PODCAST
The Average Guy Network
by The Average Guy Network
Home Gadget Geeks podcast, tech reviews, smart home gear and AI.
Episodes
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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.
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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.
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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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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...
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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.
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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...
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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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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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...
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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…
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Solar Sheds, Smart Gardens, and a Reality Check from CES 2026 with TJ Huddleston – 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...
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Tapo Smart Devices, UniFi Home Networking, and a Gadget Detox – 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…
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Oscar Hedaya with Smart Safes and Reinventing Home Security with Space – 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...
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Celebrating 15 Years of Home Gadget Geeks with LePro Outdoor Lighting, AI Hardware Shifts, and Crypto Signals – 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 outdoor...
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Jay Franze Talks Writing Songs with AI: Creativity Without Limits – 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…
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Sammie Collison on Unpacking a Remarkable Year Through Grit, Growth, and Gratitude – 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, mental...
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Warped Boards & Wired Homes, Catching up with Dave McCabe – 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 community....
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Smart Fridges, Clean Windows and Virtual Fairways: Tech That Simplifies Life – 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 deals…
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The $20K Slate EV, Linux Mint, Recycle PCs and Smart Battery Upgrades with Kevin Schoonover – 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...
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Gavin Campbell with Smart Yard Automation, Unraid 7.2 Enhancements, and the Rise of Local AI – HGG661
Gavin Campbell joins me to discuss his Segway Navimow robotic mower, the Echo Dot Max, Unraid 7.2 and practical ways local AI is improving Home Assistant notifications, coding and home-lab automation.
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EcoFlow and Eco-Worthy Solar Setup Updates, Using Local AI at Home – 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 cloning…
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Lutron Smart Plug, AirPods Pro 3, iPhone 17, and a Switch to Visible – 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-15OUT-BL smart outdoor plug — it’s built like a tank and performs great outdoors, but at $85, it’s hard to call…
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AirPods to AI: Tech, Crypto, and Life Updates with Christian Johnson – HGG658
In this episode of Home Gadget Geeks, I’m joined by Christian Johnson. We start with a discussion about the new Apple AirPods Pro 3, which I’ve purchased and am waiting to try once they arrive. From there, Christian shares updates on life as a new father and his progress toward earning a pilot’s...
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AI and Assistive Technology in Education: Insights with Dr. Brian Friedlander – HGG657
On this episode of Home Gadget Geeks, I had the chance to sit down with Dr. Brian Friedlander to talk about how AI is changing the landscape of assistive technology. We covered everything from tools like Ayoa, Brisk Teaching, Diffit, and MagicSchool AI that support students in the classroom, to...
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Books. Beats. Batteries: Jay Franze with Mac Upgrades and Solar Questions – HGG656
Jay Franze is back, and we talk about his new book, Stand Out or Fade Out. Jay considers upgrading his Mac Mini and shares updates on home projects and a new service dog for his daughter. Jim updates his solar setup, switching to an EcoFlow Delta 3, and they discuss solar power for camping, home...
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Tech Gadgets Galore: Erin Lawrence’s Latest Reviews and Innovations – HGG655
Erin Lawrence joins me this week for a wide-ranging conversation on home, lawn, and automotive gadgets. We dig into the future of lawn care with the Segway Navimow robot lawn mower, discuss battery brand ecosystems in power tools, and explore must-have car tech like portable jump starters and…
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When Smart Gets Smarter: Lighting, Lawn Care, and DIY Solar Systems – HGG654
Gavin Campbell joins me this week for a deep dive into smart-home automation, solar experimentation, and the latest in robotic lawn care. Jim shares updates and lessons learned from his BLUETTI solar setup and how he’s trying to integrate it with Home Assistant for smarter energy use. Gavin…
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From Prime Day to Power Play: Jim’s Solar Experiment Begins – HGG653
I recently kicked off a solar power project at home to test the efficiency of two 100-watt, 18-volt bifacial panels I picked up for $99 each during Prime week. The goal is to see how they perform in different areas of my property and learn how to optimize small-scale solar setups. I’ve added some...
