Smart Home

[Unorthodox]

Several months on, they still haven't fixed my cable bill. 

I did end up getting double charged for the cable service in February, then for the internet service in march when they tried to fix February. 

April is listed completely wrong on my end, but I'm again assured their side is fine and it'll be fixed.

Returning the equipment and dealing with people in person at least removed all the extra fees. 

I'm meanwhile looking at buying a modem and returning their modem just to eliminate that monthly fee, and possibly move to a mesh wifi. 

[Lorizael]

/www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/04/23/how-nest-designed-keep-intruders-out-peoples-homes-effectively-allowed-hackers-get/?utm_term=.8b1b946cfbff&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1

This is why I switched to a password manager awhile back. I've also looked through leaked password databases and seen which of mine are compromised.

[Rusty Edge]

https://nest.com/whats-happening/#will-security-updates-be-available-for-devices-of-nest-account-holders-that-dont-migrate-to-a-google-account

I got an e-mail about my Lutron products possibly having disruptions with Nest. What's going on is that Google & Nest are further integrating, which should result in better security and fewer apps for their customers in the long term. I applaud their efforts. Smart home integration can be frustrating, and I look forward to the day when you simply choose Google or Alexa or Apple or  Samsung, and then you buy accordingly and everything works seamlessly.
 

[Unorthodox]

The modem thing was a mess.  I was basically limited to the exact same modem we have unless we dropped voice from our plan.  Since hEt still wants the land line, I've got to talk her into accepting a VOIP provider before I can make that move. 

I did end up buying the comcast mesh wifi system however, and its solved most the problems we were having I was blaming on the modem.  As a bonus, my workshop now has a wifi signal.  (it's essentially a concrete bunker, so no surprise I had weak signal before). 

In setting that up I discovered a 'feature' of our modem was to provide a free public wifi signal.  In theory its so guests at your house don't need your password.  I'm thinking turning it off might have as much to do with our objective performance boost as the new mesh signal. 

[Rusty Edge]

Looks like one of my smart vents has unsynced from the ecobee. I'll probably have to reset some passwords because I'm not sure what I used at the time. Might be batteries in the smart vent, too.

[E_T]

Ain't Technology wonderful...

[Geo]

Ain't Technology wonderful...

A sufficiently advanced technology is an indisguisable hazard...

[Rusty Edge]

Prime Day is advancing our smart home, so time for an update.

I didn't get around to trouble shooting the unsynched vent. It may have re-synched itself. I don't know. The fault Horatio, lies not with Smart Home, but with myself. I have always looked at cell phones as a shackle and leash. I have always resented interrupting my productivity to assist somebody else who didn't think something through, which always seem to be why they called me... or simply to waste my time.   So I tend to be a minimalist with my smart phone. It's not my life. If the battery runs out , I may not notice. My phone frequently asks me for the password rather than a thumbprint, because OMG! I haven't used it in over 24 hours!  Smart home tech presumes you are a hip smart phone addict. I'm not.

That issue aside, I just want my Smart stuff doing their jobs in the background without bothering me, like good co-workers should.
1)We ordered a single time programmable vent for the upstairs. It's the last one left for sale on the internet in our size, near as I've found. We need two more. I'll have to see if Alea is close to producing and selling smart vents yet/again for the other two.

2) We ordered an outdoor smart plug that is Alexa ready. This will enable me to turn off the other stuff on the outdoor circuit ( usually holiday lights ) and run the roof and gutter heaters by voice command when the temps are in the proper range by voice command. No getting dressed to go outside and swap some plugs.

3) Ordered an indoor smart plug for the printer problem. Uno was right. The only reliable way to get the printer ( which is on the 2nd floor) working properly is to turn it on and off. The driver update didn't solve the issue. So my wife should be able to tell Alexa to turn the printer off, and then back on, and then proceed without involving me. Two plugs were actually about a buck and a half cheaper than one, so we're getting two, but don't have any plans for the 2nd one.

