Smart home?

PostRe: Smart home? by **D_C** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 1:27 am

Hive heating (Plus hot water & radiator controls)
Echos in most rooms
I think nearly every light in the house is a Hue one
Nuki lock for the front door
A few smart plugs and a SwitchBot button presser to turn my PC on from anywhere

All controlled by Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi

PostRe: Smart home? by **Vermilion** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 7:41 am

Moggy wrote:
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.

Thankfully mine isn't such an issue, it's right beside my front door.

PostRe: Smart home? by **OrangeRKN** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:26 am

I got bought an echo dot once as a present and sold it. Can't think of anything worse than amazon and/or google listening to everything in my house.

Having remote controlled lights does sound convenient and obviously there are security benefits to cameras and the like, but making those things accessible on the internet seems like inviting disaster. There's much more chance someone will try to hack into the cameras than break into the house.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Drumstick** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:44 am

I have two discreet security cameras outside the house which I can view from my phone.

That's it. Not interested in Alexa or the like.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Knoyleo** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:46 am

I think the only smart devices I have are my phone and a couple of sonos speakers. The phone I'm fine with, and while the Sonos speakers are nice speakers and the way they connect to stuff is generally very convenient, they can also be a massive pain in the arse. Like when you want to put the radio on, but there's an update due and the only thing the app will let you do is install the update. I just want to listen to the radio while I'm making tea and breakfast, not have to do that. They also didn't play nice with a previous router I had when we were with Virgin media. You'd open the app and it would show you one speaker but not the other, even when both were connected and playing music or sound from the TV. This problem has disappeared with a new router from Vodafone, but still annoying.

I have a smart meter, but I'm not counting that, as I really don't know what's smart about it.

Edit: oh yeah smart TV and set top box, mainly just used for the built in on demand apps.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Red** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 9:44 am

I have a smartphone but it's not connected to anything in my house. Our TV is only used as a big monitor that we have to physically wire to a laptop to play anything on. I don't have an energy smart meter.

I mean some things sound cool but I just don't have the energy to bother working out how to install and use these things.

PostRe: Smart home? by **jawa_** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 9:54 am

I don't even have a smart phone. I have an energy meter (installed during the summer) but I don't like to look at it as it goes into the amber/red zone when I turn on a heater or start cooking. And I can stream via my TV 8-)

.

Err... that's it, unless you count loads of gaming systems as smart. Probs not.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Vermilion** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 10:35 am

Drumstick wrote:I have two discreet security cameras outside the house which I can view from my phone.

Jawa had those, but the parakeets vandalised them.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Jenuall** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 11:26 am

Outside of the obvious security and privacy concerns which are huge I just don't think the utility/benefit offered by any of these devices in any way justifies purchasing them.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Tomous** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 11:33 am

Having Alexa in each room completely justifies itself when you have baby.

Being able to instantly broadcast to the house that "HE'S JUST gooseberry fool IN THE BATH GET HERE NOW" is a Godsend

PostRe: Smart home? by **Jenuall** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 11:37 am

I find shouting does the job well enough!

But then maybe that's not sufficient in the Ous palatial mansion!?

PostRe: Smart home? by **Moggy** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 12:00 pm

Tomous wrote:Having Alexa in each room completely justifies itself when you have baby.

Being able to instantly broadcast to the house that "HE'S JUST gooseberry fool IN THE BATH GET HERE NOW" is a Godsend

Plus when they get older, they will spend hours and hours in the kitchen saying "Alexa, fart!". Leaving you free to watch the football in peace.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Trelliz** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 12:18 pm

Dowbocop wrote:I can also say "Sex Mode": the bedroom will go purple and Careless Whisper will start playing - hasn't worked yet

Given that song's lyrics are all about infidelity I can see why.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Tomous** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 12:27 pm

Moggy wrote:
Tomous wrote:Having Alexa in each room completely justifies itself when you have baby.

Being able to instantly broadcast to the house that "HE'S JUST gooseberry fool IN THE BATH GET HERE NOW" is a Godsend

Plus when they get older, they will spend hours and hours in the kitchen saying "Alexa, fart!". Leaving you free to watch the football in peace.

Yes....it will be them spending hours in the kitchen telling Alexa to fart :shifty:

My 3 year old has already started trying to speak to Alexa, but he says LEX-URGH so she ignores him :lol:

PostRe: Smart home? by **Dowbocop** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 12:38 pm

Trelliz wrote:
Dowbocop wrote:I can also say "Sex Mode": the bedroom will go purple and Careless Whisper will start playing - hasn't worked yet

Given that song's lyrics are all about infidelity I can see why.

I actually wanted that Barry White song where it starts with him doing that really deep HUUUNNNHHHH sound as the music starts, but I don't actually know what that song is called :shifty:

PostRe: Smart home? by **Johnny Ryall** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 2:25 pm

Got a doorbell camera that literally saved me from answering the door to JWs last week so that's good, handy for keeping an eye on your property when you're away as well.

I'd like to get the heating smartened up either with whole home thermostat or smart radiator valves so I can set the bedrooms on a different heating schedule to the common areas but it's the usual install cost vs eco savings debate.

In the old house I had an oil heater plugged into a smart plug in the bedroom that I'd put on for an hour before bed, would like to recreate sommat like that but house wide.

Can't imagine I'd ever want a smart lock on the outside doors though, seems like asking for trouble.

PostRe: Smart home? by **Dowbocop** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 2:59 pm

Johnny Ryall wrote:Got a doorbell camera that literally saved me from answering the door to JWs last week so that's good, handy for keeping an eye on your property when you're away as well.

I'd like to get the heating smartened up either with whole home thermostat or smart radiator valves so I can set the bedrooms on a different heating schedule to the common areas but it's the usual install cost vs eco savings debate.

In the old house I had an oil heater plugged into a smart plug in the bedroom that I'd put on for an hour before bed, would like to recreate sommat like that but house wide.

Can't imagine I'd ever want a smart lock on the outside doors though, seems like asking for trouble.

Door sensors might be something I'd be interested in - a nice list of the lock status of all my doors visible from my phone would be good for my OCD behaviours (although would I trust it?). I'm not ready to move away from traditional locks yet.

I don't like that you have to pay a subscription for smart heating. Seems like a rip off.

Does anyone let Alexa learn their voice patterns?

PostRe: Smart home? by **poshrule_uk** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 3:22 pm

I don't pay a subscription for my Hive

PostRe: Smart home? by **SEP** » Mon Nov 20, 2023 3:49 pm

No, I don't want Jeff Bezos hearing me wank.

PostRe: Smart home? by **rinks** » Wed Nov 22, 2023 9:46 am

Just had smart meters installed this morning. Love the dinky display unit. I thought they were much larger.

Smart home?

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