On this week's episode of the Smart Home Insider podcast, we tackle the daunting topic of smart home connectivity, breaking down the various options and what devices they're best suited for.

Guest host this week is Jen Tuohy, who's been a regular participant on the show. She covers smart home for The Verge, among other topics.

Starting off the episode we had a couple small pieces of news. Aqara and Dreame both had new releases to check out.

Aqara is releasing its U500 smart lock in three variants. This EU-only lock has a rimless version, a gate version, and a glass door version.

It has multiple methods of authentication such as Apple Home Key via NFC, fingerprint, and more. Due to its various install options, the key hole and fingerprint readers are on both sides of the smart lock so it can be unlocked from either side.

Dreame is showing off its X60 Pro Series of vacuums. it has boosted its suction and made other small changes, but the biggest addition is new multi-jointed arms that can dust and mop under toe kicks and furniture.

The bulk of the episode is devoted to smart home connectivity options. We break down all the details of Wi-Fi, Ethernet/PoE, Matter, Thread, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and proprietary systems.

Each connectivity type gets its own segment where we highlight how it works, its pros and cons, and what devices it works best with. With so much to cover, this is a long episode but lends itself well to those who want to expand their knowledge or who are just getting started.

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