Home Technology - Smart Homes - What is your wish?

mhardy6647

lightman1 wrote: »

Kex wrote: »

Not just convenience, but safety and efficiency too IMO, and my soul was damaged goods anyway, so the buyer got a raw deal.

Shut up Karen

I would always think twice before taking advice from this guy on lighting -- we all know he's in cahoots with Big Photon.

steveinaz

I don't like communicating with other humans in the morning, I damn sure don't want to talk to "alexa."

tonyb

steveinaz wrote: »

I don't like communicating with other humans in the morning, I damn sure don't want to talk to "alexa."

Rather talk to a dog than a machine. lol

tonyb

Kex wrote: »

Smart home devices are like power windows on a car, central locking, keyless entry, keyless ignition, heated seats, ventilated seats, panorama sunroof... or even a unifying remote for HT & audio... the list goes on and on.

Once you’ve tried almost any one of the above, you’ll never want to go back to what you had before.

Two years ago, I changed all the main lights to Philips Hue and multiple outlets as well. This includes the garage outlets controlling holiday lighting outdoors. All of this is controlled in various ways:

• HomePod speaker: Voice control.
• Apple TV with Siri remote: Voice control.
• Any connected iPad: Siri voice control. Touch control with immediate access from the swipe down Control Center.
• Any connected iPhone: Siri voice control. Touch control with immediate access from the swipe down Control Center.
• Any connected iPod: Siri voice control. Touch control with immediate access from the swipe down Control Center.
• Any Apple Watch: Siri voice control. Touch control via the app in the dock.

Automations are set up to turn certain lights (including outdoors) at a time of day, or in relation to sunset or sunrise. This means, for example, that outdoor lighting will come on at sunset and turn off at sunrise regardless of the actual time of day. Everything adjusted automatically when daylight savings ended recently. In the evenings, lights come on in the living room, for example, without having to go around and turn on multiple lamps individually. Similarly, they can all be dimmed with one command or screen tap for watching movies etc.

When it’s time to turn in for the night, the last person awake can turn off all lights everywhere with a single command or touch control. I can do that from my watch in the bedroom even if my connected iPhone is off. When we are on a trip, the house lights and goes dark exactly as if we were home (and we can even check on it from anywhere in the world).

The manual switches remain, of course, but they are barely ever used - and if you’re going to use them, they should be replaced with smart switches, so that HomeKit (or equivalent) is able to detect whether that light/switch is on or off.

In some cases, it’s more cost effective to replace a switch instead of light bulbs. For example, if you have multiple pot lights in a corridor, or in a kitchen, then it would be far more cost effective to replace the switch that controls all these lights, rather than replace multiple individual light bulbs with smart bulbs. The same is true for chandeliers.

Next up will be the thermostat, followed by door locks, including the garage, and security cameras. We will be able to provide our dog sitter with a “key” to the house using the HomeKit app for her iPhone, which will only be valid for the specified duration, instead of giving her a physical key.

Adding presence sensors are another option. For example, if a presence is detected in a hallway at night, the lights could come on at 10% brightness like a night light.

There are so many possibilities, and they improve all the time.

I don’t worry about data collection. Apple is not an advertising company. I don’t care if they listen to my voice commands or monitor my HomeKit usage if there is any chance it might improve operation in the future. Apple never send me promotions based on any usage of our devices and there are no advertisements anywhere in official Apple apps.

To each his own brotha, but I see it as a waste to have every mundane task connected to my phone for operation. Your more dependent on the phone/app to do your tasks than your own brain. Lose your phone then what ? Kid loses their phone ? Person you give the codes to for the dog, they can easily give that code out to someone else just as easy as a key.

….and if your not worried about the data collection, or the listening, because if it's listening for a wake up word, it's listening period, that's cool too. Just remember, your helping usher in the type of society China has. You can say hogwash all you want, but it always starts out small and snowballs. All starts with data collection, then moves to listening/watching, then to controlling behaviors/movement/ and taxing.

Nobody needs to know when your lights are on/off, when your home or not, what temp. you keep your thermostat at, what's in the fridge, if the oven is on or micro. If your doing laundry at the wrong time of day. What the outside or inside of your home looks like, what you bought at the grocery store, when your watching a movie, etc.

If your intent on giving others the specifics of your life, then don't cry one day when your denied certain things because of those specifics or taxed more money for them, because it will happen and already does to some extent.

steveinaz

"Alexa, wash my damn car." Technology dream, REALIZED.

verb

I like gadgets.

Are most of em useless? Debatable. Useful? Some of them for sure.

App controlled thermostats, although I do not have one currently, is next (not nest) on my list! I like the idea of monitoring the home just in case. Furnace goes out while away, avoid the frozen pipes, or because I forget to set it (more likely the case)

Security cameras at the new home is also on the list. I had some at the old house, and again, you could monitor the home, just in case, while you were away.

Safety and Security are tops on my list when looking at new technology.

No kids at the house anymore, but how many of us remember coming home only to realize the kids left every friggin light on in the house? App controlled switch could help.

Or, another type of switch on my kid's arse for leaving the lights on! Oh wait, that was me, and I got the receiving end of the switch! Figuratively of course, it was more like the orange Hot Wheels tracks!

joecoulson

People either do things out of:
Fear of loss
Or
Motivation to gain.
Who are you?

verb

joecoulson wrote: »

People either do things out of:
Fear of loss
Or
Motivation to gain.
Who are you?

Interesting Joe. Fear of something happening to the home, or my loved ones for sure.

But, as I said, love the gadgets! So, ya never know!

pitdogg2

My dog ate the last dog sitter do you know a good one? Preferably one that is fast on their feet.

verb

Kex wrote: »

joecoulson wrote: »

People either do things out of:
Fear of loss
Or
Motivation to gain.
Who are you?

