HomePod Mini: 10 BIG things that get overlooked

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Does the speed of the HomePod mini and Homekit make you want to switch? Or is it giving up too many features that Google and Amazon have?

[@dnolan.]

I'm glad to have a choice. If one company fails you can always switch, and it encourages the companies to try and outdo their rivals.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

That’s a good point. Competition is always great for everyone.

[@calamityairlines9762]

@@SmartHomeSolver thank you for all your videos . I'm late to the party but just getting into automation now and have learned a lot from you and had a laugh. Much love from the UK

[@DIYtechie]

I like HomeKit because it’s local. Faster, more private and not relying on a third party cloud. Fewer things that can go wrong and break compatibility in the future. But for voice control I prefer Google Assistant. All voice assistants need the cloud for most things anyway.

[@AGMK]

If you can make a living 24 hour in outomation with different scenes for old young child doctor police man a family in different situations vacation school days summer winter living in a flat or villa city or country side alexa Google or Apple you will make a serious of a reality future

[@kakeskkd]

Everyone comparing HomePod mini directly with competitors on the basis of the pricing is missing the point. Although it’s important to point it out for the audience as well how they stack against each other. But thank you for talking about Privacy.

[@extrapolate]

Exactly. Amazon or google could give their smart speakers away and still make a profit from selling your data! (That’s why they do give it away or very cheap so often).

[@davidputt4638]

I’m glad you mentioned that the HomePod mini is the most affordable home base. This is the primary reason why I’m getting it. I was saddened that Apple shortcuts weren’t mentioned alongside automations. Apple shortcuts is one of the most underrated apps out there. It adds a monumental amount of functionality to automations once you learn the basics which only takes a couple minutes. There may be a few exceptions, but if you can imagine it, you can do it.

[@davidputt4638]

This wasn’t necessarily true before iOS 14 but since then it’s really become quite a workhorse.

[@crazycorg1]

The shortcuts app only works like half the time for me. Like if I have an automation to run at 10:30 am it doesn’t run half the time

[@mariechambers9953]

@@crazycorg1 Hi i think from what I’ve read the shortcuts you make will only work if the phone is on the same network and switched on for the automation to run, not sure if that’s relevant to you?

[@kalebakeitshokile1366]

You can set up more complex automations using shortcuts. Unlike Amazon’s Routines or whatever google has, you can even include your own conditions. Conditions like access weather data for your area and only turn on sprinklers if it isn’t raining! (Random example 🤣).

[@MurchyMurch]

Exactly. One clever setup is from ConnectSense ..their in-wall smart sockets can have a threshold set so once power draw exceeds a set level an automation is triggered. Think "my projector gets turned on and then my 'watch a movie" scene is triggered". I need to start setting up more HomeKit scenes

[@TheSkyWhale]

Just a tip, when you do your sound comparisons, throw an apple watch next to them so it can read the decibel level

[@TheDjexcessive]

"The kids are the animals" I died :)))

[@ThePaulness1]

Thanks for everything you do Reed! Love watching your videos. Glad Mr. Cook has time to listen to your suggestions! 1:29

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Thanks Paul! I really appreciate it! Good ol’ Tim Apple.

[@timb1151]

Great video! Love my new minis. I actually like that when I say set volume to six it sets to 6%. Feel like it gives you better volume control 1-100 vs 1-10 but I do understand having to say separate commands to different assistants like I have as well. Keep up the videos! Glad to see there is someone out there who has even more smart devices and complicated setup than I do. Mines pretty vast and complicated too but you take it to a whole new level! Love it!

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Thanks Tim! I’m glad to hear you like your minis! I probably have too much stuff and I need to streamline what I have when I move soon. I have a lot to think about. I appreciate the support!

[@timb1151]

@@SmartHomeSolver same here! Can’t help buying new products for all the ecosystems. It’s a sickness for sure. Greetings from your not too distant neighbor in Glendale AZ. Keep up the great work!

[@timb1151]

@@SmartHomeSolver are you staying in AZ?