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Smart Tech, Smarter Conversations: AI, Robot Mowers, and Power On-the-Go with Dave Hamilton – HGG652
Dave Hamilton joins me this week. After a quick Mac lightning round, Dave shares how he uses ChatGPT for long-form conversations while driving and discusses his eufy Robot Lawn Mower E15, which navigates with onboard cameras and mows daily for a consistently clean lawn. They also review the…
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The Future of Podcasting? Co-Hosting with an AI – HGG651
This week, I experiment with integrating AI into podcasting by introducing Microsoft’s Copilot, Mick, as a co-host. I dive into the real-world challenges of blending AI with human conversation. Covering everything from audio quality quirks to the absence of non-verbal cues that shape natural...
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Fiber Wars, Fast Networks, and Smarter Health Tech with Mike Wieger – HGG650
Mike Wieger joins me to talk through the latest in home tech and personal gadgets. We cover his switch from Cox to Metronet fiber and compare Omaha’s evolving internet options, including T-Mobile and Great Plains. Mike shares his 2.5 and 10 Gbps networking upgrades, covers DIY repairs, and…
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The Fix-It Space: Repairing, Repurposing, and Community Tech Solutions with Kevin Schoonover – HGG649
Kevin Schoonover is my guest this week as we look into the growing “fix-it” movement, exploring how repairing everyday items—like lamps, sewing machines, and coffee makers—can save money and reduce waste. Kevin shares his experience with local fix-it clinics in Minnesota and the rise of repair...
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Tech, Gardens, and Gadgets: A Conversation with TJ Huddleston from HomeTech.fm – HGG648
This week, I am joined by T.J. Huddleston, a home automation pro from HomeTech.fm. We discuss how smart home gear has become significantly more affordable and easier to use, especially compared to the clunky systems of the past. T.J. shares how he’s using smart irrigation in his garden to save…
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45 Drives Co-Founder Doug Milburn – HGG647
Doug Milburn, co-founder of 45Drives, joins me as we talk about the evolving storage server industry. We discuss the shift towards efficient data management solutions for both enterprises and home lab enthusiasts. Doug shares insights from his journey in computing, highlights the demand for...
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Mark Robson with the Big BBQ and Grill Show for Summer 2025 – HGG646
Mark Robson joins me this week to explore the world of grilling and smoking food. We discuss the excitement of grilling season, advancements in pellet grill technology, and share our personal grilling journeys since 2016. Mark highlights his Yoder pellet grill, Rectech, and Komodo Joe Big Joe,...
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From Lawns to Load Panels: Building the Connected Home with Gavin Campbell – HGG645
Gavin Campbell from HomeTech.fm joins me this week to explore the latest innovations in home technology. From robotic lawn care with the Segway Navimow to smarter energy management through electrical upgrades and real-time monitoring with Emporia Vue. He shares practical insights on enhancing…
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Ed Sullivan with a Look at the Slate and EV Insights: Charging, Accessories, and Innovation – HGG644
Ed Sullivan is my guest this week. We discuss Ed’s new 2025 Cadillac Lyric EV, which he has driven 3,500 miles without major issues. Ed shares his experience with Paintless Dent Removal and a recall related to the car’s manual. They also talk about Slate’s upcoming $20,000 EV with a 150-mile…
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Erin Lawrence on ECOVACS GOAT A2500 RTK, Urtopia Carbon 1, Powerbeats Pro 2 and Beats Pill – HGG643
Erin Lawrence from Tech Gadgets Canada joined me this week to look at consumer technology Erin had been testing in April 2025, and not even stormy weather could slow us down. We started with highlighting the ECOVACS GOAT A2500 RTK with satellite mapping and obstacle avoidance. Erin also shared…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Home Gadget Geeks podcast, tech reviews, smart home gear and AI.
HOSTED BY
The Average Guy Network
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The Average Guy Network currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
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Home Gadget Geeks podcast, tech reviews, smart home gear and AI.
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The Average Guy Network has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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