Put it all in a bin. Smart Homes in 2026 are dumber now than they were 5 years ago. A Rant by Paul Hibbert aged 44 and a 1/2 From Thread devices randomly dropping off, Matter failing to properly connect ecosystems, Home Assistant reliability issues, and Alexa Plus being announced, hyped, and still unreliable, to Philips Hue still stuck with 2015-era hub limitations and Google Nest switching off cloud features on perfectly functional hardware — everything feels fragile, opaque, and unfinished. I also explain why Thread isn’t “better Zigbee,” why Zigbee was actually fine, why Matter often delivers the worst version of a device, why local control doesn’t automatically mean reliable control, and how subscriptions and cloud shutdowns have quietly made smart homes worse. If smart homes feel harder, more brittle, and more annoying than they used to — it’s because they are. ============================= 🍻 SUPPORT THE CHANNEL ☕ Buy Me a Beer: http://paypal.me/PaulHibbert 🎭 Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/paulhibbert ============================= ⏳ CHAPTERS ⏳ 0:00 - Intro ⏳ 4:04 - Philips Hue's new hub ⏳ 6:30 - Google Nest Thermostat discontinued ⏳ 8:40 - Alexa+ is NEVER coming to the UK ⏳ 10:55 - Thread vs Zigbee ⏳ 12:05 - Explaining Matter & Thread ⏳ 14:02 - What can you do about it? ⏳ 15:22 - Starting a smart home ============================= 📢 TAGS #SmartHome #SmartHomeProblems #HomeAssistant #Matter #Thread #Zigbee #AmazonAlexa #AlexaPlus #PhilipsHue #GoogleNest #SmartHomeTech #HomeAutomation #SmartLighting #LocalControl #SmartHomeRant
Goodbye Forever
YouTube Video UCYLnawaM-36HncBBUeWrlGA_BlN10uNu9S0
I did NOT expect some of the things I saw at CES 2026 😂 Enjoy a fairly bizarre round up of everything from Smart home tech to... ermm... Robots. CES this year was packed with insane tech launches you need to see. This CES 2026 video review is sponsored by the following awesome brands. All opinions are my own... Switchbot: https://eu.switch-bot.com/pages/events Dreo: https://www.dreo.com/pages/dreo-ces-2026?srsltid=AfmBOoq9UGwT32b-0uoppt6SzB9DqB9F7AYJwph1ABWY8Mtw2EXCLKX- Aqara: https://www.aqara.com/en/pages/ces-2026/ Reolink: https://reolink.com/visit-reolink-at-ces/?srsltid=AfmBOopcqQ2Owo0zP9WSMDIu8aTJouuj2xFRxzXGrgUYyzL6B_febuFj AWOL/Valerion: https://awolvision.com/pages/ces Govee: https://us.govee.com/pages/ces2026?srsltid=AfmBOorzyhOIzbL7RLXtHNQAXLJiHVQwtPlOeJpFUoVvRXSg36ExwGvg Narwal: https://us.narwal.com/pages/ces-event?srsltid=AfmBOorAFnum_OLoFrQA5PWERySBhvYfB3v_gmq16dGzsTj6E9K_XjWk XGIMI: https://us.xgimi.com/pages/titan-noir-max-for-ces-2026?srsltid=AfmBOopiV1qIFBajAwNDN-DkyLv6wyq1ENQxlM2wTgDgHA89Ki1VeQxo Mammotion https://us.mammotion.com/products/luba-3-awd-robot-lawn-mower?variant=50985057321258&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mammotion-search&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23411244448&gbraid=0AAAAAph1f9wBBM5k4w4dNTatsFPnkgSUh&gclid=CjwKCAiA64LLBhBhEiwA-Pxgu3eOKf5-LX9GJ4iR68FOMNqeYcZTmogCkxKWdny2MBd6YHQKDezsvxoC_bsQAvD_BwE Roborock Roborock CES US Official Store: https://bit.ly/49b1Zvh Roborock CES Canada Official Store: https://bit.ly/4jPcHLP Roborock CES Mexico Official Store: https://bit.ly/4bo05sC Roborock Saros 20: https://bit.ly/4qjS2lu Roborock F25 ACE Pro: https://bit.ly/3LjZptS Roborock Rockmow X1: https://bit.ly/4jFUnV #CES #smarthome #DREOCES2026 #DREOAlot #Misting #CES2026 #DREO #CES @roborock #roborock #robotvacuum #vacuum #vacuumcleaner #robotvacuums #vacuuming #mopping
Robot Filth At CES 2026!
