Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
This week's smart home live stream covers Apple Home news, the growing PoE doorbell trend with the Ring Wired Doorbell Elite and Reolink, and my top smart home picks, including the Philips Hue Sync Box 8K. I break down whether the Hue Bridge Pro is worth the upgrade over the standard Hue Bridge, why the Aqara W200 thermostat beats the Nest at nearly half the price, and a quick tip for enabling RTSP on UniFi cameras. We also dig into Ford's BlueCruise switching to Apple Maps, rumors of an Apple Mac lineup overhaul and a new iPhone upgrade program, and whether Matter cameras will replace RTSP and ONVIF for anyone building a local NVR setup.
🔗 *Links*
Buttonate for HomeKit — https://buttonate.app/
Live — ericw.org/live
Ring Wired Video Doorbell Elite (2nd-gen) Review - The Ambient — the-ambient.com/reviews/ring-wired-video-doorbell-elite-2nd-gen-review
Viral iPhone App Warns Users When Smart Glasses Are Nearby | PetaPixel — petapixel.com/2026/07/23/viral-iphone-app-warns-users-when-smart-glasses-are-nearby
Ford picks Apple Maps for its next EV platform and updated BlueCruise | The Verge — theverge.com/transportation/969919/ford-apple-maps-bluecruise-driver-assist
My Best Buy Creator Page — creators.bestbuy.com/mypage/ericwelander
Apple to Launch New MacBook Air, iMac, MacBook Pro, Neo, Mac Mini, Mac Studio - Bloomberg — bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-22/apple-to-launch-new-macbook-air-imac-macbook-pro-neo-mac-mini-mac-studio
The reported Apple Upgrade program raises a very big concern - 9to5Mac — 9to5mac.com/2026/07/22/the-reported-apple-upgrade-program-raises-a-very-big-concern
Reolink Video Doorbell 2nd Gen | 2K Battery Doorbell Camera — reolink.com/product/reolink-video-doorbell-2nd-gen
My favorite products at Best Buy
creators.bestbuy.com/mypage/ericwelander
💌 *Get my Sunday Scene Newsletter*
ericw.org/newsletter
It's just 3 Apple or smart home things worth your attention.
*Upcoming live stream schedule*
ericw.org/live
➕ *Subscribe*
youtube.com/@EricWelander?sub_confirmation=1
📸 *Instagram*
instagram.com/ericwelander
🧵 *Threads*
threads.net/@ericwelander
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
03:30 iOS 27 Beta Matter Issues
05:30 Homey Podcast + Buttonate Beta Update
08:20 Schedule Change + Fiber Is Coming
12:24 Best Buy Creator Storefront
13:43 Ring Elite and the PoE Doorbell Trend
16:54 Meta Ray-Bans Backlash + Detection App
22:28 Aqara FP2 + Homey Zigbee Talk
24:02 Ford BlueCruise Gets Apple Maps
27:48 Apple's Mac Lineup Overhaul
29:18 Best Buy Smart Home Picks
31:52 Philips Hue Sync Box 8K vs Govee
35:34 Hue Bridge Pro vs Hue Bridge
36:48 Sonos Arc Ultra + Beam Gen 2
38:11 Aqara W200 vs Nest Thermostat
40:10 Reolink PoE Doorbells + Smart Can Lights
45:27 Apple's New iPhone Upgrade Program
50:05 Matter Cameras, RTSP + NVR Costs
52:52 UniFi RTSP Tip + Wrap Up
This week's smart home live stream covers Apple Home news, the growing PoE doorbell trend with the Ring Wired Doorbell Elite and Reolink, and my top smart home picks, including the Philips Hue Sync Box 8K. I break down whether the Hue Bridge Pro is worth the upgrade over the standard Hue Bridge, why the Aqara W200 thermostat beats the Nest at nearly half the price, and a quick tip for enabling RTSP on UniFi cameras. We also dig into Ford's BlueCruise switching to Apple Maps, rumors of an Apple Mac lineup overhaul and a new iPhone upgrade program, and whether Matter cameras will replace RTSP and ONVIF for anyone building a local NVR setup.
🔗 *Links*
Buttonate for HomeKit — https://buttonate.app/
Live — ericw.org/live
Ring Wired Video Doorbell Elite (2nd-gen) Review - The Ambient — the-ambient.com/reviews/ring-wired-video-doorbell-elite-2nd-gen-review
Viral iPhone App Warns Users When Smart Glasses Are Nearby | PetaPixel — petapixel.com/2026/07/23/viral-iphone-app-warns-users-when-smart-glasses-are-nearby
Ford picks Apple Maps for its next EV platform and updated BlueCruise | The Verge — theverge.com/transportation/969919/ford-apple-maps-bluecruise-driver-assist
My Best Buy Creator Page — creators.bestbuy.com/mypage/ericwelander
Apple to Launch New MacBook Air, iMac, MacBook Pro, Neo, Mac Mini, Mac Studio - Bloomberg — bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-22/apple-to-launch-new-macbook-air-imac-macbook-pro-neo-mac-mini-mac-studio
The reported Apple Upgrade program raises a very big concern - 9to5Mac — 9to5mac.com/2026/07/22/the-reported-apple-upgrade-program-raises-a-very-big-concern
Reolink Video Doorbell 2nd Gen | 2K Battery Doorbell Camera — reolink.com/product/reolink-video-doorbell-2nd-gen
My favorite products at Best Buy
creators.bestbuy.com/mypage/ericwelander
💌 *Get my Sunday Scene Newsletter*
ericw.org/newsletter
It's just 3 Apple or smart home things worth your attention.
*Upcoming live stream schedule*
ericw.org/live
➕ *Subscribe*
youtube.com/@EricWelander?sub_confirmation=1
📸 *Instagram*
instagram.com/ericwelander
🧵 *Threads*
threads.net/@ericwelander
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
03:30 iOS 27 Beta Matter Issues
05:30 Homey Podcast + Buttonate Beta Update
08:20 Schedule Change + Fiber Is Coming
12:24 Best Buy Creator Storefront
13:43 Ring Elite and the PoE Doorbell Trend
16:54 Meta Ray-Bans Backlash + Detection App
22:28 Aqara FP2 + Homey Zigbee Talk
24:02 Ford BlueCruise Gets Apple Maps
27:48 Apple's Mac Lineup Overhaul
29:18 Best Buy Smart Home Picks
31:52 Philips Hue Sync Box 8K vs Govee
35:34 Hue Bridge Pro vs Hue Bridge
36:48 Sonos Arc Ultra + Beam Gen 2
38:11 Aqara W200 vs Nest Thermostat
40:10 Reolink PoE Doorbells + Smart Can Lights
45:27 Apple's New iPhone Upgrade Program
50:05 Matter Cameras, RTSP + NVR Costs
52:52 UniFi RTSP Tip + Wrap Up