[@crispaker]

@@timb1151 hes moving from Mesa to Queen Creek

[@myHomeKithome]

I’m so excited for Thread and the U1 chip.

[@CarlosPerez-co9jp]

That’s threar?

[@myHomeKithome]

@@CarlosPerez-co9jp it’s a wireless smart home mesh networking protocol.

[@CarlosPerez-co9jp]

@@myHomeKithome can you give an idea or explanation? Cause I’m still confused !

[@myHomeKithome]

@@CarlosPerez-co9jp if you’re familiar with Hue and Zigbee, it’s a similar protocol, but way faster and more relianle. . Connectivity is built through devices using Thread. They all work together to create a blanket of communication amongst the network.

[@BlinkTech285]

I don’t understand thread. It’s red only useful for lights? I am blind is thread going to work good for me?

[@tpeasetiger]

Aww, the baby shark segment at the end was adorable.

[@notgreg123]

The What

[@XueHuaPiaoPiao69]

1:11 I have the SE too and was trying to find a video covering that. Thank you so much!

[@ethan.colorado]

You only need the U1 chip for the upcoming “connected feeling”. Handoff currently only uses NFC.

[@Joe-oj2mi]

Oh thanks Ethan

[@pato424]

What is that “connected feeling”

[@1997Banane]

What is the "connected feeling"?

[@TheOreoDude123]

I have the XR and it works for me... It's very consistent as well

[@thomasmonaghan4202]

It doesn’t use nfc. It uses Bluetooth. The mini doesn’t have a nfc tag

[@ethan.colorado]

I have mine. I love it! I’m very excited for thread. Planning on replacing my Google home things (I’m in the apple ecosystem, so sending texts and FaceTime calls are nice).

[@krzemian]

Thanks for the Thread explanation. Regarding 8:04, how about asking Siri to set the volume to six…ty? :D

[@ahale1987]

Great video, as usual. The only thing I feel like isn't entirely accurate is the idea that automations are too basic in HomeKit. The HomeKit protocol actually supports complex automations as well as other competing platforms. However, the automation builder in the Home app IS basic. It took a while to be able to add a condition, and even now, you can't add any condition you want. I use the free Eve app, which allows you to take fuller advantage of the automation abilities of HomeKit. I fully agree with the Intercom feature not being as AMAZING as Apple pitched it. My wife and I did it once to try it out. Haven't used it since. Having something like the Drop-In feature would be much more useful.

[@jdlmediaco3541]

Hole kit is giving me such a headache. My Yeelight keeps turning middle of the nights 3 times. I’m a big echos fan but wanted to try home kit. What am I missing? Lights never listen to Siri’s voice.

[@Anilu777]

I’m glad I came here. I have no idea what Thread is and don’t have any Smart Home devices. The HomePod Mini and Apple TV 4K will be my first.

[@rexhua4833]

This is a valuable review!

[@junrosamura645]

I have Home assistant running but use homekit for the interface so the mini is a great home hub. I wished apple made homekit more universal so I dont have to spend hours on configuring a local server just to make non homekit compatible products work with homekit.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

That’s a great setup and something I’m considering to use more often.

[@ameyajoshi19]

FYI, Amazon Echo doesn't sell your personal data just because it asked you to buy something. Remember, it's linked to your Amazon account and Alexa has integrations with their retail software. What you heard was an "upsell". Alexa has a ton of these that promote mainly other Alexa features that you might not be using - but also promotes sales. Not trying to discount that Apple is better at privacy, but just thought I should clear that out. Great review, btw!

[@drywallpuncher1882]

For the HomePod mini small command strips to hold it down on the table

[@gamerjpcheats]

great review, i think apple are at the back of the race when it comes to smart home innervation

[@MurchyMurch]

There really isn't thing innovative about using the cloud for HA in fact it's a huge failure point. Google and Amazon have cloud initiatives and essentially make it easy to develop solutions but said solutions aren't robust. Even the command and control stuff isn't that good. Josh.ai absolutely crushes Google Home, Alexa and Siri. Local processing is expensive. It always will be as compared to cloud offerings.

