Smart Home thread

[funKYcat75]

We use two Google minis, a Lenovo Google smart clock, and one Echo Dot (it was free). So far we’ve just been using it for lighting through voice and apps. About six smart lamps and a few other gadgets here and there. Oh, and the wife’s coffee pot.

Next I’d like to add the garage door opener and some NFC tags to trigger some things. Anyone else have cool stuff to share?

I know, I know. Google and Amazon are evil and listening to everything we say. I think that ship has sailed already.

 

[buckethead1978]

I can open my garage door remotely. I highly suggest that as your next purchase. It’s nice

 

[gobigbluebell]

Live under 5G tower. My home is self aware.

 

[Anon1711055878]

Waits on @Joey Rupption incoming #threadkiller

 

[funKYcat75]

Waits on @Joey Rupption incoming #threadkiller

I threw the bait out there. Cannot wait.

 

[JStaff21]

We use two Google minis, a Lenovo Google smart clock, and one Echo Dot (it was free). So far we’ve just been using it for lighting through voice and apps. About six smart lamps and a few other gadgets here and there. Oh, and the wife’s coffee pot.

Next I’d like to add the garage door opener and some NFC tags to trigger some things. Anyone else have cool stuff to share?

I know, I know. Google and Amazon are evil and listening to everything we say. I think that ship has sailed already.

Watch yourself. I saw a movie as a kid that shows what can happen when your house gets too smart...

 

[joeyrupption]

I’ve been out of the game somewhat for almost a year. We moved into a new house last April and I’m just now wrapping up painting (ceilings, walls, trim, mill work) / wallpapering, and putting up new fixtures and TV’s everywhere.

 

[jtrue28]

Ring doorbell and exterior cams
Garage door
4 Apple TVs
Amazon Echo Alexa speakers
Nest Protect Fire/Smoke/CO detectors
Smart plugs

and of course, Plex with NAS.

I tried the Nest thermostat, for 1 night. The software in those things is terrible. We set it for heat and 66° at night. Woke up in the middle of the night sweating. Checked the t-stat...71°. Called Nest the next day to troubleshoot. They said, in order to not put wear and tear on your HVAC system, it doesn’t turn on right away when the set temperature is met, and continues to heat past the set point. That way it heats once and turns on less frequently. Can only imagine what it does in the summer. Eff that. I’ll stick with the trusty Honeywell. I know Anth works with that stuff, what do you all use?

 

[funKYcat75]

Smart switches on the main house lights and OD lights

What kind do you use? I thought someone said Lutron in the thread but I can’t find it now. Not sure if I want to do the whole house like that if we might move, but the family hasn’t caught on to not switching off the light at the wall all the time.

 

[anthonys735]

Lutron and Leviton offer options that don't require a hub to install. That works for like 5-6 switches. Anything more than that requires the hub, which requires a pro to install.

 

[420grover]

I use my cell phone as a flashlight if I can't find the key slot in the door.

 

[wildcatsboston1984_rivals]

I got one smart bulb and Google assistant. Also have two Amazon Echo Dots I got free and never user.

And the only reason I got the smart bulb is because it was on sale for $5. It’s largely been a disappointment. Says it does white light, but it’s just the same yellow tinted light you get from a regular light bulb. Does do different colors, but they are all so dim that it’s pretty pointless to use them.

I guess you can add in the Logitech Harmony hub and remote.

Other than that I don’t really deal with smart home stuff. Though I am intrigued by the thermostats, but seems like a lot of money for little legitimate value.

 

[anon_l8pbkn96tg3j6]

Stopped looking into it when my friend lost internet and couldn't turn on his lights. Keeping house controls off the cloud is so much more work.

 

[Kooky Kats]

5 zones of Sonos with Alexa, 2 Nests, garages, 4 TVS, door openers, smart bulbs....

about to unleash my bar to the world with smart dimmable LED features and more tunes/sonos

 

[vhcat70]

I use my cell phone as a flashlight if I can't find the key slot in the door.

Have you found it useful for finding any other slots? Slits? Sluts?

 

[jameslee32]

Got 2 echo dots I keep unplugged and a smart plug that turns on one lamp. Not sure what to do with the other smart plugs. Could program lamps for a light display to Amazon music I guess.

