Smart home?

PostSmart home? by **Peter Crisp** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 8:34 pm

I'm curious as to how many people here have jumped on the smart home hype train?

The only smart device we have is an electric meter and we may get one for gas as well.
We don't have any alexa or similar devices and the idea of having smart light switches just seems totally stupid.

So, do you have a smart home and would you say it's improved your life?

PostRe: Smart home? by **Zilnad** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 8:35 pm

My brother in law has and I really don't see the point. He just comes across as a bit brainwashed by it all.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Cheeky Devlin** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 8:41 pm

I've got a google echo thingy in the kitchen that I basically use as a spotify speaker and that's it.
Handy when I'm doing the dishes or cooking and I don't want to use my phone.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Tsunade** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 8:45 pm

I think the only smart thing I own is my phone.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Rex Kramer** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 8:46 pm

I've got a couple of the smart switches, one is on the clothea airer and is set to come on during the cheaper electric hours if we're using it. The other I tend to use for the outside Christmas lights as it saves me having to remember to switch them off.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Moggy** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 8:47 pm

I've got an Echo Dot but I only use it for playing music.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Squinty** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 8:49 pm

I have some smart plugs and smart bulbs. Both of them are useful for a bunch of different situations.

I also have an Alexa but it is used as a Bluetooth speaker.

PostRe: Smart home? by **poshrule_uk** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 8:52 pm

Got hive which is amazing.

I think smart lights would come in use when away so it's easy to switch on and off to make it look like your at home.

PostRe: Smart home? by KK » Sun Nov 19, 2023 8:55 pm

Just my Apple Watch and Dyson purifying heater, which I operate with my phone. The BT landline has Amazon Alexa built in but I never use it.

I’m not adverse to ‘smart’ tech, but it has to serve a purpose and not just be a gimmick. I don’t need a smart fridge for example to tell me I’m out of milk or a remotely boiling kettle.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Vermilion** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 8:57 pm

I have a smart phone and smart TV, but that's it.

Don't see any point in most of the stuff.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Outrunner** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 8:58 pm

I really don't have a need for a smart home. I've even considered giving up my smart phone but there are a few things on there that genuinely make my life easier. I almost definitely wouldn't travel without access to some sort of navigation app and having a decent camera means I can dabble in photography. Also translation is handy. If I could get those three things in a feature phone I'd probably "downgrade".

PostRe: Smart home? by **Vermilion** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 9:01 pm

I don't see a lot of point in having a smart meter either, those things seem like more trouble than they're worth, especially as all i need to do is read the meter myself occasionally and submit it to the company website (which takes all of 5 minutes).

PostRe: Smart home? by **Ironhide** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 9:02 pm

I have an Echo Dot and Fire TV Cube which I mostly use for music, intended using the Fire Cube for controling the TV/Netflix/Amazon Prime video (I can't use a TV remote) but its very limited to what it can actually control, it can switch it on/off and change the volume but can't change channels for some inexplicable reason.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Robbo-92** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 9:10 pm

Outside of a smartphone, the only thing I own is an Alexa, which was neat to begin with but now is a glorified timer for when cooking.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Moggy** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 9:17 pm

Vermilion wrote:I don't see a lot of point in having a smart meter either, those things seem like more trouble than they're worth, especially as all i need to do is read the meter myself occasionally and submit it to the company website (which takes all of 5 minutes).

It was a godsend when I had one installed in the flat I used to live in. The meter was on the outside wall (at ground level

), but was impossible to get to if the shop was closed and they had pulled down their shutters.

Which was a very big problem when the shop had no tenants.

PostRe: Smart home? by **massimo** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 9:39 pm

My place is full of the gooseberry fool.
Philips Hue bulbs
HomePods in 4 rooms
Apple TV
Aqara curtain motors
Eve door sensor
Aqara doorbell camera
Eve driveway floodlight camera
Netatmo garden floodlight camera
Meross plug connected to a fan
Logitech circle view camera
Flic buttons

I have loads of little automations which trigger based on different situations like;
When the front door sensor opens at nighttime, turn the hallway light on.
If the front door opens and no one is home, send me a notification.
Lights turn on automatically if no one is home.
Curtains open at 7am and close at 6pm.
Kitchen HomePod comes on and plays the radio at lunchtime if no one is home.
Apple TV comes on and plays a movie in the evening if we’re away on holiday.
The HomePods listen for sounds, so if a fire alarm is sounding it’ll send a notification to my phone and I can listen in.
Doorbell sends me a notification if someone rings the bell.
Cameras obviously record video if they detect motion/people, and can pop up on the TV if you want.
The HomePods also have temperature and humidity sensors so I can do things like turning on the fan in my bedroom if the temperature gets too high at night, but only when I’m home.
And similarly, the sun during the summer blasts through the living room window so if the HomePods sense it getting warm in there, the curtains will close.
Pretty much all of it is reliable, except for the video feeds from the cameras. Probably my own fault as I have 3 WiFi access points, and every now and then some of them connect to the AP on the top floor and the connection isn’t good enough to stream video.
I also have a bunch of small flic buttons which can trigger things like the curtains, lights, or music.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Tomous** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 11:27 pm

massimo is living in the future.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Moggy** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 11:39 pm

Tomous wrote:massimo is living in the future.

Massimo in the near future.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Dowbocop** » Sun Nov 19, 2023 11:43 pm

Have been thinking about making this thread for ages actually. I'm glad I'm below Massimo's post so I don't look like a complete zealot :lol:

Alexa in kitchen, front room and bedroom. Most lamps are on smart plugs. I have a smart multicolour bulb in the bedroom as well. Looking to get a Tapo hub in the future to allow for smart wall switches and motion sensors too.

My wife likes to put lamps and gooseberry fool on in the evening so I've automated it - you can say "Good Evening" and it'll put on all the soft lamps. Then you say "Good Night" and it'll turn off those and put on our bedroom lamps. Then you say "Good Morning" and the bedroom lamps will go off and the bedroom light will come on.

I've obviously set up the Star Trek red alert stuff with the multicoloured bulb. I can also say "Sex Mode": the bedroom will go purple and Careless Whisper will start playing - hasn't worked yet :slol:

However everything is in disarray because I replaced my wireless router last week. Now Alexa doesn't recognise a lot of stuff and half the plugs aren't working. I'm using switches like a strawberry floating caveman :cry:

PostRe: Smart home? by **rinks** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 12:31 am

I’ve attached an AirTag to my sister’s car. Once she gets within half a mile of my house I get a notification and all the lights go out, so she thinks I’m not home.

Smart home?

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