[@lewisbarnes6465]

You’re at the back of the race when it comes to spelling.

[@lewisbarnes6465]

@Sherbet Lemon they’re just not are they

[@James-zy4nc]

@Sherbet Lemon I guess... if you don’t count smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and laptops.

[@nenioc187]

I wonder how the number of devices connected to Google assistant or Amazon Echo will affect how fast the devices will react. What would be the difference between 5 and 50 connected devices?

[@ronm6585]

Good info, thanks Reed.

[@iamJafarlee]

Hey could you do a review on vocolinc ?

[@DennisWarner]

I have a HomeKit “smart home” and I mainly use Alexa. I did buy two Minis and like them a lot. Not sure if I’ll replace the Echos though but time will tell. Thanks for another good video.

[@kalebakeitshokile1366]

U1 makes features like Siri deciding which device to respond from, Handoff and Airdrop better. They’re still available on other devices but won’t be as fast from what I understand

[@rileybusse9351]

If you update your HomePod mini Os 14.7 and it should fix this feature I found out that when I ask her about an electrical conductor she messes up and says the word more like six times and then I updated my HomePod mini to Os 14.7 and it got rid of that she doesn’t do that anymore it only did before 14.7 and then there was a bug fix update 14.7.1 and I got that in the US and it fixed it

[@OzSteve]

Wish you could setup a HomePod with an android phone :) Great review as always

[@SmartHomeSolver]

I wish you could do that as well. Thanks Steve!

[@restlesss6474]

Androids don’t deserve apple products

[@algheithi2]

For HomeKit devices, is there a way to control them through Alexa? Some devices dose not have Alexa support by default

[@balintberente5476]

I'm absolutely satisfied with homebridge and HomePod. Nanoleaf bulb is snappy too. I switched from a GH Mini to the HomePod, and I like it a lot more. That's one thing that the GH can do more, but it's unreliable and features go missing every time. The HomePod is reliable, but might does less.

[@sanketss84]

Is there a video about the thread network or what sort of devices are capable of this protocol , if not can you please make one ?

[@bala8oo]

Spotify is still the biggest thing for me, I use amazon hd and Apple Music but both are no comparison to Spotify on a day to day basis. It’s just big headed of Apple to dismiss it.

[@midnightbass6596]

How’s the house going also I really enjoy the videos you make hopefully you make some more, more often but you do what you want to do

[@SmartHomeSolver]

The house is coming along. We are in the middle of packing up so making videos right now takes forever. Once things settle down I will make videos more often. I appreciate the support and being patient with me.

[@SRTSWOOSH]

I was interested in the HomePod, but now I’m considering switching over my interests towards Amazon/google for comparability. Thank you for the vid, 10/10 I love how well put together & organized it is 🤙🏽

[@adamb7230]

Can Echo or gh connect with iPhone calendar, reminders, notes? IMO, an assistant that can’t do those basic tasks isn’t very useful.

[@TheNameOfJesus]

Yes, I am concerned with Privacy. Thanks for being one of the few people who even bother to talk about it.

[@DisembodiedScreams]

Just got one. Can’t get handoff to work. Any ideas? Saw a video with a 6s being able to do it.

[@binho3019]

Hey Reed, just touching base to see if you are ok, there are 3 weeks without new videos so just hoping you are doing good. I believe you are moving to your new house and might be very busy. Take care, and keep doing your awesome job.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Hey Fabio! Thanks for checking in. We're doing well, just moved into the apartment last week. I'm working on a smart apartment video and hoping to have it uploaded soon.

[@ejdo9195]

Wow i like your videos. I was exited for new one and here it is! Best tech youtuber!

[@constantringingtech2230]

Cool review. DIdn't realize it had thread built in. Thanks for this!

[@lukelyons9812]

How did you connect your office fan with homebridge?