YouTube Video UCYLnawaM-36HncBBUeWrlGA_xdhkbZmpHFI
I don't often use the phrase life-changing, but what century is this!? Photos I took of my wife and kid today were hanging on my wall about 30 seconds later. I have genuinely never seen anything like it. This SwitchBot AI Art Picture Frame unboxing and review video is sponsored by SwitchBot. All opinions are my own. This is the new SwitchBot AI Art Picture Frame, a battery-powered e-ink picture frame that uses Spectra 6 e-ink technology to recreate photos from your phone in full colour. Unlike a traditional digital photo frame or tablet display, this is a low-power e-paper display that looks like real printed art on your wall, with no glare and no backlight. It takes around 25 seconds to update an image, but once it’s there, it just stays — making this one of the most interesting wall-mounted digital photo frames I’ve ever tested. SwitchBot are actively developing a Home Assistant integration, which will allow this smart picture frame to cycle between images automatically. This will eventually make it one of the first truly smart home displays built around e-ink rather than LCD. Full disclosure: voice control via Amazon Alexa or Google Home is not a thing yet, the demonstration at the beginning of my video is a conceptual artists depiction of what it's going to look like. When it does arrive, SwitchBot have confirmed it will be via Home Assistant, and initially limited to cycling to the next image only. That means recreating the demo from the start of this video would currently require only two photos on the frame. I’m hoping this functionality is expanded, because the concept is excellent. That said, image switching already works through the SwitchBot app, and the idea of a digital photo frame that barely uses any power, doesn’t need constant charging, and quietly updates itself on a schedule is incredibly compelling — especially for anyone working from home with kids. My wife and I are already surprising each other with new pictures every morning at breakfast time. 🛒 BUY THE SWITCHBOT AI ART PICTURE FRAME HERE As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. By buying through any of the links below I will earn commission at no extra cost to you 🙂 🛒 UK: https://bit.ly/4rWVIut 🛒 US: https://bit.ly/44nUDBY 🛒 CA: https://bit.ly/4rRjTKV 🛒 EU: https://bit.ly/4pVc7OR ============================= 🍻 Support the Channel! ☕ Buy Me a Beer: http://paypal.me/PaulHibbert 🎭 Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/paulhibbert ============================= ⏳ Chapters ⏰ 0:00 - Switchbot AI Art frame Future Concept Demonstration ⏰ 1:45 - Switchbot AI Art frame What It Can Do Right Now ⏰ 5:10 - Switchbot AI Art frame Unboxing ⏰ 6:49 - Switchbot AI Art frame AI Studio ⏰ 8:28 - Switchbot AI Art frame In-depth Review ⏰ 12:20 - What's wrong with it? ⏰ 15:53 - Switchbot AI Art frame Summary ============================= 📢 TAGS #SwitchBot #SwitchBotAIArtFrame #AIArtFrame #DigitalArtFrame #EInkDisplay #EInkArt #SmartPictureFrame #DigitalPictureFrame #AIArt #AIArtwork #AIArtGenerator #SmartHome #SmartHomeTech #AmazonAlexa #GoogleHome #AppleHomeKit #HomeAssistant #SmartHomeDevice #SmartHomeAutomation
Soooo, Magic Paper Exists!?
