#iot-protocols
11 episodes
#3079: NFC vs UHF RFID: What Actually Works on Fabric
Why NFC tags peel off fabric and how UHF RFID solves it — plus what hardware you actually need.
#2763: Do You Really Need VLANs at Home?
Is VLAN segmentation worth it for home networks, or is it just sysadmin cosplay?
#2762: Thread vs Zigbee: Multi-Floor Smart Home Networking
Can you mix Thread border routers from different brands across floors? Yes—here's how it actually works.
#2759: Why Your Smart Home Can't Mimic a Hotel
Can Zigbee and Matter handle a two-story house with outdoor devices? We break down mesh hops, latency, and real-world limits.
#2587: Where to Draw the Line on DNS Blocking
DNS-level ad and tracker blocking compared — where each tool shines, where they fall short, and the real tradeoffs.
#2573: What's Actually Inside a Hotel Smart Room System
Hotels don't use Alexa or smart bulbs. Here's the industrial-grade tech running behind those sleek wall panels.
#2358: ESP32 vs Raspberry Pi: The Microcontroller Mindshift
Why your smart thermostat doesn’t run Linux—and why that’s a feature. The surprising differences between microcontrollers and single-board computers.
#2103: AI Firewalls: Spotting Bombs on an Encrypted Conveyor Belt
With 95% of web traffic encrypted, firewalls can't read packets. Here's how AI analyzes metadata to detect threats without decryption.
#656: When Open Hobbyists Meet Industry Standards
Herman and Corn dive into the shifting landscape of smart home protocols and why Ethernet coordinators are the future of home automation.
#434: The Great Sunsetting: When 2G Dies, Your Gadgets Become Paperweights
Why is your GPS tracker now a paperweight? Explore the global 2G/3G sunset and the rise of 5G's new "invisible infrastructure."
#309: Beyond Matter: Decoding the IoT Alphabet Soup
Will Matter replace Zigbee and LoRa? Herman and Corn dive into the physics of radio waves and why one smart home standard can't rule them all.