Control System: How Much Will it Cost?
• Control4 Homebuilder Program: Integrators Tout up to 80% Closing Rate
• Nexia Home Automation
• Control4 Chosen By Toll Brothers For Home Automation
• CES - 2016 Information