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Anyone using Smart Home technology?

bfreebern

bfreebern

Yada, Yada, Yada.
Joined
Jun 22, 2004
Messages
17,727
Looking into the Amazon Echo, along with smart lighting/thermostat. Is anyone currently using this or something similar?

I'd like to hear the good/bad, before making a decision.
 
I got an echo for Christmas. So far it's been incredibly fun but I have no idea if the novelty will wear off. Friends of mine who have used the "nest" as a smart thermostat have loved it. Others with smart locks that can be locked, unlocked with their phone and lights that can be turned on/off with their phone have loved it. But those have been primarily used for their cabin where they want to monitor items like that when they live 100 miles away from it.
 
MNBrian said:
I got an echo for Christmas. So far it's been incredibly fun but I have no idea if the novelty will wear off. Friends of mine who have used the "nest" as a smart thermostat have loved it. Others with smart locks that can be locked, unlocked with their phone and lights that can be turned on/off with their phone have loved it. But those have been primarily used for their cabin where they want to monitor items like that when they live 100 miles away from it.
Click to expand...

That's my concern, if it's just a novelty and will it wear off eventually. I've been wanting to install a Nest for awhile, but in looking, you can install/sync lights to the Echo as well. The lights are expensive, but I've thought about installing the Phillips Hue lightstrip in the kitchen and wondered if anyone else has something similar:

41bi8JgNHvL.jpg


You can also change the color as well:

71ILASi-uTL._SL1500_.jpg
 
My 2 cents..... Do your due diligence with all of these systems and know what you are getting into and giving up. Many of these systems use a "cloud" connection to do the work. So all of your info it being sent to a third party, so only partake if you're okay with that. You might want to read the fine print and see what they do with your data, and if they are potentially violating your privacy. I know I have zero trust in Google anymore when it comes to sharing data and privacy issues, and they are pretty blatant about it and no one seems to care. Also investigate the security implications of some of the new IoT devices, some companies have been very sloppy with security.
 
George Scott said:
My 2 cents..... Do your due diligence with all of these systems and know what you are getting into and giving up. Many of these systems use a "cloud" connection to do the work. So all of your info it being sent to a third party, so only partake if you're okay with that. You might want to read the fine print and see what they do with your data, and if they are potentially violating your privacy. I know I have zero trust in Google anymore when it comes to sharing data and privacy issues, and they are pretty blatant about it and no one seems to care. Also investigate the security implications of some of the new IoT devices, some companies have been very sloppy with security.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. I think with any Wifi connected device, you're at risk.
 
No, not at all. 2 reasons.
1. I shy away from newer technologies until they've been around long enough for meaningful history of pros & cons.
2. I also highly distrust Google, and anything to do with my personal info. They have done, or suggested doing, some pretty diabolical things with that info.
 
I have the Echo and love it. Don't have any of the lights as my house isn't big enough to justify not getting up and walking to the switch (that's why I had kids anyway). I am considering the Nest thermostat though.
 
We got the echo last week. All we use it for is to play Pandora and get weather updates.
 
Buddy of mine has always had a computer in the kitchen. Great for music and you tube when people come over. He got an Echo when they first came out. Maybe it's the southern accent, but I'd say 3/10 times she doesn't understand. I lean more towards novelty.

Also, they thought it was funny that it would stop playing music when they told it to "shut up". Then the two year old caught on and started telling everyone to shut up... took two months to break the habit.
 
I started with the Nest thermostat, added the home protect (smoke detectors) and Nest camera. They all connect through WIFI. We spend a few months away from our condo, usually during the summer. The Nest system lets me keep tabs on the place while we are away.

I recently added three Echo Dot's (living room and both bedrooms). We use them for music, alarm clocks, timers and to control the Nest system. I have been very happy with them.

The Nest components have some interesting features but they are expensive.
 
I use the Honeywell Lyric T-stats and they work really well remotely. I hope Honeywell puts out more devices like Nest has.
 
I'm on the process of slowly converting my house into a smart home. The first thing I did was getting the house ready by cabling it with CAT6 ethernet cable which run the smart TV's, Wireless routers and security cameras. Keep in mind that most of these smart devices will be using a wireless connection so you will need to have something reliable and with a good range. I have 2 of these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015PRO512/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 with a 150Mbps fiber optic internet connection.

I was on the fence of either getting the Amazon Echo or the Google home. I ended up getting the 2nd generation Amazon Echo Dot to test it out and so far I really like it. The number 1 reason I got it was because Echo has been out far longer than google home and they have a wider range of supported devices. Number 2 reason, I got it on sale for $39. I didn't want to spend over $175 on either of the other 2 devices just to find out that it wasn't going to fit my needs. #3, I already use the amazon fire sticks on all of my TV's because I do not have cable so I figured that I would stick with an amazon product.

I also have two Ecobee 2nd Generation thermostats which I love. You can control these thermostats from Echo or your phone from anywhere in the world (I tested this not long ago when I went away to the Dominican Republic and was able to check and change my temperatures without a single glitch). I also like the fact that you can set a schedule and not worry about having to manually change the thermostat every single day.

My next step was getting some lights, I ended up purchasing some of these (again, to test them out): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HXM8XHO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I like the fact that these lights do not need a Hub (extra cost and more devices around your house) and you can control them from anywhere using your phone and also with the Echo dot. I installed them on the front porch and some hallways and so far they have been great.

I do not think that having a smart home is something that "will get old." If you only have the Echo and nothing else, then yes, you can only do so much with it "Alexa, play some music" etc. But if you really set these things up, you will find yourself using them more and more. You don't have to walk all the way to your thermostat just to change your temperature "Alexa, change home temperature to 72" done. I have an accent as English is my second language and Alexa understands everything I ask her to do.
 
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