4) The video doorbell. SkyBell HD is a lost cause. A new one costs as much as we paid, but there seem to be limited amounts left in stock. I expect it would work much the same, amazing for a while, and then with difficulty or not at all. So I'm guessing it's obsolete. I indicated I'd go with Ring because it was now under Alexa ownership. The trouble with that is their security system business model. $10/month to access anything but a live feed. An extra $3/month for each additional device. So it's like buying the device every year. We refuse to go with that. So, we could go with replacement lamps with HD cameras, motion sensors, speakers, etc. Maximus charges $5/month to store your video. A competitor offers card storage onboard, but you replace one, you need to replace all exterior lamps, and they only make smart ones. No matching dummy lamps. So the initial cost is the highest. We chose to procrastinate and buy nothing at this time.

5) Ordered the new Echo Show 5. Essentially an Echo Spot with a 5 inch phone screen. I wanted it for the kitchen. I'd like having Alexa there to set timers and reminders when I'm cooking. Possibly to check my math on measurements and conversions. To play music or an audiobook while I work. To pull up a recipe from Pinterest, instead of walking between rooms. To extend our intercom system. I probably would have preferred the Echo show 2, but this is inexpensive enough to try it and see if it's justified first. It can always be moved to replace the Echo Dot if we upgrade the kitchen to the Show.

6) We're going to see about trying to upgrade our ceiling fan to a remote or smart configuration after the summer, but not while it's in heavy service. It's a cast bronze reproduction of an antique, so it's not a fan that can be replaced with anything comparable. It has to be upgraded. We already upgraded it once, so that now the wall switch controls the fan speed, direction, and light kit by radio. I figure it can be internally modernized a little more.

That covers it for now, I think.

[E_T]

Remember, they are only as "SMART" as they are programmed to be... 

And with everything that you have (or will have) now, do you think it would be good or bad to have a true AI running everything?

[Rusty Edge]

I suppose true A.I. leads to HAL and SKYNET.  Not good.
The voice climate control sure is nice. Potentially it's the biggest problem if it should run amok.
I have reservations about smart door locks, garage openers, and interior cameras, which could all potentially be hacked. I don't have any of those, and may never get them.

[Geo]

I have reservations about smart door locks, garage openers, and interior cameras, which could all potentially be hacked. I don't have any of those, and may never get them.

A sort of funny story on that one here. Just yesterday I read in the news that a neighbourhood here has a real plague of automatic stuff like garage gates, car locks -and windows open up on their own lately. The likely culprit would be a transmitter antenna which after maintenance emits on another frequency, appearantly on one where aforementioned stuff acts on.

[E_T]

I suppose true A.I. leads to HAL and SKYNET.  Not good.
The voice climate control sure is nice. Potentially it's the biggest problem if it should run amok.
I have reservations about smart door locks, garage openers, and interior cameras, which could all potentially be hacked. I don't have any of those, and may never get them.

All depends on how you grow it, I suspect.  Check out "Two Faces of Tomorrow" by James P. Hogan...

[E_T]

I have reservations about smart door locks, garage openers, and interior cameras, which could all potentially be hacked. I don't have any of those, and may never get them.

A sort of funny story on that one here. Just yesterday I read in the news that a neighborhood here has a real plague of automatic stuff like garage gates, car locks -and windows open up on their own lately. The likely culprit would be a transmitter antenna which after maintenance emits on another frequency, appearantly on one where aforementioned stuff acts on.

I learned a long time ago, that sometimes, people would drive through neighborhoods, while having several garage door openers set at various things.  Usually, the more older types only had a limited combination of settings for door codes.  So, they would sometimes find one that would work and then rob the place.
I know that the more advanced ones are more secure, but really, how often does someone replace their opener, just because the newer model would be less vulnerable?

[Geo]

Usually things only get replaced if its broken or, as you just mentioned, some burglar exploits it.

[Rusty Edge]

An updated comprehensive review of video doorbells-
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-smart-doorbell-camera/?utm_source=Deals+We+Love&utm_campaign=a35b0f4c5e-DEALS_2019_07_26_07_27&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97ed68eaf3-a35b0f4c5e-90491241

They pick the $200 Ring 2 with a $30/year subscription. The upgrade pick is the $230 Nest Hello. It records continuously and requires a subscription of $5-$30/ month ( basically a dollar per day of rolling storage ).

The $199 SkyBell Trim Plus ( latest version of what I have ) has  a week's worth of free storage. It still has great features and connectivity challenges.