YouTube Video UCYLnawaM-36HncBBUeWrlGA_JXFT705APXg
In this year Hibbert Home Tech Christmas special we explore your biggest smart home fails, including one of my own absolute catastrophes that Neesha will never let me forget. ============================= BUY ME A BEER 🍺 Donate to the channel: http://paypal.me/PaulHibbert 🎥 Become a monthly contributor on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/paulhibbert ============================== #smarthome #smarthomefails #smarthomeautomation
Smart Home Fails: My Naked Wife Posting Catastrophe
YouTube Video UCYLnawaM-36HncBBUeWrlGA_lHKhE-6RxGw
I screwed up and I'm sorry. I wanted to talk a bit about what went on behind the scenes during the LinknLink ISG filming and the issues people have faced since receiving their boxes. I'm hoping people can understand a but more about how it all unfolded, and where we're at now. Hopefully everything is resolved but if you're still struggling with your box I don't want to shy away from it, I want to help you get it sorted. I have spoken to LinknLink this morning and they have asked anybody that is still struggling to get in touch via support@linklink-iot.com or https://discord.gg/SstkRMxnT8.
Addressing The Controversy
YouTube Video UCYLnawaM-36HncBBUeWrlGA_bBMOJUtbX2U
My wife has zero Smart Home experience, but just built a Smart home 😳 Bit is it better than Home Assistant?... The Homey Pro mini is an all in one Smart Home hub that has Zigbee, Thread, and Matter and it works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, AND Apple Homekit, so with no subscription is this the Home Assistant killer?? This video is sponsored by Homey, all opinions are my own. BUY HOMEY PRO MINI: https://homey.app/homey-pro-mini/?utm_source=paul-hibbert-december BUY THE HOMEY BRIDGE https://homey.app/homey-bridge/?utm_source=paul-hibbert-december This is a Smart home hub that gets all your smart home devices in one app, and where possible entirely local without the cloud, or an Internet connection. The Homey pro mini has support for Zigbee and Thread natively , but you can add the Homey Bridge which allows you to use Alexa to also control your TV, Set top box, Zwave devices and more. ============================= BUY ME A BEER 🍺 Donate to the channel: http://paypal.me/PaulHibbert 🎥 Become a monthly contributor on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/paulhibbert ============================== 0:00 - My Wifes Smart Home Experience 2:13 - The Challenge 3:33 - Philips Hue No Bridge Required Zigbee Direct Connection 5:30 - Lifx Bulb Wifi Pairing 8:24 - Tapo Wifi Socket and Energy Monitoring in Homey 9:25 - Aqara No Hub Required Zigbee Direct Connection 10:35 - Aeotec Zigbee motion sensor on Homey Pro Mini 12:25 - Matter Over Thread Devices On Homey Pro Mini 14:29 - Zwave Devices on Homey Pro Mini Using The Bridge 16:40 - Homey Advanced Flows 18:53 - Would My Wife Buy The Homey Pro Mini? #homey #HomeyProMini #SmartHome #HomeAutomation #SmartHomeDashboard #HomeAssistant #Matter #HomeKit #Alexa #GoogleHome #SmartHomeIdeas #SmartHomeTour #SmartGadgets #FutureTech #Technology #Review
Home Assistant!?! *Humps The Air Sadly | Homey Pro Mini Review
YouTube Video UCYLnawaM-36HncBBUeWrlGA_QrNRPDaDuZI