[@thanostimestone6813]

One thing apple isn’t doing well is allowing certain bulbs or plugs to be accessible via HomePod. The Wi-Fi bulbs will disconnect from HomePod. You will than have to reconnect using the manufacturer software. I have a Bose revolve 3 so I didn’t buy the home pod mini for music. I got it for emergencies. To put into perspective what’s wrong with apple’s home. You can purchase a smart plug. It should automatically get an IP address after you go into the software and set the Wi-Fi password in it. It doesn’t exactly do that. Sometimes you have to reboot the router by unplugging it. If you choose Bluetooth bulbs. Buy 1 Bluetooth extender for every room you’re going to place the items in. 2. You should be able to see and reset the ip settings via the HomePod mini.

[@GreeniusGenius]

Just buy thread devices, like Nanoleaf Essentials bulbs, or use hub based devices like Philips Hue. Much more reliable.

[@keegandesouza627]

Can u make the video for the sunrise led strip effect I don't know if u had done one I watched it on your channel but was wondering how to do it and connect it to alexa so before the alarm goes on I get a gradual sunlight rise effect and then I vibe while wAking up

[@Bigheadedwon]

Echo does have a million skills, but a lot of them suck or are almost completely broke. My Tile key finder, the Alexa skill never finds my keys, I get a "sorry communication error" message every time. It also can't find my phone. And it's not just me, on the Skill store the Tile app is like 2.2/5, which honestly is 2.2 higher than it should be. And my Hue skill only lets me turn on/off every bulb at once. Again in the Skill store it's mostly terrible reviews so I'm not the only one having issues. Apple might have a fraction of the functionality of the Alexa skills, but go to the Skills store, there are a ton of 2.5/5 and under rated skills. I bet everything on the Homepod work's almost flawlessly.

[@robertm5957]

Is the HomePod OG thread enabled? Thread seems like it’s a pretty significant technology that will be great to have. I really enjoy your channel!

[@Cartel834]

I don’t think anyone was expecting a smaller speaker to sound better than a larger one Edit: Mine just came in, I freaking love it, although Siri is dumber than a bag of bricks the audio transfer also only works if the device is on the same WiFi, she’s super loud and works with my Hue lights super quick! I’d say want a good speaker get her but want a ‘smart’ speaker get google or Amazon’s variant Hope this helps someone

[@jaredperez506]

I watched a few videos about it before I just went & bought one and I was blown away to get home and realize it doesn't hold any internal battery. The fact this thing has to be plugged into an outlet to work is a complete buzzkil for a 'mini speaker' 😩

[@philipdickinson6648]

If you set the sound to 6 and it sets to 6%, surely setting to 60 would give you 60% or 50 to half volume etc.

[@dhelipg3004]

Hi man, Do you have any tricks to get notified if grid power goes off because my home power backup is directly connected to my home so if the power goes off it just gives some 3 to 5 beeps that's all. so, is there are any suggestions?

[@non-technicaltech5165]

Beam feature is the best. Sound quality is amazing. So far best in its class. I’ve done a review on it and I love it so far.

[@crispaker]

love the privacy of Apple, but budget doest allows me compared to Android and Amazon that lots of gadgets I can try in a practical way. thnx for a good video/review/thoughts. more power to your channel

[@Ant86744]

I use Alexa a lot for reminders. I have tried to do this with HomePod and found it not work or not announce the reminder

[@TheShravanshankar]

Great video! Can you share the shortcut which plays audio when charging? Thanks in advance

[@Terminator_T-X3]

Apple Thread technology reminds me of Sony’s Cell technology they were planning on using years ago outside of gaming.

[@GreeniusGenius]

Thread is not Apple exclusive, it’s a smart home standard, it’s just not widely adopted yet, but if / when Matter comes out, I’m sure it will become more popular. With regards to the PS3 processor, it was based on PowerPC technology that Apple actually used on their computers between the late 90s and around 2006 I believe!