Fear of loss would be the security integration, including the ability to monitor home, and the ability to control access, including giving anyone your digital key without the ability to lose it, or make a copy.

Motivation to gain would be motivation to gain in efficiency and ease of use, I suppose.

Efficiency gains for sure! Allows us to do other things and be more productive! See that at work a lot, constantly introducing newer technology, better processes, etc. Bottom line is that allows us to design a vehicle in much less time and get it to market! And with much greater performance and quality.

Now if I got a robotic mower or vacuum, and as a result I sit on my arse more, well then that might not be the best thing!

joecoulson

I have my house loaded with tech. Anyone who has the tin hat theory about them “watching” or “listening” better get rid of their cell phones ASAP. Much more likely they will invade privacy through government regulated networks than individual company’s devices.
They will hit my iPhone long before my Amazon Alexa.
Regardless, we live boring lives. I don’t break laws behind closed doors, don’t say incriminating things and generally lead a Christian lifestyle. Nothing interesting to any entities.
But I love saying “Alexa turn on the ac, set the alarm, watch tv, turn the lights off” etc. works like a champ. Not to mention the Harmony remote system controlling all my A/V devices flawlessly.

verb

joecoulson wrote: »

I have my house loaded with tech. Anyone who has the tin hat theory about them “watching” or “listening” better get rid of their cell phones ASAP. Much more likely they will invade privacy through government regulated networks than individual company’s devices.
They will hit my iPhone long before my Amazon Alexa.
Regardless, we live boring lives. I don’t break laws behind closed doors, don’t say incriminating things and generally lead a Christian lifestyle. Nothing interesting to any entities.
But I love saying “Alexa turn on the ac, set the alarm, watch tv, turn the lights off” etc. works like a champ. Not to mention the Harmony remote system controlling all my A/V devices flawlessly.

Another reason for me to visit Joe!

Gotta admit the voice recognition technology is pretty awesome nowadays. The Mrs will dictate a message in Vietnamese on her phone and it displays the text with correct punctuation (Vietnamese punctuation is very complicated) flawlessly!

verb

Thinking about this a bit, while travelling, in some of the hotels that I stay at, I'm always impressed with the automatic curtains or window blinds! Necessary for the home, meh, but IMO just very cool!

EndersShadow

verb wrote: »

Thinking about this a bit, while travelling, in some of the hotels that I stay at, I'm always impressed with the automatic curtains or window blinds! Necessary for the home, meh, but IMO just very cool!

Yup that’s on my list too

joecoulson

Some very cool stuff out there.
Now, Alexa start the vacuum. Goodnight.

jdavid

What recommendations for remotes for home theatre where all equipment will be in another room directly behind TV on wall.Have not looked at remotes in years. Which work best and are most reliable these days in these circumstances?
Appreciate others experience and suggestions.

jdavid

Someplace else I should post this?

EndersShadow

Harmony remotes that use RF are a good bet

joecoulson

Harmony is really your only (best) choice now. All other besides Crestron full home setups are gone.

The Elite is fantastic. I have that and we also have the lesser Companion for another room setup. Both have hubs and will work with RF to control gear in another room/furniture.

jdavid

Thanks! I recall years ago the Universal Remote Brand not cheap- How does elite compare to those?

msg

Lots of neat tech out there, but so much of it seems unnecessary. Questionable as to whether it's even truly beneficial, or just cool to have.

Most people can't even manage a smartphone and are living in them too much as it is. Do they really need more connected stuff in their lives, slinging data, notifications and clunky controls at them? I'm cool turning my lights on myself, and keeping track of my own groceries. Guess I'm more interested in simplifying these days.

Still been meaning to pick up a few Clappers, though.

Viking64

msg wrote: »

Still been meaning to pick up a few Clappers, though.

I would advise against it.

mhardy6647

msg wrote: »

Lots of neat tech out there, but so much of it seems unnecessary. Questionable as to whether it's even truly beneficial, or just cool to have.

Most people can't even manage a smartphone and are living in them too much as it is. Do they really need more connected stuff in their lives, slinging data, notifications and clunky controls at them? I'm cool turning my lights on myself, and keeping track of my own groceries. Guess I'm more interested in simplifying these days.

Still been meaning to pick up a few Clappers, though.

a-freaking-men.

Not that anyone asked, but here's what the Venn diagram looks like at the intersection between technology and my house.

*



__________________
Ironically, I 'borrowed' that GIF from a devotional study website Not exactly sure what the object lesson was. Maybe "No man [person] knows the hour"?

msg

Viking64 wrote: »

msg wrote: »

Still been meaning to pick up a few Clappers, though.

I would advise against it.

[msg peels wheels, makes two rights, a left and floors it]

msg

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Not that anyone asked, but here's what the Venn diagram looks like at the intersection between technology and my house.

I still have a DVD/VCR combo doing that.

joecoulson

@jdavid i used to have a pretty expensive Universal brand remote back about 10 years ago. They were great for the best button layouts on the market. But decently hard to program.
I had the Phillips Pronto which was VERY expensive but had a very cool windows based program and database for programming. Much easier.
The Harmony remotes have cornered the market with their ease of programming while still leaving it somewhat open for those of us who like to tweak the programming. The Elite (highest end Harmony) is the pinnacle of those two together.

jdavid

Joe- Thanks this was very informative.

pitdogg2

msg wrote: »

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Not that anyone asked, but here's what the Venn diagram looks like at the intersection between technology and my house.

I still have a DVD/VCR combo doing that.

it's defective better send it in to the shop....