The Average Guy Network

Episodes

1. 50

   Robots, AI TVs, Smart Vacuums and the Future of Home Tech with Erin Lawrence – HGG692

   Erin Lawrence returns to HGG692 with IFA Berlin robotics, DJI cameras, ECOVACS robot vacuums, AI TVs, Mazda CX-70, GM Super Cruise, smart lighting and the question of whether smarter gadgets are becoming too complicated.

   Oct 17, 2026

   1h 25m
2. 49

   Home Assistant AI Automation, Tesla FSD and Energy Monitoring with Phil Hawthorne – HGG691

   Phil Hawthorne joins me to talk Home Assistant AI automation, the upcoming 2026.10 release, Tesla Full Self-Driving, smarter energy monitoring, climate zones and a 3D-printed presence-sensor planter. We also discover why my Home Assistant Container installation had fallen several releases behind.

   Oct 3, 2026

   1h 27m
3. 48

   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…

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   Sep 26, 2026

   1h 23m
4. 47

   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...

   Sep 19, 2026

   1h 31m
5. 46

   Concert Photography Gear, Backup Strategy and AI Editing with Jay Franze – HGG688

   Jay Franze joins HGG688 to discuss concert photography gear, Nikon cameras, RAW workflows, redundant backups, AI photo editing, mastering and spatial audio.

   Sep 5, 2026

   1h 18m
6. 45

   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...

   Aug 29, 2026

   1h 19m
7. 44

   Phil Hawthorne on Smarter Home Assistant Automations, ESPHome, E-Ink and AI – HGG686

   Phil Hawthorne joins Jim to explore Home Assistant Blueprints, area-based automations, ESPHome Bluetooth proxies, e-ink dashboards, AI integration and the Open Home Foundation.

   Jul 31, 2026

   1h 21m
8. 43

   T.J. Huddleston on Smart Gardens, Solar-Powered Sheds and Home Assistant AI – HGG685

   T.J. Huddleston joins me to talk pollinator gardens, smart irrigation, a solar-powered shed, and using Hermes to build safer Home Assistant tools.

   Jul 25, 2026

   1h 23m
9. 42

   Christian Johnson on Passkeys, Self-Hosted Bitwarden and Guardrails for AI Agents – HGG684

   Christian Johnson joins Jim Collison for Home Gadget Geeks 684 to talk about passkeys, Bitwarden, Vaultwarden, managed container hosting through Maple Grove Partners and the guardrails needed when AI agents begin doing real operational work.

   Jul 18, 2026

   1h 23m
10. 41

    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…

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    Jul 11, 2026

    57m
11. 40

    Ring 4K Cameras, Robot Mowers, Coffee Gear and Travel Tech with Erin Lawrence – HGG682

    Erin Lawrence joins HGG682 to compare Ring 4K cameras, robot mowers, coffee gear, travel cameras, smart lighting and review workflows.

    Jul 5, 2026

    1h 28m
12. 39

    AI at Work, Fiber at Home and Mountain E-Bikes with Mike Wieger – HGG681

    Mike Wieger joins me for HGG681 — AI at work in a regulated M&A environment, OpenClaw and Hermes at home, new fiber internet, mountain e-bikes, and a real update on MeshCore and Meshtastic in the Omaha/Lincoln mesh community.

    Jun 20, 2026

    1h 13m
13. 38

    OpenClaw vs Hermes: AI Agents for Home Assistant with Gavin Campbell – HGG680

    Jim Collison and Gavin Campbell compare OpenClaw, Hermes, Home Assistant agents, local LLMs, Docker isolation, and safe approval workflows for home-lab automation.

    Jun 5, 2026

    1h 27m
14. 37

    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…

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    May 16, 2026

    1h 14m
15. 36

    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…

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    Apr 25, 2026

    1h 25m