As the year comes to a close, Adam and Richard share their top product picks in various smart home categories. They also discuss this year's very long Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales and how to convince someone that smart locks are safe.

Here's a full list of every favorite thing discussed on this episode:

Lighting

Naonleaf Lines

Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip

Lighting Control

Lutron Diva Dimmer for Caséta

Leviton Decora Smart Anywhere Companion

Plugs and Outlets

ConnectSense In-Wall Outlet

Meross HomeKit smart plug

Motion Sensor

Hue (indoor and outdoor)

Window Coverings

Rollease Acmedia 

Lutron Serena

Garage

Tailwind iQ3

Door Locks

Schlage Encode Plus

Yale Assure 2

Security

Ring Alarm

Ring Floodlight Cam Pro

Ring Cams

Doorbell

Ring Video Doorbell Pro

Cleaning

iRobot Roomba j7+

Audio

HomePods

Sonos Move

Sonos Arc

Video

Apple TV 4K

Fitness

Peloton Bike Plus (Use this link to save $100 http://refer.eight.sl/ybkwcazs)

Withings scale

Other

Eight Sleep Pod Cover   (Use this Link to save $200 http://refer.eight.sl/ybkwcazs)

GE Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker

Google Nest Hub

June oven

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Adam and Richard talk about how to get into the smart home if you rent an apartment or condo — or if you own a rental property. In the first half of the show, they talk about the lighting, locks, kitchen gadgets and more that can make your life as a renter happier without violating your lease.

And in the second half of they show, they explain what property owners need to know before tricking out their Airbnbs and long-term rental units with the latest smart home products. Plus: What is the best new product Adam and Richard have bought so far in 2022?

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Inspired by a listener's question, Adam and Richard go back to basics in this episode and explain some fundamental concepts about smart home technology. Including: What is a smart home? What's a platform? What's a standard? What's the difference between a "warm" light and a "soft" one? And how does a smart device know how to do anything?

Previously...

- Insteon Goes Dark & Cloud vs. Local https://www.smarthome.fm/episodes/208-insteon

- Hubs and Bridges https://www.smarthome.fm/episodes/180

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Adam and Richard brainstorm what their dream smart homes would look like, if money were no object but technology advanced in a realistic way. They discuss the ideal state of voice assistants, lighting, window treatments, security systems, A/V equipment, home robotics, and more. Also: Should you AirTag your baby? (No.)

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Adam and Richard continue their discussion of Richard's recent move to a new home. Richard explains the first devices he chose to set up, why he intentionally dragged his feet on some devices, and the mistakes he made with his existing Ring and Hue accounts. He also shares some advice for installing Zigby devices that may save you a huge amount of time, and a hack he discovered for making Sonos speakers - including first-gen ones - work in a HomePod-powered home. Plus: The smart home industry's "holding pattern" as everyone waits for Matter to drop.

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Smartlabs, the company behind smarthome.com and Insteon smart home products, has shuttered operations. On today's show, Adam and Richard discuss how that sudden shutdown has impacted both manufacturers and consumers, and the trade-offs of communicating locally vs. over a proprietary cloud.

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Adam and Richard are back to discuss Richard's move to a new state, which required him to also decide which of his more than 100 connected devices would make the move, and which would be left behind. He talks about how he decided what would make the cut, and explains the settings that needed to be adjusted or turned off in both sets of devices, because "it's not as simple as unplug and go." Plus: The annoyances Richard ran into that device makers should learn from.

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Adam and Richard catch up with Seth Johnson for the 2021 Technology.FM Fireside chat

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Adam, Richard, and The Verge's Smart Home reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy talk about the next-gen smart home standard Matter, previously known as Project CHIP. They explain what it is, why there's some cause for optimism that this will be the one standard to rule them all - and also who's currently missing, and what important questions have not been answered yet. They also talk about Athom's reinvented Homey platform, and settle the most important debate of all: Is candy corn bad or good?

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Adam and Richard are joined by Tom Flippin from Wayne Water Systems to talk about the Basement Guardian Halo, which Wayne developed with Adam's company ConnectSense. The Halo is a smarter sump pump - a device many homeowners don't see or think about until it fails catastrophically. The trio discusses what a sump pump does, how Wayne and ConnectSense thought about the ways hooking one up to the smart home could save consumers money and stress, and who the Halo is for. Plus: Adam and Richard talk about the Apple products they bought after last week's event, and answer a question from Bob H. about outdoor motion sensors.

Buy the Basement Guardian Halo at https://www.waynepumps.com/product/basement-guardian-halo/

Have questions or feedback for us? Send it to [email protected].