[@cchalfantusa]

You have the best videos in automation by far. Would you consider this problem to solve? I’d like to have a way with homekit to cycle through say 6 different playlists to airplay to AppleTV or other airplay2 device. Preferably a home automation or shortcut so it is not dependent on a iOS or iPadOS device. I have a Hue tap and homekit only sees it as 4 buttons which is fewer than i want or expected. HomeKit does not let you program long press is in press and hold on the tap. If it did that would give me like 12 functions. Absent that I would love it if I could click a button on the tap and have it go to another playlist tap it again he had another and eventually cycle back through to my first playlist. The idea is to have a easy way for people by the pool to change music through a finite number of curated playlists.

[@cchalfantusa]

The closest I got to this so far is by sacrificing a hue bulb as a dummy to set brightness settings. When I setup an automation when I press the main Hue tap button. If the light is off I turn it on and set the brightness to 1. Then I get the brightness level, if 1 I play a specific playlist and then set the brightness to 2 and exit script. If 2 I play a different playlist, set brightness to 3 and exit and so on for 4 playlists. If I press again when brightness is 5 it pauses the appleTV to stop music and turns off the light. It’s such a waste of a bulb but it gives me 100 data points to use as “global variables”. I don’t have a color hue bulb but I’m thinking that would give me even a second “global” variable I could use for a second purpose, maybe having a way to cycle through different preset volumes levels based on the current color of the bulb. There has to be a better way that is still family friendly. The simpler the better in our house.

[@thomasmonaghan4202]

You only need the U1 chip to feel the haptic vibrations when your iPhone moves closer to the HomePod I think.

[@gms03sbd3]

I am building a network and I will need an assistant. My wife and I are using iPhones actually. will it be interesting to wait until more thread products are in the market? even with thread working, in order to have all the options, will be needed Home Assistant with HassIO and the home kit adaptation? I am really interested as the building have to end on the first quarter of 2021. Thank you for all your vides, you are Guru to me.

[@MurchyMurch]

Like the Eve Home stuff you're going to see a lot of recent HA products enable Thread support if their embedded chipset (Like Eve Core products) allows for it. The Nanoleaf Thread stuff is interesting because the Strips and A19 are inexpensive. My recommendation would be stick in the Apple Ecosystem if you're an iOS user. Here's what is going to happen with the HomePod mini and future Apple devices. The S1 chip inside uses UWB not to assist in audio handoff moreso than precise indoor location capability with the forthcoming AirTags feature. So my expectation is that next year I'll be able to say "Hey Siri ...where's my wife's phone?: and rather than ring the device Siri will respond "It's in the guest bedroom" when I walk into the guest bedroom a popup on my phone will use AR to show me exactly where the device is down the the centimeter. It'll be a game changer. Expect to see people buy a HomePod mini and then realize the power of UWB and end up buying a handful more to spread throughout the home. No other vendor is poised to deliver such a pervasive use case.

[@seththetechguy]

Hey Reed great video! One question, is thread new or has it been around for around?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Thanks Seth. Thread was created in 2015 so it’s pretty new. Zigbee was made in about 2005. Even though it was created 5 years ago this is one of the first, if not the first, real consumer Thread border router and devices working together.

[@seththetechguy]

@@SmartHomeSolver thanks! I need to look into it, I never knew it existed

[@ericbugg]

It would be nice to see a video testing a lot of Thread devices.

[@tio_cristiano7554]

How in the world did you get your hands on a Nanoleaf bulb. I been trying to get one but they been sold out for days on their website and I can’t order it on Apple site either. Says delivery not available.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

I got lucky and ordered one right when it was announced. It’s just taken me a while to make this video but yeah they seem difficult to get right now.

[@tio_cristiano7554]

@@SmartHomeSolver I just order mine today on the Apple site 🙂

[@toyota31t]

nice video, where can i buy the lamp base used in this video?

[@flowmeful]

How does this work with cheaper smart bulbs like Wiz?, iam just getting started with my smarthome. I only have 30m2 and need 4 lights and maybe some switches.