 

[Hank Camacho]

As little of that tomfoolery as possible. I LOATHE stuff like that. A light switch has worked just fine for more than a hundred years. I don't need an effing app.

 

[nom de plume_rivals392166]

 

[wildcatsboston1984_rivals]

Stopped looking into it when my friend lost internet and couldn't turn on his lights. Keeping house controls off the cloud is so much more work.

I just have to turn the switch on my lamp to turn it off and on if the smart features are messing up for whatever reason.

 

[theoledog]

Have you found it useful for finding any other slots? Slits? Sluts?

thinking he uses a smartdick for that

 

[420grover]

Have you found it useful for finding any other slots? Slits? Sluts?

Finding? No. Getting a better view? Yes.

 

[Deeeefense]

I've got the MyQ ap on my phone that allows me to open garage doors and utility room. Also have the Blink ap and 4 cameras that let's me monitor the house when not at home. They're motion sensitive and it saves videos and still shots but automatically deletes after 14 days. The virtual keypad ap lets me arm or unarm the home security system from my phone.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Just the basics.. a few Alexa Dots and Echos around the house with about 5 or 6 plugs, TVs and a Ring. Havent gone too deep into it.

I really like the Ring feature which let's you see what's happening in your neighborhood.

 

[catlanta33]

I just have to turn the switch on my lamp to turn it off and on if the smart features are messing up for whatever reason.

Depends on your setup. I ditched my Wink hub for Smartthings and the Smartthings hub will work without internet. Now, Alexa will say the hub isn't responding sometimes but still, the switch works.

- Had to replace one of my first GE switches. New one I got is not nearly as deep and was so much easier to install. That was long overdue.

 

[joeyrupption]

Stopped looking into it when my friend lost internet and couldn't turn on his lights. Keeping house controls off the cloud is so much more work.

How did that happen? For Philips Hue lights, you can always override the “smart” state of the light by flicking the switch off and on again - and they act like normal lights.

We had an Ecobee smart thermostat that worked well in our old house.

Smart lights are my favorite smart gizmo. I like the light levels to be dimmer after sunset and it makes it easy to automate.

I also love fast forwarding through DVR’ed sports by talking to Siri on a simple remote rather than scrubbing.

 

[KyCatFan_rivals45723]

Got some smart plugs for a living room lamp and fan. You have to use a fan that has a mechanical switch and not an electronic one for it to work. You just have the fan turned on to the speed you want and then the plug operates it. My wife got one one of those robot vacuums that was on sale at Christmas. That thing is great for picking up dog hair.

I have a stereo pair setup with 2 Google mini speakers (had a second one I wasn't using). Much better than a single speaker for music. Makes listening to music a bit more enjoyable with those tiny speakers in stereo mode. Also have Alexa on a Yamaha sound bar but barely use Alexa. Not a fan of the Amazon infrastructure.

The kids have Google speakers in their rooms with smart lights and fans on smart plugs. Nothing better than being able to get in bed, cover up, and then saying Ok Google goodnight and having the light go off and fan come on when your ready.

We also have one of those Blink cameras in the house to watch what is going on. I might get a video doorbell one day if I find one that is reasonably priced and doesn't require a subscription. I don't need a cloud service. I'd be fine with just being able to use my phone to view or record who's at the door or recording to a sd card.

Also every TV is either a smart TV or has streaming sticks on them. Roku is the best type that I've used. Of course I also have Google Assistant on my phone. It can operate everything in the house just like the speakers. I think that is about it for now but who knows what else will be added in the future.

Maybe they will bring out a Google maid to cook and clean to just complete the cycle of laziness. There's a version called the Google wife but she doesn't listen to me or like to be told what to do. [laughing]

 

[rudd1]

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0910970/

 

[wildcatsboston1984_rivals]

We counting streaming boxes as smart home stuff now?

Well then we have in our house a Fire Stick (sucks balls but it’s on the kitchen tv that is used like 30 mins. a day), Roku Express, two Apple TV’s, and a Google Chromecast with Google TV.

