Home Gadget Geeks

Erin Lawrence from TechGadgetsCanada.com is back this week and we start with a review no-go. Erin recently purchase a $2000 espresso machine that had issues right out of the gate. It’s not the problem you think it might be! We also look at two new robot vacuum cleaners and Erin reviews them head to head. We have looked at many vacs on Home Gadget Geeks, you might be surprised on how far they have come. We talk some out monitor size and does it really matter what kind or style of monitor you...

Paul Braren from TinkerTry.com joins us this week. Paul is always a ton of information and this week is no different. We open with an update on Insteon and the recent shut down of their services and how it was covered by the tech media. We also look at Paul’s EV Decider tool that walks you thru the things you need to think about when considering an EV purchase. Link for the tool in the show notes below. We also talk about box meal options and the desire for Paul to replace his furnace with a...

Phil Collison joins us this week. Phil is my oldest son and is and has been a drummer for both performance bands and some groups at local churches. He talks about how he became a drummer and the practice it took to get there. He also encourages parents to let their children practice, no matter how loud or noisy. We also look at 2 apps that help bands during live performances and those recording cover videos. Lots of interesting conversation and a proud Dad moment. Thanks for listening. Full...

Rich Hay joins us this week as we catch up with him and his new job at Microsoft. Rich is a good friend of the show and walks us through the process of becoming a Microsoft employee about 6 months ago. We also catch up with Rich on some of his latest gadgets and we spend some time talking home automation with a new Amazon Show for Jim. Join Rich over at the Microsoft Q&A Community — https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/index.html Thanks for listening. Full show notes, transcriptions...

Jon Biggs joins this week and it’s all health tech. We look from top to bottom at monitoring your own health from regular check-ups from a doctor, services like 23andMe and Grail and even continuous glucose monitoring with Inside Tracker. It’s a big update from Jon and we get most of it in! Also a big announcement about Mike’s involvement on Home Gadget Geeks in the future. Thanks for listening. Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at...

Cody Soodeen from Kara Water joins us this week as we look at the Kara Pure. Their mission statement says, “Kara Water wishes to decrease dependence on groundwater by fully tapping into air-water with Kara Pure to provide everyone access to premium quality local alkaline drinking water.” We look at the Kara Pure, which is the first step in accomplishing this mission. All that and more, including a special link to purchase the Kara Pure at a massive discount! Thanks for listening. Full show...

Gavin Campbell from HomeTech.fm joins this week and it’s all about home networks. He installed a new one in the last few months and lives to tell — in pretty good detail. That is mostly it. It’s all networking. I am serious. Not much else. Thanks for listening. Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg528 Join Jim Collison / @jcollison and Mike Wieger / @WiegerTech for show #528 of Home Gadget Geeks brought to you by the Average...

Bob and Ryan from https://thinkcomputers.org join us this week as we look at some of their reviews on laptops, motherboards, and new cases. We spend some time looking at the latest industry trends as well as asking the question of whether it is the right time to buy. We wrap the show with a little Mac talk and Jim gets itchy for the new Mac Studio! Thanks for listening. Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg526 Join Jim Collison...

Marv Bee is back for the launch of his new podcast, The IT Business Podcast found at https://www.itbusinesspodcast.com/. We also chat some about Marv’s newest purchase, an OLED TV that was influenced by HGG 524 and we talk about how to get better sound to that TV. Mike wraps the episode when he drops a bomb about his new truck. It’s not what you think! Thanks for listening. Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg525 Join Jim...

Christian Johnson is back to fill us in on his latest Home Theater build. From considerations made for the TV to the thoughts behind the tuner, wiring and power, we get the scoop on his setup. Lots to learn and even more to consider! Thanks for listening. Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg524 Join Jim Collison / @jcollison and Mike Wieger / @WiegerTech for show #524 of Home Gadget Geeks brought to you by the Average Guy...

Gavin Campbell is back this week and is now a member of the HomeTech.fm crew! (Links down below) We spend most of the show talking about home security cams from Ring to Foscam and Sighthound to Blue Iris. We also spend some time debating cloud vs self-hosting. This one is a deep dive that you will not want to miss. Thanks for listening. Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg523 Join Jim Collison / @jcollison and Mike Wieger /...

Jim gives a final update on his move to 5G Home Internet from T-Mobile. Jim also brings a hands-on review of Microsoft Translator and how he plans to use it for both Gallup and Home Gadget Geeks. We demoed it live on the show. All that and a bit more. Thanks for listening. Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg522 Join Jim Collison / @jcollison and Mike Wieger / @WiegerTech for show #522 of Home Gadget Geeks brought to you by...

Mike and Jim take a few voicemail questions from the audience and then dive into a hands-on review of the new T-Mobile 5G Home Internet offering. We cover the good, the bad and the not yet figured out as we discuss the service. An interesting conversation. All that and a bit more. Thanks for listening. Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg521 Join Jim Collison / @jcollison and Mike Wieger / @WiegerTech for show #521 of Home...

Christian Johnson from Maplegrove Partners is with us this week and we spend some time talking about the best way to purchase budget server hardware for those home storage fans. We also chat with Christian about the future of broadband home internet and the changes coming with IPV6. An interesting conversation. All that and a bit more. Thanks for listening. Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg520 Join Jim Collison / @jcollison...

Erin Lawrence from Tech Gadget Canada helps us kick off the new year with some interesting Gadgets coming out of CES 2022! We have a look at the much-awaited glass break sensor from Ring for their Ring Alarm system. We also talk about the new Homey Bridge that will be One Bridge to Rule them all, if it works like they say, it will. We spend a few minutes on Jim’s favorite subject of robot vacuums and talk about the new Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni Robot vacuum that does it all but at a pretty big...

Mike is back this week and we spend some time looking at our world of gadgets over the last year. What worked, what didn’t and what we really liked. We then spend some time looking ahead to 2022 and what we think the year will bring. Not your typical year-end show. Thanks for listening. Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg518 Join Jim Collison / @jcollison and Mike Wieger / @WiegerTech for show #518 of Home Gadget Geeks...

The dictionary defines a “Techie” as a person who is expert in or enthusiastic about technology, especially computing. We have Marvin Bee this week from the Podnutz Pro podcast and we look at all our favorite or not-so-favorite gifts that we have gotten or purchased for ourselves. From flashlights to batteries packs, we cover our best. Thanks for listening. Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg517 Join Jim Collison / @jcollison...

Mike talks about his new Unraid build this week and all the parts that had to go into it. No big surprises, but lots of great stuff. All that and more. Thanks for listening. Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg516 Join Jim Collison / @jcollison and Mike Wieger / @WiegerTech for show #516 of Home Gadget Geeks brought to you by the Average Guy Network. WANT TO SUBSCRIBE? http://theAverageGuy.tv/subscribe Join us for the show...

We have Jay Mattison from TekEverything at TekEverything.com this week as we have a general conversation about the status of PC hardware purchasing here at the end of 2021. We also look at 2 different mechanical keyboards that Jay has reviewed in the last year and have an extended conversation about Keyboard in general. All that and more. Thanks for listening. Full show notes, transcriptions (available on request), audio and video at http://theAverageGuy.tv/hgg515 Join Jim Collison /...

Erin Lawrence from Tech Gadgets Canada joins us this week as we do a long look at the new Pixel 6 Pro from Google. The good, the bad, and even the ugly and how she likes it so far. Will it replace her daily driver iPhone? We also spend some time talking about the new Echo Show 15 and comparing it to the Echo Show 10 that we covered the last time she was on the show. The price point for both is a little surprising. In the end, we look at the Amazon Echo Buds and see if they