[@MurchyMurch]

Avoid the Wiz stuff. Go with the Nanoleaf Essential A19 bulb. $20 ...full 16.7 million colors ..supports Bluetooth but once you get Thread access you get your lights off a congested band (2.4 Ghz).

[@flowmeful]

@@MurchyMurch thanks for your response. Iv watched many video's telling me to stear clear of Wiz, but for a tryout to get in the smarthome world it seems oke. Iv checked out nanoleaf aswell unfortunately their bulbs are out of stock in Europe. Also they dont work with Alexa and i dont believe the nest mini has a threads option, Apple home pod mini does have it but its not availeble here yet and iv heard that it cant do as many commands. So iam still pretty conflicted, i do want to pick up a echo dot 4th gen since they are 30 bucks rightn ow (same ad nest mini).

[@MurchyMurch]

@@flowmeful I've been a Philips Hue owner for 8 years. Wiz is a product that I'm confused as to why it exists. The recent generation of Hue bulbs has added Bluetooth so that no Bridge was necessary for a small system. You have BT for a starting system with the ability to move up to Zigbee and Bridge feature. Philips instead decides to create an entirely new brand so they can stuff product into Home Depot. Don't rule them out but if you can find an acceptable Zigbee solution Ikea Tradfri, Sengled or something else give it a look. The more BT bulbs you add the more lag you will see.

[@matthewbrew777]

Can anyone tell me how the sound quality compares to a first gen Echo? Thinking of getting the mini :)

[@fordshively]

Reid can u give us a vid about the ring motion sensor

[@williambaldwin9346]

I have the Echo Show 5 and have never once had it suggest buying something. That is weird.

[@DIYtechie]

Really good review and great knowledge sharing. I love the speed tests and comparing technologies 🙏🏻🤓😃 Thanks

[@Joe-oj2mi]

I will only get HomePod mini because the privacy and the integration with other Apple products but I will not since I am verry happy with my google home system, grate vid Read!! 👍🏻

[@SmartHomeTech1]

I can’t wait till they update the original HomePod

[@javtimestwo]

Time for an update video now that the newer mini is available and still at the same $99 price

[@SteveInScotland]

The echo could never hear me, the ring often indicated the wrong direction, you couldn’t adjust the bass enough, it was awful. I got rid of it and all my other Amazon speakers and displays for HomePod minis and could not be happier.

[@laurierdrolet7821]

Thanks for information

[@brittrugg2676]

I have no idea what thread is

[@MurchyMurch]

The key feature of Thread is always IP. Zigbee, Zwave, Bluethooth etc do not communicate with devices over IP. This means they cannot leverage the routing, security and filtering capabilities of a well known Protocol (Internet Protocol) You never want to use Wifi for Home Automation devices. Wifi is collision based which means means devices are always listending for traffic and when devices send/receive data they occupy specified amounts of channel (bandwidth) regardless of the size of the payload. A few devices ..no problem but try to build a home based on Wifi and 100 devices could bring your network to a crawl nevermind the battery life issues as you mention. Another feature of IP is that Thread capability is integrated easily into just about any networking device creating the Border Router. If given the option people want less hardware not more to purchase and manage. Thread is important in that it gets HA traffic off of congested 2.4/5Ghz networks that were never designed for HA yet the advantages of IP can still be leveraged. It’s about time and CHIP should make good use of Thread as a major part of its infrastructure.

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Very true! I wish I could talk more about Thread in this video without making it way too long. I watched all the videos from the Thread Group and read pretty much everything on their website. Very interesting stuff. I agree that communicating over IP is going to be key. I hope companies keep adopting it.

[@deViant14]

you forgot the nest audio at $99 now often on sale for $79 better audio and better automation. might as well by two and just stomp this thing

[@ManchesterTechGuy]

Missing your content man. I hope you'll be back with a new video soon.

[@t0mme2t0ne85]

Handoff works with my iPhone 6s. It’s slow, but it works.

[@jonathancineus6424]

Basically trashed apple and highlighted every flaw 😂.

