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Home Gadget Geeks

Jim Collison

We cover all your favorite tech gadgets that find their way into your home!

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  • 22 episodes
  • fortnightly
  • Avg 1 hr 21 min
  • English

Episodes 22

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Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • Saturday · 1 hr 23 min

    Tesla, Home Assistant, ESPHome and Smarter Automation with Gavin Campbell – HGG690

    Gavin Campbell is back, and this one turns into a tour of what happens when Home Assistant stops being a dashboard and starts becoming the operating system for the house. We talk through Gavin’s first Tesla, garage-door automation, water and leak monitoring, ESPHome projects, lawn and soil sensors, emergency power, camera systems and the growing role AI can play in making sense of all that home data.

  • September 19 · 1 hr 31 min

    POC Radios for Kids, Off-Site Backups, Remote Gaming and Frigate 0.18 with Mike Wieger – HGG689

    Do kids need a full smartphone just to stay in touch? Mike Wieger joins me for HGG689 with a different answer: push-to-talk-over-cellular radios built around simple family communication. We also dig into practical off-site backups with Unraid, TrueNAS, ZFS and Tailscale, Apollo and Moonlight for using one gaming PC from almost anywhere, and Frigate 0.18 for a much easier local-camera and NVR setup. For a broader setup walkthrough, see the complete guide to Frigate and Home Assistant. Chapters / Timestamps Guest Context Mike Wieger returns to Home Gadget Geeks with three practical technology topics aimed at parents, gamers and homelab

  • August 29 · 1 hr 19 min

    Pixel Lights, Robot Mowers, Maslow CNC and Home Automation – HGG687

    Seth Johnson from HomeTech.fm joins Jim Collison to talk about programmable pixel lights, holiday displays and the hardware behind thousands of individually addressable LEDs. They cover HolidayCoro, QuinLED, WLED, Xlights, Home Assistant and why electrical calculations still need more than a confident AI answer.

  • July 11 · 57 min

    LEPRO Lights Revisited, DIY Storm Guard and Safer AI Agents – HGG683

    Jim revisits the LEPRO permanent outdoor lights after six months, then walks through two OpenClaw projects in depth: a DIY Home Assistant Storm Guard for EcoFlow and BLUETTI batteries — tested during a real severe-weather event — and an Amazon Affiliate Manager for TheAverageGuy.tv. He shares what he has learned about AI agent authority, batch size, observable state, gold-standard workflows and conversational memory, along with notes on AI costs, hardware and adapting the OpenClaw series for Medium.

  • May 16 · 1 hr 14 min

    AI in Managed Services, RingConn Health Tracking and Smarter Cable Management – HGG679

    Jim Collison and Marv Bee discuss AI in managed services, including virtual agents, automation, memory across conversations and where human experience still matters. They also cover soundbar buying advice, RingConn health and sleep tracking, USB-C cable testers, surge protectors and practical power gear for everyday tech setups.

  • April 25 · 1 hr 25 min

    Tech, BBQ, and the Blackstone Lifestyle with Mark Robson – HGG678

    What happens when technology troubleshooting meets backyard cooking, meal planning, and a growing obsession with grills? This week, Mark Robson returns to Home Gadget Geeks for a relaxed conversation that blends home tech, networking stories, pellet grills, Blackstone cooking, pizza ovens, and the routines that make outdoor cooking such an addictive hobby. From fixing a broken cable that disrupted a mesh network to experimenting with dry brining, reverse searing, and maple syrup in savory dishes, this episode covers the overlap between gadgets, workflow, and food culture. If you enjoy cooking, grilling, home labs, or simply building better systems around hobbies,

  • April 18 · 1 hr 22 min

    AI That Thinks: Dewain Robinson on Agents, Copilot, and What’s Next – HGG677

    What happens when AI stops being just a chatbot and starts to reason, plan, and actually do useful work? This week, Dewain Robinson joins me for a conversation on Copilot Studio, AI agents, reasoning models, vibe coding, and the future of software development. We go beyond the usual AI hype and into the practical side, how these tools are already changing workflows, helping with real tasks, and forcing all of us to rethink what productive work looks like. From Microsoft’s internal shift after ChatGPT to real-world examples like managing email, building demo data, handling calendars, and guiding software creation, this

