It will be smart when you no longer have to control all those devices from your phone.
)(think about that)
Smart home
- Thread starter Oildudeny
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)(think about that)
Google Home app for most of it, but you are correct no central place. Doesn't matter to me, most of these devices are "set and forget" and really anything pressing will just be a push notification to the phone. Ring app is my primary for arming/disarming security, doorbell, and garage door openers are tied in. Both thermostats and the leak detector are Honeywell so all in the same app there as well.
No smart home for me. The Chromecast on the TV is almost a bridge to far for me. If I had my druthers, all of our appliances would still be analog.
I use a Hubitat controller for lighting. It is secure, doesn't take verbal commands or spy on me. It turns up the house accent and street lights at sunset
Yes and no...having an entire interface built in to each device for full control on the device itself would be a little daunting, clunky, and hardware limiting over time I would think.It will be smart when you no longer have to control all those devices from your phone.
(think about that)
We have a honeywell wifi thermostat and a wifi security system. Both work fine.
Nice to know if the AC goes out in the middle of the day in South Texas summer, or be able to turn on the heat while you are on vacation in case of a cold snap.
Nice to know if the AC goes out in the middle of the day in South Texas summer, or be able to turn on the heat while you are on vacation in case of a cold snap.
I have nest thermostats, but I turned all of its “smart” features off. All I want is remote access and I can control the rest myself.
As for Alexa type devices, no thank you.
As for Alexa type devices, no thank you.
Our new furnace came with a digital thermostat. Not sure why it had to be digital, must be a local code requirement. It is not smart, just a set-and-forget...until I want to change from HEAT to COOL...then I have to flip the switch manually. Works for me. The only reason I have two Alexa devices is because they were gifts from a rellie who expects me to use them. The Alexa app will NEVER be on my phone. No other IoT devices and don't want any.
No smart devices here either, well, except for my wife, the robotic vacuums she controls with her phone and our security system and cameras.
I dont know, people think todays smart is smart but its really dumb compared to where it will be in 20 years. To me personally todays smart devices make you work with extra effort to do the most basic things. *LOL* But whatever.. I do think, much like security systems if you home needs to be monitored for temperature or flood, todays smart devices are smart.
We do have one Alexa Speaker, it came "free" with something we ordered a while ago. We never use it, it is used for our dog (no kidding)
We always have it set to off with the microphone set to off but when we go out, we turn it on if we will be a while.
Our dog lays next to the table where we have it play soft rock or soft classical.
Our dog in great health otherwise went completely blind July 2021, he is an amazing animal and need to do a thread on him one day, I was even thinking of a website of him, I mean, I still play outside and throw a ball for him, the ball has a bell in it and he locates it by following sound. Anyway, when we go out, he knows the table where the speaker is, it helps him orient himself in the house in relation to the table and speaker. It also makes him feel secure I think somehow.
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I don't know if there's any work around technology. You carry a phone, have a bank account or file income taxes you're a red pin on a map.
A lot of people have no clue how much they are tracked and how much "big data" knows about them. Many think they're smarter than these systems or "off the grid" but you just have to snicker about it....
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Like the ones that buy guns and ammo with cash but have cellphones with them during the purchase and fill out the federal firearm purchase forms and the store has cameras it's one huge loop and we're all in it. How is it every one is so dumb trying to be smart.
Ran into one yesterday using an online auto insurance quote website. I filled in basic info to get a quote for different car than I own. The site popped up a list of cars and asked "Which of your cars do you want to quote?" and it listed our cars plus our son's car (lives at same address). Skipped that prompt and next it asked me "Who will be driving this car?" and listed my wife and her age as well as our kids that are driving age. I am 99% certain that the state of Ohio's BMV sells our data.
Paranoia is a hell of a drug. I'm not saying we're not being tracked because we all are, but it's paranoia to think you can bypass it, and paranoia to think anyone cares about what you specifically do. Taking basic steps like using Firefox and disabling tracking cookies, make sure to have most apps on your phone set to "while using app only" for location, turning off advertising ID on Windows, using an adblocker etc will help with a lot of things online. Using a VPN at home is marginally useful at best.
Also I have a few things, mostly smart plugs that I can control from my phone. They are cheap, like $15 for the tp-link ones, got some on a few lights and a fan so I didn't have to buy a fan with a remote control. Also used one for christmas lights. Since I'm renting and we have boiler/radiator heat not gonna bother with a smart thermostat. The remote controllable outlets are really useful though.
To me it's not so much "smart" devices that are helpful in most categories (a few exceptions) but rather the remote monitoring/controllability for devices that is great and has been a gamechanger.
Nah, not for me. Technology has rapidly gone from helpful, to extremely creepy and invasive.
If a person were to monitor your behavior the way technology does (which is, afterall, easily accessible by a clever person), you'd get a restraining order!
If a person were to monitor your behavior the way technology does (which is, afterall, easily accessible by a clever person), you'd get a restraining order!
Better not use the internet then
I’m not so sure this thread had to do with privacy concerns I think it was just a matter of do the smart devices make your life easier or is it just as easy doing it without a smart device without relying on connections, I’m sorry but what people think you’re smart I think it’s downright dumb and in 10 years time they will agree with me.
Decades ago people had stayed at the art intercom systems in their house, wow were you at the cutting edge of technology, two decades later they are dinosaurs, a turn off for people who look at homes with them in it and then have to calculate in their heads how they going to replace the drywall with the holes left because of the intercom systems .
My heat pump and backup heating is automatic with exterior temp but I still have to manually switch between AC and heat. That’s annoying during the fall with warm days and cold night.
Also my water softener‘s it’s pants every time we get a power bump which is 3 or 4 times a year in this rural area.
I just installed new automatic controllers for my in-floor electric comfort heating and I’m not sure what will happen during a bump. We’ll see.
Also my water softener
‘s it’s pants every time we get a power bump which is 3 or 4 times a year in this rural area.I just installed new automatic controllers for my in-floor electric comfort heating and I’m not sure what will happen during a bump. We’ll see.
My smart home is completely automatic for those inbetween seasons of heat vs AC.My heat pump and backup heating is automatic with exterior temp but I still have to manually switch between AC and heat. That’s annoying during the fall with warm days and cold night.
Also my water softener
I just installed new automatic controllers for my in-floor electric comfort heating and I’m not sure what will happen during a bump. We’ll see.
Here is how it works (and an example of the excesses I post above *LOL* and this is just a fun post)
Our second floor is a heat pump, our main floor AC with a Natural Gas furnace.
Just my wife and I now in our 5 Bedroom home, second floor is only used for office and guests.
Main floor is left in heat mode all winter, second floor is left in AC mode all winter, except in extreme cold which is almost never here in SC.
So for the in-between seasons, if the house gets too warm on those rare days the second floor AC will turn on (cold air sinks) and for the cold days almost always the main floor gas heat takes care of the house (heat rises)
All this with two Honeywell NON Wifi digital thermostats.
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