The Technical Difficulties Podcast

DIY Smart Home Guys - Pete Borchers, Brandon Doyle, Vincent Hylla

A podcast all about the latest trends, devices and topics related to smart homes and home automation. 

  1. 19 MAR

    Does Home Automation ACTUALLY Save You Time? | S5E6

    Pete, Brandon, and Vince welcome Josh Wallet from Josh's Smart Home YouTube channel for a deep dive into what a fully realized, family-friendly smart home actually looks like in practice — including the wins, the fails, and everything in between. Josh shares the story behind his channel, including the five-year wait just to get approval to start it due to his day job's outside employment agreement, plus the painful early days of hard drive failures, glitchy exports, and uploading an entire unedited bloopers reel by mistake. The crew swap creator horror stories before getting into the good stuff: Josh's impressive custom home build in Pennsylvania, complete with a 14-seat home theater, a basement bar with two TVs, and a smart home stack that has evolved over years of real-world family use. The conversation goes deep on Josh's Home Assistant setup — from motion-based lighting throughout the house and Lutron Pico remotes as manual overrides, to geofencing all five family members for smarter automations. Josh shares his favorite automation of all time: a Z-Wave water shutoff valve tied to leak sensors that once stopped a bathroom sink overflow from becoming a full drywall disaster. He also breaks down his math on how much time home automation has actually saved his family — we're talking 200-300 hours a year in light switches alone, and 700 hours total when you factor in the Yarbo handling mowing, snow blowing, and vacuuming. Of course, the Yarbo hasn't been perfect — it ran over a small tree, ripped a slide off the kids' playset, and Josh famously remote-controlled it from his CES hotel room in Las Vegas while his wife watched the driveway get cleared back in Pennsylvania. They also get into the home theater lighting automation that still hasn't been cracked, why Josh ditched SmartThings out of spite, his commitment to more honest reviews in 2026, and Pete's pitch for using smart home automations to nudge the 22-year-old out of the house. 📺 Find Josh: YouTube: @JoshsSmartHome Website: joshasmarthome.com Travel Channel: @joshwallettravels   Support the show and get the best deals on Zooz smart home products: 👉 https://www.thesmartesthouse.com?sca_ref=6284708.sXoXFTZinuqY ZoozThank you to Zooz for supporting the podcast! The best Z-Wave smart home products--bar none!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

    46 min

  2. 14 MAR

    Smart Cranes, Rogue Mowers & Will AI Replace Us? ft. This Smart House | S5E5

    Recorded live at CES 2026, Pete, Vince, and Brandon sit down in person with Ryan from the This Smart House YouTube channel for a wide-ranging conversation covering the smart home landscape, the realities of being a part-time creator, robot mowers going completely rogue, and whether AI is coming for all of our jobs. Ryan shares what he's been up to over the past year — including a new role as Head of R&D at Ramsey Industries, where he's building the company's first IoT-connected crane product. The crew digs into his Home Assistant tutorial series, including Matterbridge setup and Tesla integration, before going deep on the state of robot lawn mowers — debating RTK vs. LiDAR navigation, sharing some hilarious mower-gone-wrong stories, and previewing what's coming from Yarbo and others in 2026. The conversation shifts to the creator side of things — how to stay consistent with a day job and family, the real struggle of ADHD and project follow-through, AI tools for content production (N8N, Gemini for B-roll cataloging), and Pete's ill-fated secret YouTube channel experiment. They also break down what stood out at CES — from Samsung's senior care smart home tech to the AI buzzword fatigue hitting the show floor — and close out with a genuine debate: will AI eventually replace content creators, or will authenticity always win? Support the show and get the best deals on Zooz smart home products: 👉 https://www.thesmartesthouse.com?sca_ref=6284708.sXoXFTZinuqY 📺 Find Ryan: YouTube:  @ThisSmartHouse   Instagram: @thissmarthouseyoutube

    40 min

  3. 7 MAR

    Eufy Walks Us Through Their New 2026 Smart Home Tech | S5E4

    In this episode of the Technical Difficulties Smart Home Podcast, we sit down with Brett White from Eufy at CES to talk about the future of smart home technology. Eufy has become one of the biggest names in smart home security and automation, with products ranging from AI-powered security cameras to robot vacuums and home monitoring systems. In this conversation, we explore what makes Eufy’s ecosystem different, how artificial intelligence is shaping the next generation of smart home devices, and what new innovations may be coming soon. We also discuss the broader smart home landscape, including device ecosystems, privacy considerations, and how companies are approaching automation in modern homes. If you’re interested in smart home tech, security cameras, robotics, or the future of AI in the home, this episode is packed with insights from the show floor at CES. Support the show and get the best deals on Zooz smart home products: 👉 https://www.thesmartesthouse.com?sca_ref=6284708.sXoXFTZinuqY