  • April 11 · 1 hr 36 min

    Should You Trust OpenClaw on Your Network? with Christian Johnson – HGG676

    What happens when a practical conversation about AI tools turns into a deeper discussion about autonomy, cybersecurity, local models, and the future of the internet? This week, Christian Johnson joins me to talk about OpenClaw, the rapid rise of open-source AI agents, and why this new generation of tools feels very different from traditional chat-based AI. From local LLMs and hardware choices to plugin trust, sandboxing, and the risks of giving agents access to real systems, this episode explores both the promise and the danger of the current AI moment. Thanks for listening! Why This Episode Matters A lot of

  • March 21 · 1 hr 15 min

    A Hard Look at OpenClaw: Is It Safe to Use This AI Right Now with Gavin Campbell – HGG675

    Is the AI future helpful or just plain dangerous? This week, Gavin Campbell from HomeTech.fm and I take a hard look at OpenClaw, “vibe coding,” and what it really takes to run autonomous AI agents safely in your home lab. I’m trying to find out if you can actually let AI do the work without losing control of your network… or getting roasted by your own creations. Thanks for listening! What Should You Consider Before Trusting OpenClaw or Another AI Agent? The short answer: HGG675 treats OpenClaw and similar AI agents as useful but permission-sensitive tools. Jim and Gavin focus

  • March 14 · 1 hr 31 min

    Upgrading an Older Home: Heat Pumps, Air Sealing and Smart Energy with Paul Braren – HGG674

    Paul Braren from TinkerTry.com joins me this week to discuss energy-efficient home technology, including heat pumps, air sealing, and upgrading older homes for modern HVAC systems. They explore the real-world costs of improving home energy efficiency, the role of smart electrical panels and lithium-ion battery backups, and how modern monitoring tools help homeowners better understand their energy usage. The conversation also covers robotics, network upgrades, and the growing role of AI in everyday technology troubleshooting. Thanks for listening! In this episode of Home Gadget Geeks, Jim Collison welcomes Paul Braren, founder of TinkerTry.com and a long-time advocate for energy-efficient home

  • February 28 · 1 hr 12 min

    How AI Is Disrupting Songwriting and the Music Business with Jay Franze – HGG673

    Jay Franze joins me to talk about how AI is showing up in real songwriting workflows, not just as a toy, but as a tool people are actually using. We unpack how we built the new Home Gadget Geeks theme, what’s happening in Nashville studios, and whether AI makes music more creative or more predictable. Along the way, we hit crypto regret, bourbon country, and the bigger question: what happens when anyone can make a full song in minutes? Thanks for listening! Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Home Gadget Geeks #673 – AI, Songwriting & the Music Industry What is Home

  • February 21 · 1 hr 24 min

    Ring 4K Doorbell Tested, Amazon Art TV Announced & Alexa+ Early Access with Erin Lawrence – HGG672

    Erin Lawrence from https://www.techgadgetscanada.com/ joins me this week to break down Ring’s new 4K doorbell, the real impact of AI in consumer tech after CES 2026, Amazon’s move into the Art TV market, and Alexa+ early access. We separate meaningful upgrades from marketing hype and talk through where smart home tech is actually headed. Thanks for listening! In Home Gadget Geeks 672, I’m joined by Erin Lawrence to unpack the biggest smart home trends emerging after CES 2026. While artificial intelligence dominated the headlines, our focus is on what’s actually improving products versus what may simply be driving up costs.

  • February 14 · 1 hr 19 min

    Andrew Morris Returns: Solar in Brisbane, NAS Frustrations, Unifi Networking & Garmin Tech – HGG671

    Andrew Morris returns to Home Gadget Geeks this week. We revisit the early days of HGG, catch up on his move from Melbourne to Brisbane, and dive deep into solar upgrades, NAS decisions, hardware pricing, UniFi networking, broadband realities, Garmin health tech, and the growing temptation of a Bambu Lab 3D printer. Thanks for listening! What Did Andrew Morris Discuss About Solar, NAS, Networking and Garmin? The short answer: HGG671 catches up with Andrew Morris after his move to Brisbane and uses that update to compare practical technology decisions across solar, storage, networking and fitness gear. Andrew and Jim talk

Showing 1–20 of 22 episodes