Episode 584 - First, They Came for the Robot Vacuums

On this week's show: the FCC’s robot ban turns out to include future robot vacuums and mowers, which may make the next robovac harder to buy without making it much safer; Roku decides budget streamers are a premium experience now; Apple’s smart home hub and Siri refresh are reportedly getting closer; Sonos is teasing some kind of AI move for September; UniFi adds a Thread border router and beefs up Protect; plus new gear from Zooz, Aqara, Xiaomi, Homey, SmartThings, and Home Assistant, a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more!HomeTech HeadlinesThe US is banning foreign robotsThe US government just banned RoombasRobot vacuums are included in US robot banThe ban on robot vacuums won’t make them safer. But it may make your next one worseThe US Just Banned New Chinese Robot Vacuums and Mowers: Canada Could Be Next | iPhone in CanadaRoku raises streaming stick prices by up to 60 percentZooz 800 Series Z-Wave Long Range Motion Dimmer ZEN12 800LRXiaomi’s smart washing machines are finally going globalSonos Is Reportedly Planning Something Big for AI in SeptemberApple’s long-awaited smart home Siri AI refresh is achingly close to realityApple Could Start New Smart Home Push as Early as OctoberUbiquiti’s new SuperLink Gateway HA brings professional Thread hardware to UniFiUniFi Gets Its Own Thread Border RouterIntroducing UniFi Protect 7.2Homey is a rare smart home platform that is Matter 1.5 certifiedSmartThings quietly brings Matter 1.6 to beta hub firmwareFinally: Aqara launches dual-protocol Matter and Thread smart plugs in the UK and EUHome Assistant 2026.8 beta adds Matter doorbell events and simpler setupFireAvert joins Works with Home AssistantBuilding the device database together: Public preview now live – Open Home FoundationGitHub - GuiPoM/ha-sentinel: HA Sentinel — proactive health monitoring for Home Assistant integrations and appsESPHome Starter KitMaslow4 Large Format CNC