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Anyone using Smart Home technology?

whylieineedacigar said:
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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Great info, thanks!
 
I was an 'early adopter' with an Echo and we really like it. No other 'smart' devices in our house, guy currently behind the keyboard excepted....:D. It often plays music, and my wife asks it questions all the time (TV actors, geography, weather, etc.). Maybe the most frequent use is the shopping list. My wife can add stuff to the grocery list, I get it on my phone, and can check them off as I purchase. For us, it's super handy. I get it that it can do more, but we have fun with it and use it all the time as is.

I'm not freaked out about privacy. As Sun Microsystems chief executive Scott McNealy famously said nearly 15 years ago, “You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it.” Does the Echo, my phone, my computer 'spy' on me...?? Well, I guess that depends on your definition of 'spying'. I like opening up Amazon and having the stuff I was searching for listed for me. I like web pages that remember who I am and what my preferences are. People like to pick on Google but you can't tell me that you don't believe that every packet that zips around the net isn't peeked at, at some point. We shop on line, watch TV on line, post to Facebook, follow forums of things that we're interested in, use our smart phones to post, navigate, etc. If you do ANY of those things, your metadata is in a big database somewhere. Now, I will be quick to say that 'privacy' and 'security' are very different things. My important files are all encrypted. We have very good virus and malware scanners, and we have a firewall. I use a very good random password generator and password database and every one of my web page passwords are not only different, they look like ME27w&uJj_0* or *1k8$k9yBImV....you get the idea. So yes, my data is out there to some extent, but if you do any of the previously mentioned activities, guess what.....yours is too. As they say, one man's opinion......:cool:
 
You don't need a password to search for users in forums and read their posts.....look at almost any forum that has a 'Who's online' section.....:rolleyes:
 
duglynukem said:
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.
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My thermostat went kaput two weeks before Christmas and the outside temp was 5F, all I tried to do was replace the back-up batteries, but it never functioned again so I bought a Nest, by the time I went out and purchased it and installed it, the house was down to 45F. Price was $250 but there is a $100 rebated from the electric company and $25 from gas company. So $125 isn't too bad. Also had the alarm panel put in where there is only a cell connection and control from the cell phone. I guess I'm working up to the lights and such. My daughter received an Amazon Dot for Xmas but she will take it back to college. At least I get to see it in action for a while in order to decide how useful it might be.
 
Hey all, it's been a long while since I've posted but I have been lurking around the boards a lot recently. Not much to add other than we got the echo dot for ourselves for Christmas and love it. I could see it being just a novelty in some respects but one thing I use it for all the time is in the kitchen. When my hands are dirty, I use it for conversions (cups to tblsp for example) and for doing basic math calculations. It also has the ability to run multiple timers at once using only voice, so cooking several dishes over the holidays at the same time was much simpler using the echo dot.

I also got some Phillips hue bulbs for our living room. The wife loved it so much, I went out the next day and for bulbs for our kitchen and bedroom as well. The echo dot is great when you are in range but I'm a big fan of some of the third party apps and accessories available for the hue system. I've got some dimmer switches that I mounted right next for the regular light switches so the wife and kids can use the lights like normal without having to rely on the echo dot or their smart phones and that has worked great so far. Nice to be able to program lights based on location, weather, time of day, etc. lots of fine hit super useful as well. I used one of the hue led strips to use as an under counter light In our kitchen (which my wife had been bugging me about for years!) and that worked really well. The ability to use color is really cool as well, although those bulbs are much more expensive than the white ones, so I only used them sparingly. Would be happy to take some pictures if you think it'd be helpful. There's also a lot of information on the hue system on Reddit you should check out as well if you are considering that system. Have fun!!!
 
About six years ago I started to use a lighting and home automation system called Insteon in my house to create various scenes, macros, timed events, etc. Early on the novelty was great. I could program my lights to wake me up in the morning, have the lightss inside the house turn on as I pulled into the garage and do stuff like have the lights dim up in the movie theater whenever I paused a movie. But over time as the various dimmer switches started to fail I've been switching most of them back to come old fashion normal switches. Really the only ones that I will maintain are the ones in the theater. The novelty has long worn off.
 
I have a Control4 system in my house. I have a few light switches, a thermostat, my family room TV, and my alarm system hooked up to it. The thing I like about it is that I can control all of those devices with the remote control in my family room. I also have an app on my phone that will allow me to control those devices when I am not home.

I have a few timers and scenes setup for it that are nice. The porch light turns on every night 30 mins before dark, and turns off 30 mins after sun rise. I also have it setup to disarm my alarm when I enter my code into our "smart" door lock, and it will also turn on a few lights in the house when it's dark out so you don't walk into a dark house.

I am thinking about getting the dot since it will integrate into my Control4 system.
 
The Costanza rule of opposites applies here. If it says "smart" it's dumb. Technology can make our lives better but it is always a double-edged sword. You are being used and paying for the privilege. All your data, and this applies to smart meters as well, is being gathered and you will regret giving this away. If you were being paid for your data, maybe. But to actually pay someone to steal from you is not a good move. My 2 cents for free! ;)
 
I just got an email the other day from Honeywell.
They want me to enroll my thermostat in their energy savings plan. They can save me up to $170 a year by letting them "jimmy carter" my set points.

I'll pass. I grew up on those settings. As long as I can afford it, I'll keep my a/c set where I want it.
 
vortex said:
The Costanza rule of opposites applies here. If it says "smart" it's dumb. Technology can make our lives better but it is always a double-edged sword. You are being used and paying for the privilege. All your data, and this applies to smart meters as well, is being gathered and you will regret giving this away. If you were being paid for your data, maybe. But to actually pay someone to steal from you is not a good move. My 2 cents for free! ;)
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Lol... You forgot "get off my lawn" and a little shaking fist emoji.
 
Scap said:
I'll keep my a/c set where I want it
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That's the trick. Set it at your comfort point, and leave it alone. Constantly resetting, especially the A/C, seems to make the system work harder, and it does a poor job getting the house comfortable. If you have to make it warmer or colder, try a max of 2 degrees difference.
 
Scap said:
@vortex it is bad when the green guy says you sound angry....
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I love the saying, "If you're not angry, you're not paying attention." But I'm not angry. In fact, I'm more hopeful than I've been in a while. The cockroaches are scurrying now that the light switch is thrown on. Pardon the electric pun. ;)
 
I do building automation and climate control for a living. High tech stuff! Integrated with security systems, lighting, etc. All networked and accessible from anywhere in the world via that there World Wide Web .
My humidor is controlled gnats ass using such a system.
I have the simplest of control systems for the heat and a window unit for cooling. All my lights are controlled by simple switches. Why? Because it works. I do not need electricity to heat my house, as long as I have natural gas, I'm good.
 
That was hilarious. Sound like Amazon needs to find a fix to that.
 
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