Smart Home

[Rusty Edge]

Personal Smart Home
*I got the used vent working and the programmable vent modified and installed. So far, so fine.

*The smart plugs are working fine, but they seem to be a deterrent. I haven't had much need to switch things on or off since
 I put them in, so they've barely been cycled beyond the initial set up tests.

* Mrs. Edge says not to screw with the modem until next year. So be it.

* Still haven't made adjustments to the doorbell sensors. My main complaint with it would be that there is some lag,
and delivery people are scurrying this time of year so they are back to the truck by the time I can respond.

----------------------------
General Smart Home

I've been trying to buy the best products for the task and make them work. The downside is that there are setup,
synch/connectivity issues and lag. I predict that Smart Home will sort out into Amazon, Google, Apple, and Samsung systems,
and that people will chose one and stick with it for ease of set-up and integration.
Some products, such as Chamberlain garage door openers seek to be compatible with all systems to retain market share.

Wirecutter has a new article about the Apple Home Kit system.

[Like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, HomeKit allows you to integrate smart-home devices from different
manufacturers into one system. It works more like a smart-home hub, like SmartThings and Wink,
but in this case the hub lives in the cloud. All HomeKit devices automatically “see” one another without requiring any setup.
And setting up automations—preset actions that involve one or more devices—is satisfyingly straightforward,
requiring only a few taps in Apple’s Home app, which comes preinstalled on iOS devices.

Unlike Alexa and Google Assistant, HomeKit is primarily a smart-home system with a voice search feature,
while the other two are voice search systems (for music and random queries) with smart-home features.
Many smart-home accessories are designed specifically for HomeKit, while Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility
are often just an add-on feature to an existing device. The Home app for HomeKit is a much more comprehensive
interface for smart-home control than the apps for Alexa and Google Assistant,
though the latter two systems are catching up.]

[Unorthodox]

Personal Smart Home
*I got the used vent working and the programmable vent modified and installed. So far, so fine.

*The smart plugs are working fine, but they seem to be a deterrent. I haven't had much need to switch things on or off since
 I put them in, so they've barely been cycled beyond the initial set up tests.

* Mrs. Edge says not to screw with the modem until next year. So be it.

* Still haven't made adjustments to the doorbell sensors. My main complaint with it would be that there is some lag,
and delivery people are scurrying this time of year so they are back to the truck by the time I can respond.

----------------------------
General Smart Home

I've been trying to buy the best products for the task and make them work. The downside is that there are setup,
synch/connectivity issues and lag. I predict that Smart Home will sort out into Amazon, Google, Apple, and Samsung systems,
and that people will chose one and stick with it for ease of set-up and integration.
Some products, such as Chamberlain garage door openers seek to be compatible with all systems to retain market share.

Wirecutter has a new article about the Apple Home Kit system.

[Like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, HomeKit allows you to integrate smart-home devices from different
manufacturers into one system. It works more like a smart-home hub, like SmartThings and Wink,
but in this case the hub lives in the cloud. All HomeKit devices automatically “see” one another without requiring any setup.
And setting up automations—preset actions that involve one or more devices—is satisfyingly straightforward,
requiring only a few taps in Apple’s Home app, which comes preinstalled on iOS devices.

Unlike Alexa and Google Assistant, HomeKit is primarily a smart-home system with a voice search feature,
while the other two are voice search systems (for music and random queries) with smart-home features.
Many smart-home accessories are designed specifically for HomeKit, while Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility
are often just an add-on feature to an existing device. The Home app for HomeKit is a much more comprehensive
interface for smart-home control than the apps for Alexa and Google Assistant,
though the latter two systems are catching up.]

Don't discount Huawei.  I've noticed they're making some huge strides in the smart lights, and have recently entered the smart home products. 

[Unorthodox]

It started with us having trouble streaming during prime time.  Our area doesn't have fiber yet, and it's just plain too many people home doing nothing but streaming slowing down the entire area. 

But, it got me researching the house wifi net as it is.  I noticed some strange things with the network.  We have the modem, and presently 3 satellite pods to build a web.  Just the way the signal is going through walls wasn't always logical.  Sitting at my kitchen table, probably only 20 ft away from the modem, I'd connect to the extender in my shop, for instance.  The main TV was connecting to a basement pod, and various other speed issues through the house were identified just because. 

So, long story short, I bought 3 more extenders to boost our wifi net. 

Meanwhile, I downgraded the resolution on our main TV streaming to deal with the prime time slowdown.  Lower quality is better than constant stuttering. 

We're considering getting some more devices to make quarantine easier for everyone as this promises to drag on for the longer term. 