I don't need to talk to Alexa anymore because I’ve set up automations using the battery powered 60GHz presence sensor that Aqara are calling the FP300. The Aqara FP300 Battery Powered Presence Sensor works with Alexa routines and works with Apple HomeKit natively — but more importantly, it’s a real-time presence sensor that integrates with Home Assistant via Matter over Thread, which means no cloud, no nonsense, and complete local control. This is the first battery-powered presence sensor I've tried, and I finally have a presence sensor in my bathroom. It has been flawless for over a week now. But it's more than that — it’s also a temperature sensor, humidity sensor, AND a light sensor for Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa. Perhaps most bizarrely of all, this presence sensor can communicate over Thread OR Zigbee. You can literally choose which smart home protocol to use. It even works with Google Home (if anyone’s still using that!? 😂) — but you’ll need an Aqara hub to get any real functionality from it. This Aqara FP300 Battery Powered Presence Sensor unboxing and review video is sponsored by Aqara, all opinions are my own. 🛒 BUY THE AQARA FP300 BATTERY POWERED PRESENCE SENSOR As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. By buying through any of the links below I will earn commission at no extra cost to you 🙂 UK: https://amzn.to/3LYuseN US: https://amzn.to/3M1T3iN 🛒 BUY THE AQARA W600 TRV As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. By buying through any of the links below I will earn commission at no extra cost to you 🙂 UK: https://amzn.to/49JXWH5 US: N/A The FP300 works with: ✅ Amazon Alexa ✅ Google Home (using an Aqara hub) ✅ Apple HomeKit ✅ Home Assistant via Matter over Thread (for full local control with a Thread Border Router) ✅ Zigbee networks (optional mode) No more waving at Alexa or shouting across the house. Your smart home just… knows. ============================= 🍻 Support the Channel! ☕ Buy Me a Beer: http://paypal.me/PaulHibbert 🎭 Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/paulhibbert Checkout Dan's ⁨@LegoSpeedBuildingShorts channel!: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Adtj0CQZwCE ============================= ⏳ Chapters ⏰ 0:00 - Aqara FP300 overview ⏰ 3:13 - Battery Powered Bathroom Presence Sensor ⏰ 6:07 - Aqara FP300 Setup Process ⏰ 7:13 - Aqara FP300 Alexa Routines ⏰ 8:26 - Aqara FP300 Compatibility ⏰ 12:01 - Aqara W600 ⏰ 13:40 - Aqara FP300 Summary ============================= 📢 TAGS #AqaraFP300 #PresenceSensor #Matter #Thread #homeassistant #HomeAssistantYellow #HomeAssistantGreen #Aqara #Privacy #SmartHome #GoogleHome #AppleHomeKit #AmazonAlexa #LocalControl #SmartHomeAutomation #Zigbee #ThreadBorderRouter #AlexaAlternatives #SmartHomeDevice
Bye Bye Alexa – FP300 Review
YouTube Video UCYLnawaM-36HncBBUeWrlGA_gSw_CUHqBJs
Jeff Bezos won't like what I've just done with his precious Alexa. If you want local AI-based Alexa with no subscription then this is how to do it. This is an entirely local voice assistant with Spotify support that doesn't require an internet connection that you can set up in an afternoon. In this video tutorial I’m using Home Assistant and the Home Assistant Voice Speaker to build a fully local smart home voice assistant that still works alongside Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Matter and traditional Home Automation setups, with a UGREEN NASync DH2300 NAS for long-term backups and local storage. Next plan is to use the DH2300 for frigate, so that I can monitor my camera system through Home Assistant and store all of the video feed recordings there locally. This video tutorial is sponsored by UGREEN, all opinions are my own 🛒 BUY THE UGREEN NAS HERE As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. By buying through any of the links below I will earn commission at no extra cost to you 🙂 Black Friday Discounts end on December 1st UGREEN NAS on Official Store: https://nas.uk.ugreen.com/VG4SD5 UGREEN Black-Friday Sale (UK) 11.20-12.01: https://amzn.to/4oXtGNB