 

[funKYcat75]

Wrote to my first NFC tag just now. iOS shortcuts and Google Assistant make it really easy.

 

[CB3UK]

I got an Echodot free with my latest SiriusXM subscription. I charged it upon receipt and never even turned it on. I've got so many bluetooth speakers I just have no need for it TBH.

I've got full surround sound in my living room, all manner of amplifiers from my music equipment, and surround sound on my CPU setup as well...full surround sound there as well with HDMI running to my TV so I can stream UK games from online to it free.

I just dont see any incentive to do the smart home stuff. The garage door remote control I can get on board with. While it's nice to be able to set tstat while youre away, it's really not that big of an issue to change temp back to normal once you get back from vacation.

If you invest in the Phillips lightbulbs with the ambient lighting that changes colors I can see the perks. Bluetooth smokers are now a thing. That's about as smart home as I care to get. When they make Alexa sound systems that bang as well as mine currently does, holler at me.

 

[wildcatsboston1984_rivals]

I got an Echodot free with my latest SiriusXM subscription. I charged it upon receipt and never even turned it on. I've got so many bluetooth speakers I just have no need for it TBH.

I've got full surround sound in my living room, all manner of amplifiers from my music equipment, and surround sound on my CPU setup as well...full surround sound there as well with HDMI running to my TV so I can stream UK games from online to it free.

I just dont see any incentive to do the smart home stuff. The garage door remote control I can get on board with. While it's nice to be able to set tstat while youre away, it's really not that big of an issue to change temp back to normal once you get back from vacation.

If you invest in the Phillips lightbulbs with the ambient lighting that changes colors I can see the perks. Bluetooth smokers are now a thing. That's about as smart home as I care to get. When they make Alexa sound systems that bang as well as mine currently does, holler at me.

Echo Dots don’t have a battery so how did you charge it upon receipt? lol

 

[Kooky Kats]

We also have our yard in a 7-zone Rachio sprinkler situation. Always a good way to scare the **** out of passer-by rabbits about to eat my plants.

 

[BMoore2]

Have an Apple TV 4K, an Apple HomePod and HomePod mini, and some Philips Hue lights.

 

[RunninRichie]

The entire west face of the house was black, save for five places. Here the silhouette in paint of a man mowing a lawn. Here, as in a photograph, a woman bent to pick flowers. Still farther over, their images burned on wood in one titanic instant, a small boy, hands flung into the air; higher up, the image of a thrown ball, and opposite him a girl, hands raised to catch a ball which never came down.

The five spots of paint—the man, the woman, the children, the ball—remained. The rest was a thin charcoaled layer.

 

[Ryan Lemonds Hair]

I recently purchased a Ring Security System, added 5 Blink Wireless cameras and also added some smart lighting controlled by Alexa. Ever since then I have noticed significant issues with my Roku sticks buffering. My router is older and I am afraid I am going to have to upgrade to a WIFI 6 mesh system to be able to handle all of the new wireless devices that we now have throughout the house. Any suggestions on one that won't break the bank?

 

[joeyrupption]

The entire west face of the house was black, save for five places. Here the silhouette in paint of a man mowing a lawn. Here, as in a photograph, a woman bent to pick flowers. Still farther over, their images burned on wood in one titanic instant, a small boy, hands flung into the air; higher up, the image of a thrown ball, and opposite him a girl, hands raised to catch a ball which never came down.

The five spots of paint—the man, the woman, the children, the ball—remained. The rest was a thin charcoaled layer.

The car's on fire and there's no driver at the wheel and the sewers are all muddied with a thousand lonely suicides and a dark wind blows. The government is corrupt and we're on so many drugs with the radio on and the curtains drawn.

We're trapped in the belly of this horrible machine and the machine is bleeding to death. The sun has fallen down and the billboards are all leering and the flags are all dead at the top of their poles.

It went like this:
- The buildings tumbled in on themselves.
- Mothers clutching babies picked through the rubble and pulled out their hair.
- The skyline was beautiful on fire - all twisted metal stretching upwards.
- Everything washed in a thin orange haze.

For sure it's the valley of death. I open up my wallet and it's full of blood.

We have a new set of LG washer and dryer - the app is pretty for checking status of either.