[Rusty Edge]

I don't really have plans for upgrading my smart home at the moment.
Since I last posted we had AT&T upgrade our equipment. It was out of date and they were surprised it was still working at all.
The Eufy doorbell works, but it is too laggy to interact with somebody at the door.
I eventually solved the thermostat voice control issue. Now we must add the magic words "access Ecobee Plus"
Then we can specify a temperature or a degree change. Presumably the problem was a software update designed to
prevent changing the temperature on other smart devices unintentionally.

[Unorthodox]

We ended up with a new router that solved a lot of the stuttering problems.  There's randomly issues on the main TV but they seem to be related to very specific app/channel combinations when streaming.  (certain channels don't like to keep up on the live hulu streaming service) 

I've got "smart" lights on our gazebo and xmas lights, but that's mostly just blutooth app controlled rather than through a hub. 

Also got some smart floods for halloween that are going to be fun. 

[Dio]

I personally avoid most smart technology in the home because I detest the upkeep for many of the products and I possess concerns with surveillance from the products on my personal life. I maintain mostly low technological levels in many areas of my life beyond automated reminders from certain apps for appointments, schedules, and products.

[Buster's Uncle]

Same here, plus paper/memory for managing appointments.

[Rusty Edge]

I personally avoid most smart technology in the home because I detest the upkeep for many of the products and I possess concerns with surveillance from the products on my personal life. I maintain mostly low technological levels in many areas of my life beyond automated reminders from certain apps for appointments, schedules, and products.

My little sister (once certified as one of the smartest people in the NorthEastern United States, but now working a tech job in Seattle) shares your skepticism of Alexa and her kin.
 So I assume you have a valid point. It's not something I worry about, kinda like when I got myself finger printed to become a licensed insurance adjuster.
One thing I have learned is that if Alexa is playing music louder than your commands, she struggles to hear and understand you. So, if you're in somebody's home with Alexa, have them play music.

I think it's great having you around again, Dio.

[Dio]

I personally avoid most smart technology in the home because I detest the upkeep for many of the products and I possess concerns with surveillance from the products on my personal life. I maintain mostly low technological levels in many areas of my life beyond automated reminders from certain apps for appointments, schedules, and products.

My little sister (once certified as one of the smartest people in the NorthEastern United States, but now working a tech job in Seattle) shares your skepticism of Alexa and her kin.
 So I assume you have a valid point. It's not something I worry about, kinda like when I got myself finger printed to become a licensed insurance adjuster.
One thing I have learned is that if Alexa is playing music louder than your commands, she struggles to hear and understand you. So, if you're in somebody's home with Alexa, have them play music.

I think it's great having you around again, Dio.

Thanks for the compliment.

I also received fingerprinting for a different job outside of retail involving educational and public services. While I don't worry every day about smart technology in the home, I saw in that job how advanced "smart" technology tracked employees and patrons' movements across the job site without any human interference beyond reviewing the footage for problematic cases.

[Unorthodox]

We have a set of friends that are all in on the talkie tech.  To the point where they are asking alexa how much time is left on a timer every couple minutes when baking and i'm over here thinking it's so much easier to look at something. 

In my case all "Smart" tech boils down to it connects to my phone over bluetooth and lets me control it from my phone.  I love that aspect.  And the more items using the same app the better.  Theoretically I could hook them to a hub of some sort and do it over voice command but I fail to see the allure.  Siri isn't even activated on my phone. 

[Rusty Edge]

I've noticed that Alexa now displays timers on the screen, even when I'm playing the Charlie Brown Christmas album
and it's showing me the lyrics and so forth besides.  This is the first year that I haven't bought more smart home stuff,
probably because Prime Day isn't what/when it used to be.

[Geo]

Happy Smart Christmas Day!

[Unorthodox]

Tali got some smart fairy lights for her ceiling (it's a big thing with the teens right now). 

These ones were designed for Alexa, despite us not having one, we'll just use the bluetooth to control them, so they hook into our wifi and can download firmware updates.  Was not expecting that as it's different than all the other 'smart' lights I've purchased. 

Curiously they are USB, but REALLY REALLY particular which USB ports they will work with.  Apple wall plugs are a no go.  My power strip that happens to have USB ports are great.  So I just assume Tali's bedroom is officially bugged and the lights are reporting back to whomever anything said in that room.  Not that our cell phones aren't already.

[Unorthodox]

We ended up with a new router that solved a lot of the stuttering problems.  There's randomly issues on the main TV but they seem to be related to very specific app/channel combinations when streaming.  (certain channels don't like to keep up on the live hulu streaming service) 

I've got "smart" lights on our gazebo and xmas lights, but that's mostly just blutooth app controlled rather than through a hub. 

Also got some smart floods for halloween that are going to be fun. 

An alternative internet provider is new to the neighborhood and I'm setting up the router on trial now...less than half the price internet is hard to not look at.