    47 min

  4. 27 FEB

    Is This New Smart Home Tech Too Good To Be True? | S5E3

    What if your smart home devices never needed batteries — ever? In this episode recorded LIVE at CES 2026, Pete, Brandon, and Vince sit down with Danielle Hicks, VP of Marketing at WePower Technologies/GEMNS  to learn how their energy harvesting technology is about to change the smart home game. GEMNS converts tiny movements — a button push, a switch flip, a lock turn — into enough energy to power a wireless signal. No batteries. No wiring. No maintenance. And it lasts forever. We cover how the tech actually works, their battery-free Z-Wave leak detector (the first device certified under the new Z-Wave Long Range 2025b protocol), what it costs, and where this could go — from smart home sensors to industrial applications to aging in place. Is it real or science fiction? We were skeptical too. Then she explained it. Learn more about GEMNS: https://gemns.com Support the show and get the best deals on Zooz smart home products: 👉 https://www.thesmartesthouse.com?sca_ref=6284708.sXoXFTZinuqY

    23 min

  5. 20 FEB

    Ex-Firefighters Built This Smart Home Fire Device | S5E2

    What if your smoke alarm could turn off your stove before a fire even started? That's exactly what Pete Thorp and Larson Webb built with Fire Avert — a smart home device born out of Pete's years as a full-time firefighter responding to the same preventable kitchen fires every single shift. In this episode, they break down how the product works for both electric and gas stoves, walk through its Z-Wave and LoRa connectivity, and share real-world data from a 5,000-unit apartment rollout that saw kitchen fires drop from 18 per year to just 2. We also dig into their Shark Tank appearance, the AI-powered system they're building to predict which apartments are most likely to have a fire, and some genuinely wild firefighter stories along the way. If you're serious about smart home fire safety — or you just want to hear two firefighter-turned-entrepreneurs talk shop — this one's for you. Fire Avert is available at firevert.com, Amazon, and Lowes.com. Zooz ZEN55 Smoke & CO Detector Bridge mentioned in this episode can be found at thesmartesthouse.com. Support the show and get the best deals on Zooz smart home products: 👉 https://www.thesmartesthouse.com?sca_ref=6284708.sXoXFTZinuqY 🎥 Check Out Our Channels Pete: https://www.youtube.com/@UCrd5f8FlkYrZYcfgosM7IAQ Brandon: https://www.youtube.com/@UCpZYk1Lmqna3TKUnGIq1FIg Vince: https://www.youtube.com/@UCU_ZANWReE8h0nL0GXPcH1A🎙️

    44 min

  6. 13 FEB

    CES 2026: The Good, The Weird, & The Robots | S5E1de

    Support the show and get the best deals on Zooz smart home products: 👉 https://www.thesmartesthouse.com?sca_ref=6284708.sXoXFTZinuqY Season 5 is HERE — and we're kicking it off in-person! Pete, Brandon and Vince are back from CES 2026 with their honest takes on everything they saw on the show floor. In this episode we cover: 🤖 Robot lawn mowers that FINALLY trim the edges (Yarbo, Navimow, Ecovacs & more) 🧹 The Roborock Saros stair-climbing vacuum — does it actually work? 🔗 Matter protocol — progress or more of the same? 🧠 AI in EVERYTHING — what's real vs. marketing hype 📷 AI-powered security cameras from TP-Link, Reolink & Eufy 🏠 Aging in place tech and smart sensors 🤯 Switchbot's wildest products yet (e-ink art, tennis robot & more) 👓 Smart glasses, body cams & wearable AI 🤖 Humanoid robots: fighting, dancing & why we should be concerned 🧊 Companion robots — cool or creepy? 🏔️ Is CES still worth it? Our honest verdict after 5+ years 🎥 Check Out Our Channels Pete: https://www.youtube.com/@UCrd5f8FlkYrZYcfgosM7IAQ Brandon: https://www.youtube.com/@UCpZYk1Lmqna3TKUnGIq1FIg Vince: https://www.youtube.com/@UCU_ZANWReE8h0nL0GXPcH1A🎙️

