Re:The smart home is flailing as a concept
by Nextgrid on Friday August 06, 2021 @12:30PM
(#28089449)
> Same for thermostats.
I've lost count of how many times I opened the windows and then went out without turning off the heating causing it to run at full blast trying to fight the winter outside.
A window sensor + smart thermostat + Home Assistant solved that problem and the system has been reliably running for 2 years now. I can now open & close the windows at will knowing that the heating will adapt around that and not waste energy. Note that there is no UI, no voice assistants, not even screens involved. It just works in the background.
Do I agree with the current gimmicky consumer-grade implementation of a "smart home" and controlling everything with your phone/voice assistant? No, that's stupid. But it doesn't mean the idea of a smart home should be dismissed - there are ways to actually make it useful and pleasant if you are willing to spend some time and/or money.
I've lost count of how many times I opened the windows and then went out without turning off the heating causing it to run at full blast trying to fight the winter outside.
A window sensor + smart thermostat + Home Assistant solved that problem and the system has been reliably running for 2 years now. I can now open & close the windows at will knowing that the heating will adapt around that and not waste energy. Note that there is no UI, no voice assistants, not even screens involved. It just works in the background.
Do I agree with the current gimmicky consumer-grade implementation of a "smart home" and controlling everything with your phone/voice assistant? No, that's stupid. But it doesn't mean the idea of a smart home should be dismissed - there are ways to actually make it useful and pleasant if you are willing to spend some time and/or money.