Is Smart Home tech a fad or the future?

Frank99

Am i the only primitive creature left in the UK? A lot of people i know are kitted out with Alexa, Nest and a whole load of smart devices in their homes and my other half wants us to also go in this direction.
I don't need a robot to do my internet searches or make me a cup of tea or even switch the lights on and i find most of this tech for lazy folk, i also know that when the doorbell cameras video people stealing cars in the local area they wear hoodies so they never get caught.

It looks like my other half is going to insist so can anyone tell me how much this is going to cost where to start?

powerful_Rogue

Well it's certainly not a fad. I started back in 2017 and the market and prices are just getting better and better.

Philips Hue throughout the house

Drayton Wiser controlling the radiator in each room

Door sensors so I know if doors have been left open. Also programmed to turn the hallway lights on when you open the front door between sunset and sunrise.

Other odds and sods.

What exactly does your other half want to achieve? Black Friday approacing is a great time to purchase items.

Ebe_Scrooge

I predict this thread is going to grow arms and legs :-)

OK, I'll start the ball rolling - I'm with you on this one.  Sure, advances in technology are inevitable, and some are incredibly useful.  Whether it's the fact that a car is better than a horse and cart, whether it's easier to clean your house with a vacuum cleaner rather than sweeping by hand.  It's great that you can fly from England to Australia in a few hours, rather than spending months on a sailing ship.  The list is endless.

But equally, there are lots of things that I can't fathom.  We recently bought a new dishwasher - a huge number that we saw are "wifi enabled".  What's that all about?  You load it up, set it going before you go to bed, unload it in the morning, job done.  Likewise "smart fridges" - what's that all about?

I can, kind of sort of, get the central heating thing for some people.  Although for us our routine is pretty constant, so a bog-standard programmable timer and twiddly-dial thermostat suits us perfectly.  Robot vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers - again, I kind of get them.  Asking Alexa to switch the light on and off .... well, that just seems to be going too far in my opinion.  Each to their own, I guess.  I think some of it can be quite useful, but a lot of it just seems gimmicky to me.

The late, great, utterly brilliant Dave Allen was way ahead of his time :-)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLhXVswy9-8

Martin_the_Unjust

Got an Echo show which automatically scrolls through all my photos (unlimited photo storage with Amazon prime)

………and if I tried to get rid of the smart thermostat the Mrs would make her objections firmly known as she loves being able to put the heating on 20 minutes before we get home.

Although to be honest neither of them are very ‘smart’ but they do the job.

powerful_Rogue

This is my main dashboard. Can be controlled via PC, Mobile or voice.

Frank99

Ebe_Scrooge said:

I predict this thread is going to grow arms and legs :-)

OK, I'll start the ball rolling - I'm with you on this one.  Sure, advances in technology are inevitable, and some are incredibly useful.  Whether it's the fact that a car is better than a horse and cart, whether it's easier to clean your house with a vacuum cleaner rather than sweeping by hand.  It's great that you can fly from England to Australia in a few hours, rather than spending months on a sailing ship.  The list is endless.

But equally, there are lots of things that I can't fathom.  We recently bought a new dishwasher - a huge number that we saw are "wifi enabled".  What's that all about?  You load it up, set it going before you go to bed, unload it in the morning, job done.  Likewise "smart fridges" - what's that all about?

I can, kind of sort of, get the central heating thing for some people.  Although for us our routine is pretty constant, so a bog-standard programmable timer and twiddly-dial thermostat suits us perfectly.  Robot vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers - again, I kind of get them.  Asking Alexa to switch the light on and off .... well, that just seems to be going too far in my opinion.  Each to their own, I guess.  I think some of it can be quite useful, but a lot of it just seems gimmicky to me.

The late, great, utterly brilliant Dave Allen was way ahead of his time :-)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLhXVswy9-8

Ha ha ha this is great!

Grabs39

I quite like that my lights know to come on in the living room just before sunset, and that I can turn off and on the light from the bed, so don't trip over the dog at night.  Other than that the smart speakers are just used as radios or TVs most of the time, but I'll often grab the news or weather, or use it as a calculator or to google something. 

My dishwasher in theory is smart but the wifi doesn't reach that far.  As I have to load it anyway and I'm not on a timed electric tariff it probably isn't of use to me.

I agree about the video doorbells or CCTV in general.  If you're robbed then knowing the culprit was a skinny bloke in a tracksuit with a hood up isn't going to help.

In terms of cost - it depends on what you want.  A smart plug or bulb is a tenner, a smart speaker is £25.  So £35 upwards.

[Deleted User]

Frank99 said:

Am i the only primitive creature left in the UK? A lot of people i know are kitted out with Alexa, Nest and a whole load of smart devices in their homes and my other half wants us to also go in this direction.
I don't need a robot to do my internet searches or make me a cup of tea or even switch the lights on and i find most of this tech for lazy folk, i also know that when the doorbell cameras video people stealing cars in the local area they wear hoodies so they never get caught.

It looks like my other half is going to insist so can anyone tell me how much this is going to cost where to start?

I use a lot of smart tech and am certainly not lazy. It can make your life easier and actually save you money by allowing you to control multiple elements of the home at once. I have a mixture of smarts bulbs, led strips, Alexa 2nd gens and Flex's plus a couple of switch bots. I know people that flat out refused to move with the times now they couldn't live without their tech.  

Even one Amazon Alexa and a couple of TP Link Tapo plugs can be so useful in the house. 

Frank99

powerful_Rogue said:

This is my main dashboard. Can be controlled via PC, Mobile or voice.

This would be useful, i often go out wondering if i locked the front door or forgot to unplug something so i can see the peace of mind a set-up like this can give.

powerful_Rogue

Frank99 said:

powerful_Rogue said:

This is my main dashboard. Can be controlled via PC, Mobile or voice.

This would be useful, i often go out wondering if i locked the front door or forgot to unplug something so i can see the peace of mind a set-up like this can give.

It is very useful. I agree with other above, the smart fridges, dishwashers etc I can see no use for. I only make something 'smart'  if it's going to serve a purpose and be useful.

Lots of Youtube channels out there, but I recommend Paul Hibbert - well worth having a look at a few of his videos.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYLnawaM-36HncBBUeWrlGA

Cornucopia

I think it's pretty useful, although I have been able to make switches etc. myself, so the cost objection isn't there.

I have several Amazon Echo Dots, switches on 3 lamps, two room-based lights and one heater.    Probably less than £80 overall.  

I also have my Echoes set up with Plex media server and I use that to listen to music a fair bit - the sound quality is excellent.

I'm considering getting an Amazon Fire Stick to replace my ailing Now TV box, and that will then provide voice control for selection of Amazon Prime content.

I have a few routines set up, but I haven't got round to making any sensors yet, so the scope is limited by that.   

One thing I did make which has been very useful is a 433Mhz bridge - this allows Alexa to command a set of 6 old school remote control switches.