Home Gadget Geeks

I revisit the LEPRO permanent outdoor lights after nearly six months of real-world use, including the removable wood-shim mounting method, seasonal lighting scenes and the outdoor smart-plug schedule. I also walk through several OpenClaw projects, including the Home Assistant Storm Guard I built for my EcoFlow and BLUETTI batteries and an Amazon Affiliate Manager designed to help me work through y...

Erin Lawrence joins me for Home Gadget Geeks 682 to talk Ring 4K cameras, the ECOVACS GOAT A3000 LiDAR Pro robot lawnmower, Nespresso Pop+, HoverAir X1 PROMAX, AI workflow lessons, smart home gear and upcoming creator tools. Full show notes and links are available at: https://theaverageguy.tv/hgg682

Full show notes, audio, and video at: https://theaverageguy.tv/hgg681 What happens when AI leaves the demo stage and starts showing up in real work, real home labs, and the gear that keeps a household connected? This week, Mike Wieger returns to Home Gadget Geeks for a practical conversation that moves from AI in a regulated M&A workplace to OpenClaw at home, new symmetrical fiber, mountain e-...

Full show notes, transcriptions available on request, audio and video at https://theaverageguy.tv/hgg680 Jim Collison is joined by Gavin Campbell for Home Gadget Geeks 680 to compare OpenClaw and Hermes as AI agents for Home Assistant, with practical discussion around local versus cloud LLMs, privacy, token costs, Mattermost, Docker, Unraid, and the hardware choices that matter in a real home lab.

Full show notes, audio, and video at: https://theaverageguy.tv/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 setup...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/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...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/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 an...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/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 genera...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/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 lo...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/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 li...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/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 pred...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/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 th...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/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...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg670 This week I am joined by TJ Huddleston for a wide-ranging conversation that blends real-world winter weather, practical home technology, and insights from CES 2026 . From navigating a rare Level 3 snow emergency in Ohio to installing a solar-powered backyard shed using an EcoFlow battery, the...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg669 Marv Bee returns this week for a practical conversation about unified home networking and modern tech habits. The discussion provides a closer look at Ubiquiti’s UniFi ecosystem and why it’s becoming more approachable for home users, along with strategies for simplifying complex networks, util...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg668 In this episode, I speak with Oscar Hedaya , founder of Space , about how smart safes are redefining home security through modern technology. We explore Oscar’s entrepreneurial journey and how his experiences led to rethinking a traditionally overlooked household product for today’s connected...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at  http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg667   Christian Johnson  joins me this week to celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the show while exploring today’s evolving tech landscape. They discuss AI hardware trends, rising consumer component costs, and  NVIDIA ’s latest enterprise advancements, along with a hands-on look at programmable...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg666 In this episode, I’m joined by Jay Franze , a seasoned music producer, to explore how AI is transforming music creation. Jay shares his experiment using AI as a virtual studio—producing songs that rival human-recorded tracks and often sound indistinguishable from traditional productions. We co...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at  http://theaverageguy.tv/hgg665 Every year on Black Friday,  Home Gadget Geeks  pauses the tech talk just long enough to look at where life and technology intersect, and this year’s episode with  Sammie Collison  might be the most grounded one yet. From returning to college as a full-time library para to managing finances,...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at  http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg664   Dave McCabe  joins me this week to reminisce about 17 years of podcasting, dive into smart home gadgets, and explore Dave’s woodworking journey with  Warped Boards . From CNC upgrades and handcrafted cutting boards to candid talk on men’s health, this episode blends tech, creativity, and co...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at  http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg663 I am joined this week by Erin Lawrence and Mike Wieger to explore tech innovations that enhance daily living. They review the  Mydea One Touch Autofill Refrigerator , the  Ecovacs WinBot W2 window-cleaning robot , and dive into  golf simulator technology . The episode wraps with  Black Friday...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg662 In this week’s episode of Home Gadget Geeks , I’m joined by Kevin Schoonover for a packed discussion that jumps from health and fitness to EV trucks, from Windows 10’s sunset to ARM’s rise, and all the way down to the small stuff — batteries, smart home gear, and the realities of modern tech m...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg661 Gavin Campbell joins this week and we covered winter weather, his strong early results with the Segway Navimow robot mower, the improved sound and smart-home functionality of the Echo Dot Max, and his Unraid 7.2 upgrade that boosted responsiveness. We discussed how we are using local AI for au...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at  http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg660   In this episode, we discuss the latest with my solar setup (EcoFlow battery, Eco-Worthy panels) and take a deep dive into local AI — exploring LLMs you can run at home, privacy implications, and practical use cases. We also field live chat questions, talk about Ollama, LM Studio, voice clon...

Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg659 In this episode of Home Gadget Geeks , I spent some time diving into a few recent tech updates and sharing a bit of what’s been going on with me. I started with a look at the Lutron PD-150UTB-BL smart outdoor plug — it’s built like a tank and performs great outdoors, but at $85, it’s hard to c...