    1 hr

  7. 15/12/2025

    Smart Home Secrets from a PRO

    Support our Podcast and find the best deal on Zooz smart home Products: https://www.thesmartesthouse.com?sca_ref=6284708.sXoXFTZinuqY Pete's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DIYSmartHomeGuy1 Brandon's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BrandonDoyleMN Vince's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DIYwithVinny TJ Huddleston has installed half-million-dollar smart homes, lived in 40,000+ sq ft mansions (temporarily 😅), and now helps regular people build rock-solid networks and automations that actually work. In this episode of Technical Difficulties, Pete, Brandon, and Vinny sit down with TJ from HomeTech.fm to talk about: How he went from Craigslist ad ➜ professional smart home installer What it’s really like wiring giant luxury homes (and living in the attic) Why he left high-end Crestron/Control4 installs to start his own low-voltage & networking business His personal Home Assistant setup: Zigbee, Z-Wave, adaptive lighting, presence sensors, Sonos, SDR gas meter, smart garden & more The eternal battle: Ubiquiti vs Eero for Wi-Fi and networking Why he’s all-in on PoE security cameras and 24/7 recording (including the story of catching a break-in when Ring totally missed it) Real talk on Matter: what works, what doesn’t, and why he’s still cautious Smart blinds, robot lawnmowers, smart toilets (yes, really), golf simulators, and where he sees home automation going in the next 5–10 years 🔌 Guest Links TJ Huddleston 🎧 Podcast: HomeTech.fm – weekly smart home & home tech show 🌐 Personal site & links: huddleston.bio 🎙 About This Podcast Technical Difficulties is the smart home podcast where: Things break We make fun of them And then actually tell you how to fix and improve your setup Hosted by Pete (DIY Smart Home Guy) with Brandon Doyle and Vinny, we talk to creators, pros, and industry folks about real-world smart homes, networking, automations, and all the weird tech in between. 👍 If you enjoyed this episode… Subscribe so you don’t miss future interviews Like this video to feed the algorithm robots 🦾 Comment your favorite moment or your biggest smart home fail Tell us: Ubiquiti or Eero – which team are you on? Thanks for listening/watching — on behalf of Brandon and Vinny, I’m Pete. See you in the next episode! Support our Podcast and find the best deal on Zooz smart home Products: https://www.thesmartesthouse.com?sca_ref=6284708.sXoXFTZinuqY Pete's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DIYSmartHomeGuy1 Brandon's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BrandonDoyleMN Vince's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DIYwithVinny

    53 min

  8. 14/12/2025

    The Bare Truth About Smart Home Tech (From a 25-Year Veteran)

    Support our Podcast and find the best deal on Zooz smart home Products: https://www.thesmartesthouse.com?sca_ref=6284708.sXoXFTZinuqY Pete's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DIYSmartHomeGuy1 Brandon's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BrandonDoyleMN Vince's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DIYwithVinny In this episode of Technical Difficulties, we sit down with Richard Gunther — longtime smart home expert, podcast host, consultant, and one of the most respected voices in connected home tech. Richard has been deep in the smart home world for more than 25 years, starting with X10 and HomeSeer and evolving through Insteon, Amazon Alexa, HomeKit, Home Assistant, and everything in between. We cover A LOT in this conversation, including: ✔️ The smart home devices Richard actually trusts ✔️ Why he ditched Amazon Alexa for Apple Home ✔️ His very honest take on Home Assistant ✔️ What AI gets wrong about smart homes (and what it should be doing) ✔️ The most overrated and underrated smart home tech today ✔️ His early days with X10, Insteon, media center PCs, and CES ✔️ Why manufacturers still don’t understand the “smart kitchen” ✔️ Real-world smart home fails that will make you feel better about your own setup ✔️ The future of smart home automation — and why we’re not there yet Whether you’re a smart home hobbyist, a DIY tinkerer, a Home Assistant power user, or someone trying to make your tech actually work, this episode is full of insights, laughs, and blunt honesty. 🎧 Listen to Richard’s podcasts: Smart Home Show → https://smarthome.fm Entertainment 2.0 → https://thedigitalmediazone.com 📱 Follow Richard: Mastodon & Bluesky: @RichardGunther About Me: https://about.me/richardgunther

    1 hr
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About

A podcast all about the latest trends, devices and topics related to smart homes and home automation. 

Information

  • Creator
    DIY Smart Home Guys - Pete Borchers, Brandon Doyle, Vincent Hylla
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Technical Difficulties Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Technical Difficulties Podcast

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