IOT
82 episodes
#6476: Bluetooth Microphone Quality and the Audio Ceiling
A sixteen kilohertz sampling rate caps headset speech capture at eight kilohertz, setting a strict hard ceiling for Bluetooth call audio.
#6399: Smart Home Emergency Buttons and Mental Labor
Android phones in Doze mode quiet notifications on a desk unless sent at high priority, but hammering the channel trips Firebase throttling.
#5925: Plus Codes, Geohash, and the Open Addressing Gap
Google's Plus Codes promise offline, self-contained location — but the shortened form quietly reintroduces a dependency the standard was designed t...
#5918: Splitting One Camera's Audio for a Baby Monitor
One IP camera, two jobs: an open audio line for the nursery and Frigate's cry detection. Here's how go2rtc and Icecast fit together.
#5851: The Earbud Assistant Problem Nobody Solves
The AI model is solved. So why does the assistant in your ear still fail? The answer is the unglamorous plumbing nobody demos.
#5748: What's Actually Inside an eSIM Adapter
An eSIM adapter isn't a converter — it's a eUICC chip in a SIM shell. Here's the silicon, the certificates, and the open source tools underneath.
#5733: Why Your Raspberry Pi's Wi-Fi Keeps Dropping
The antenna on your Pi isn't the problem — where it sits is. What actually keeps an SBC link alive.
#5637: Lux Sensors for Home Assistant: The Feedback Loop Nobody Warns You About
Lux sensors sound simple until the lights you turn on trip the sensor that turned them on. Here's the full chain, from Aqara T1 to Matter's missing...
#5563: Your Fiber Is Dark: What You Can Actually Test
Your ONT is dark and there's no sync light to watch. Here's what a PON power meter can actually tell you before you call the ISP.
#5477: Who Owns the Antennas? Israel's MVNO Puzzle
Israel's virtual operators won't tell you whose towers they ride. Turns out your phone already knows — if you read the right signals.
#5450: Heat, Fans, and the Limits of Air-Gapped Security
Dozens of ways to leak data from air-gapped machines exist — but every real breach still used a USB stick.
#5386: Morse Code Between Two Phones: Does It Actually Work?
Two phones, no data, one room. Morse over sound and flashlight — what the research says about echoes, timing, and whether anyone will hear you.
#5378: SIP Speakers, Multicast, and the One-Way Page
How SIP one-way paging actually works — and why multicast turns 500 speakers into a single call.
#5282: Wi-Fi IoT Without the Cloud Lock-In
Wi-Fi IoT ships locked to vendor clouds by default. Here's what it takes to break out — and where Wi-Fi is actually the right tool.
#5235: Wiring Smart Patio Lights Through Home Assistant
Picking a Zigbee RGB controller is the easy part — sizing the power supply and keeping mains water out is where patio lighting projects live or die.
#5160: Bluetooth Peripherals on One Android Phone
How many Bluetooth devices can one Android phone juggle? The seven-device limit is a stack artifact — profiles matter more.
#5033: The Greatest Dumbest Home Assistant Automations
Doorbell goal horns, toilet dashboards, and a lamp that dims on guests. The ten most gloriously unnecessary smart home automations, ranked.
#4831: The Podcast Player That Doesn't Exist
Why can't you buy a dedicated podcast player that downloads episodes for offline listening?
#4562: Weighing Euroboxes: DIY Load Cells vs. Off-the-Shelf Sensors
Daniel wants to know if his industrial shelving is overloaded. The answer involves 24-bit ADCs, micro-deformation, and a surprising market gap.
#4464: Building a $120 Porch Monitor for Construction Noise
Daniel built a weatherproof sensor system to track construction noise and dust while he's away for the summer.
#4420: Tracing the IP Path of Your Phone Call in 2026
Do your calls travel over IP or old copper wires? We trace the messy, incomplete migration of telephony.
#4413: Bluetooth Tape Measures: What Actually Works
Can you pair a laser measure to your phone and skip manual typing? The compatibility landscape is messy.
#4362: Batteries vs. Wired: Smart Home Security for Renters
Coin cell batteries die silently. Here’s how to wire Zigbee sensors to mains power in a rental apartment.
#4361: LoRa vs ZigBee for a Flood-Prone Basement
Designing a reliable smart home sensor network through concrete floors for a seasonal New England home.