UGREEN Black-Friday Sale (US) 11.20-12.01: https://amzn.to/47YY3gH UGREEN NAS DH2300(UK) 20% OFF: https://amzn.to/4ptp4i7 UGREEN NAS DH2300(US) 20% OFF: https://amzn.to/4p99QyM 🛒 BUY THE HOME ASSISTANT VOICE SPEAKER HERE PIHUT: https://thepihut.com/products/home-assistant-voice-preview-edition?variant=53945989202305&country=GB&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&srsltid=AfmBOopc6pVuEmooXfAMauMTI6Mj9yU2eJUkX8hI2tWO-GIZEQfukgK54E4 💡 I have created a Chat GPT conversation that walks you through really quick and easy tutorials on how I achieved literally every piece of this including my YAML automations for Spotify, anything you get stuck on just reply on that thread and ChatGPT will help! : https://chatgpt.com/share/69215be9-bd30-8003-ace4-968d2a63013c ============================= 🍻 SUPPORT THE CHANNEL ☕ Buy Me a Beer: http://paypal.me/PaulHibbert 🎭 Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/paulhibbert ============================= ⏳ CHAPTERS 0:00 - A cunning plan 1:57 - Home Assistant as a Smart Home 2:57 - Home Assistant Voice as a mic and speaker 5:08 - LLM's in Home Assistant as the brain 7:46 - Spotify in Home Assistant for music 10:18 - UGREEN NASync box as a backup solution for long term memory 13:03 - Shopping lists and timers in Home Assistant 15:18 - What's wrong with it, & Creating voice routines in Home Assistant #homeassistant #smarthome #llm #HomeAssistantGreen #HomeAssistantYellow #AppleHomeKit #GoogleHome #AmazonAlexa #LocalControl #HomeAutomation #Matter
I Built My Own Alexa
YouTube Video UCYLnawaM-36HncBBUeWrlGA_KNXQWxbn83I
This is the short list of the best Smart Home deals that are actually worth buying now that Black Friday 2025 is upon us! Don't waste your time browsing Amazon, I did it for you! Featuring Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Matter, Apple HomeKit and Home Assistant integrations across loads of brands. Below is a list of affiliate links, As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. By buying through any of the links below I will earn commission at no extra cost to you 🙂 LINKNLINK 🛒 UK: https://amzn.to/4kk7KZO 🛒 US: https://amzn.to/4kvKYyg NARWAL 🛒 US: https://amzn.to/44J4mlA 🛒 CA: https://bit.ly/4lFB6TM SHELLY 🛒 GLOBAL: https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=o%2fLk%2aG5JKYc&offerid=1851454.49&type=3&subid=0 VALERION 🛒 UK: https://amzn.to/45TYtEo 🛒 US: https://amzn.to/46EXatd REOLINK 🛒GLOBAL: https://reolink.com/lp/black-friday-cyber-monday-sale/?aff=77 🛒 UK: https://amzn.to/4od6fPi 🛒 US: https://amzn.to/49vlOhz ROBOROCK Use my code "BFCMKAT16" for 5% off until 1st Dec 🛒 UK: https://amzn.to/3XBn5Mx 🛒 US: https://amzn.to/4o9pWHC AQARA 🛒 UK: https://amzn.to/48gC9p7 🛒 US: https://amzn.to/444KQAo RANVOO 🛒 UK: https://amzn.to/4oL3423 🛒 US: https://amzn.to/4oPkURM 🛒 Official Website: https://us.ranvoo.com/@paulhibbert_2511 (ADDITIONAL DISCOUNT: Discount code (10% off): 10OFFPAUL11) SWITCHBOT 🛒 Webstore UK: https://bit.ly/4laeKJV 🛒 Webstore US: https://bit.ly/46kF3IU 🛒 Webstore EU:https://bit.ly/3IbTaGm 🛒 UK Amazon: https://amzn.to/3LIMmBX 🛒 US Amazon: https://amzn.to/4r6GG4Q HOMEY 🛒 UK: https://amzn.to/3LHkuOy 🛒 US: https://amzn.to/4r6xwpg GOVEE 🛒 UK: https://amzn.to/4knlCTc 🛒 US: https://amzn.to/3TzAuCZ 🛒 GLOBAL: https://bit.ly/49ePG1y This video is sponsored by various clients listed above. All opinions are my own. #blackfriday #blackfridaydeals #blackfridaysale #blackfridayshopping #blackfriday2025 #tvlights #govee #permanentlights AD
Black Friday Deals — Get My Smart Home
YouTube Video UCYLnawaM-36HncBBUeWrlGA_U9X0w5Nk6BA
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