Episode 17: Pitchforks on Standby

What we cover

• Inovelli’s mmWave presence sensing switch, its built in room automation, and the importance of carefully tuned detection zones.
• Apple’s “Welcome Home” event recap: new HomeView smart display, the HomePod mini 2, Apple TV 4K, and the tradeoffs of a tightly controlled home ecosystem.
• Enshittification Watch: Schneider’s purchase of Shelly, Jasco’s purchase of Zooz, plus licensing changes at Bitwarden and Dockhand.
• Adam’s Starlink Mini for travel and backup internet, including its low cost standby option and the debate over satellite broadband’s role.

First up, Geoff tells us about the Inovelli mmWave switch, which builds a presence sensor right into a smart switch. We get into how well it detects still people, the quirk of it seeing through drywall, and how to use a zone map to minimize unwanted detections. We also cover why a switch is often a poor place for a presence sensor, the steep price, and where a dedicated sensor may be a better buy.

Next, the crew breaks down Apple’s smart home event. We talk about the new home display hub, its multi-user switching, and the baffling lack of third-party apps. We also look at the pricey new Apple TV 4K and debate whether HomePods hold up as a stereo or surround setup, with Stephen and Alex making strong cases against, and a side trip into Sonos networking woes.

Then we head to Enshitification Watch. Geoff shares his worries about Schneider Electric’s purchase of Shelly and Jasco’s purchase of Zooz, backed by some painful camera-replacement pricing and a great Zooz support story. We also cover Bitwarden’s move to a commercial license for its released apps and Dockhand’s license changes, with a firm “pitchforks down, but keep them handy” verdict. Along the way, Alex runs into an uncannily human AI phone agent at an HVAC company.

Finally, Adam explains why he bought a Starlink Mini for travel in an RV, with a $149 dish and a $10 per month standby plan making it tempting as an occasional connection or backup. The hosts discuss where satellite internet genuinely helps, from remote travel to outages that take down wired and cellular networks, while Geoff argues it should complement rather than replace reliable wired broadband.

Tags: smart home, Home Assistant, Inovelli, mmWave, Apple, HomeView, smart speakers, Shelly, Zooz, Bitwarden, Dockhand, Starlink, broadband

Links

• Presence sensing and smart switches
  • Inovelli mmWave Visualizer - https://github.com/nickduvall921/mmwave_vis
  • Inovelli mmWave Switches - https://inovelli.com/collections/smart-home/Presence
• Apple Smart Home Event
  • Apple HomeView - https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/meet-apple-homeview-a-new-way-to-enjoy-entertainment-and-manage-the-home/
  • HomePod mini 2 - https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/apple-announces-the-next-generation-of-homepod-mini/
  • Apple TV 4K - https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/10/apple-unveils-the-new-apple-tv-4k/
• Licensing and acquisitions
  • Schneider Electric Buying Shelly - https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/schneider-agrees-takeover-bid-shelly-70-per-share-2026-09-24/
  • Jasco Buying Zooz - https://byjasco.com/pages/jasco-acquires-zooz
  • Bitwarden published version update - https://community.bitwarden.com/t/published-version-update-in-app-stores/102750
  • Dockhand licensing changes - https://noted.lol/dockhand-license-changes/
• Starlink Mini
  • Starlink Mini price drop - https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/starlink-mini-drops-to-its-lowest-price-yet-at-just-149/
• 45 Drives Creator Summit - https://www.45drives.com/creator-summit/#about