[@DisembodiedScreams]

Great review. Looking forward to getting one of these. Just one in order to get into the Apple ecosystem. I wonder if handoff works with an older iPhone. Still rocking a 6s which I plan to upgrade soon. And if you use Google Assistant with Siri Shortcuts you can find a work around with non HomeKit stuff. Works most of the time. Basically asking Apple to ask Google to turn on a light.

[@lieutenantpepper2734]

hum the echo doesnt sound as good as the homepodmini sounded a bit distorted im going to buy a homepod mini !!

[@SmartHomeSolver]

It’s really incredible what Apple has done. The clarity is off the charts for its size.

[@SpaceStrike]

My man it’s barely noticeable. Alexa is a much. Better platform but you do you

[@Celisar1]

3:35 Guess what: if your radio or tv aren’t turned on you also cannot control the volume 🙄

[@johndelahaye]

Me Nans TV could

[@mobgma]

Thread sounds great

[@shadow.banned]

This is why people were upset with Apple dumping the audio port. The HomePod Mini is nearly useless. You can't even set it as the default Apple TV speaker. The box is a brick.

[@robertdem259]

I got the homepod mini and i love itt

[@KylersStudio]

Another great video Reed!

[@josephlemons]

Yes you can play Spotify it’s called Airplay lol 😂 or Bluetooth

[@RahulKumar-hi8mn]

Only who use HomePod will know above comment is not funny and is rather annoying

[@Ujktitru]

Smart bulb video 3 where??

[@navcop33]

Great Video! You have a new subscriber!

[@NatesRandomVideo]

Gave the video a like - for reminding me why using vendor locked stuff for home automation is a terrible idea. :-)

[@Chi-TownToon]

Another one! Thank you

[@GzoGuitarWz]

This channel usually doesn't mention it, but using HomeAssistant (www.home-assistant.io/) you can basically use the open source HomeKit protocol to control anything else you would want to control. It's how I keep all my zigbee, zwave and wifi devices controlled by siri even if they're not HomeKit enabled. Edit: it was mentioned, but dismissed as very complicated. That's a fair point. One thing I'll point, however, is that you don't need HomeBridge to set this up - HomeAssistant has a built in bridge so no need for another service.

[@midnightbass6596]

Any new vids coming soon

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Yes, just getting my apartment unpacked and then I'll talk about how I'm making it smart!

[@teshayazzie3095]

The only smart speaker I will allow in my home because of the privacy. That’s why I never bought a smart speaker until now.

[@rileybusse9351]

It’s funny that this thing is actually in the kids room because if you think about it he said it only uses the U one check which no iPod touch has right now maybe that’s why the new iPod touch that’s getting released in 2021 if it gets released kids can finally buy it and usually HomePod minis I just find it really funny that it’s in the kids around one in general you need it you want chip to use it and you can’t use it with an iPod touch which is mostly what the kids will have unless they have an iPhone SE 2016 or something but even then I don’t think he would’ve given his kids a iPhone they’re way too youngKids shouldn’t have a phone until there at least 16 years old

[@kenkobra]

Too funny...showing that Tim Cook is on the phone.

[@StrategicNuclearMoose]

Reese, or Rhys Maybe? Anyway I keep seeing Tik Tok videos of the SwitchBot. It seems like 99% of people use them for turning on or off light switches. I think they're kind of pointless, like why not use a smart switch, appliance switch, smart bulb, whatever else!? Can you think up some ideas where this device would be actually usefully other than turning on or of a light switch?

[@thealexriveraa]

I have Alexa and it’s just dumber than siri in my experience. I’ve asked it to play specific genres or songs before and it always plays the wrong thing. If it works fine it tries to upsell me every chance it gets

[@markokonski6968]

You Forgot to Mention the Cost of Thread*

[@gillyazie55]

Is that baby dot telling him to change his diaper

[@DimmyV]

It takes twice the time! Apple and HomeKit all the way. No way Google and Alexa listening all the bloody time