Smart Home Thread - "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that."

[Tasty]

I started smart-ifying my place last year with Google Home and Philips Hue lights, and I'm thinking I'll continue in my new place.

Basically wanted to trade tips and tricks with anyone else who's gone down this path of expensive, needless over-connectivity.

Here's a list of smart home products I've been checking out lately and possible use cases, if you want to make the jump too.






Google Home and Amazon Echo

Amazon created a new category of product with the launch of the Echo, that Google has admitted to following their lead on. However, despite Amazon's head start, Google's caught up in a big way. While Google lacks all the integrations that Amazon's built out, the Home has more natural language processing. The competition is just heating up and both are adding and copying features from each other at a good clip, so which one you decide to go with is down to which ecosystem you're more comfortable in.

I'd put the Apple HomePod here, but it got delayed to 2018 and Siri as a whole is still pretty limited compared to what Google and Amazon have achieved. I hear good things about HomeKit, though.




Philips Hue

Philips' connected bulbs are my pick. Unlike a couple of other brands that work without a hub, the Hue needs one to talk to all the bulbs. The price (especially for the color ones) is a bit much for some people too. Personally, I can't wait to replace every recessed light in my new place with Hue bulbs.

One accessory I'm dying to get a couple of is the wireless Hue Dimmer, for manual control so friends over don't have to bark at the Google Home or install an app. It's even removable from the wall so it can be used more like a TV remote!




Nest Indoor/Outdoor Cam IQ and Amazon Cloud Cam

Again, the two picks are Google and Amazon but there's a wealth of options in this category. I'm excited to get a Nest Cam IQ for my new place for the added security benefits. The Amazon Cloud Cam also has the "unique" option of allowing Amazon delivery people to enter your house to drop off a package, which may be useful to... someone.

I'm also considering getting an Outdoor Cam IQ for my balcony, since the glass door leading to it is basically the most likely point of entry for intruders.




Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Protect Smoke+CO Alarm

Speaking of, Nest's original big product was their thermostat (now in its third iteration, and also has a cheaper option in the Thermostat E.) Basically this lets you save on heating and cooling costs by learning your routines and powering down use when you're not around. Their other product is a smart smoke alarm (now in its second generation) whose claim to fame is remotely seeing when your house has caught fire, and also easily silencing the alarm when you accidentally burn your food.

My electric company is giving me a $100 discount on the full Thermostat, making it even cheaper than the "lower-end" Thermostat E. Now that's value! Check with your electric company to see if they offer anything similar.

Ecobee is big a competitor in this arena and according to many have surpassed Nest, but as a Google boy I gotta go with the OG. I also have seen both apps and it's super vain, but Nest's app and hardware design just tickle my fancy way more.




iRobot Roomba 690 and Above

The higher-end Roombas have full Wi-Fi capability and can talk to the Google Assistant, Alexa, and more. I'm really excited to get one so I can set it to clean my new apartment's hardwood floors after I leave for work every day. This way I can walk barefoot without fear!




Logitech Harmony Hub

While this is needed for the award-winning Harmony Remote, it's also sold on its own. Is that useful? You may ask. Yes, because the Harmony Hub can also talk to Google, Alexa, IFTTT and others. In my case, this is useful for automating it turning on when I get home, or turning it on by talking to Google (my TV unfortunately doesn't have HDMI-CEC for controlling that otherwise.) Another use case is automatically switching inputs when the SNES Classic or Nintendo Switch turn on.




August Smart Lock Pro

A little on the expensive side (since this is another thing that needs its own hub to talk to the web), but for keyless-yet-secure access to your home I'm not sure this is an area you can skimp on, haha. I'm going with August because they seem to be the premiere brand (with Google Assistant compatibility) and I'm going with their Smart Lock Pro model because: 1. it's their latest and greatest, and 2. uses the existing deadbolt apparatus on your door. That's important to me since replacing locks is explicitly forbidden in my new lease agreement, lol.




Wemo Mini and TP-Link Smart Plugs

These let you smart-ify previously "dumb" devices by controlling power flow to them. For example, if you don't have Hue bulbs in a lamp, you can plug it into one of these and be able to control its on/off state with your voice or an app.

Personally, I'm getting one so I can control my SNES Mini's off/on state without having to physically get up to switch it on. I'm also considering getting one and a "dumb" coffee maker so I can yell at Google for my morning cup of joe and have it ready for me by the time I finally get my lazy butt out of bed.




IFTTT

Short for "If This, Then That," IFTTT.com isn't a consumer product but an online service that allows you to wire together various smart products and services. Basically, if a product supports IFTTT then you can use it as a fallback for any functionality that isn't native to it. It also supports a bunch of non-smart home sites and things but that's not relevant to this thread.


Always looking for new smart product recommendations, so post 'em if you got 'em! I'll be keeping this thread updated as I go through my smart home journey.

[Cerveza mas fina]

Youd really save on heating (and the enviroment) if you didnt buy an expensive device to turn it down for you Andy. The idea is the epitome of blabla marketing. Ive cut down heating vs the previous owner of my house by like 25% by just paying attention to the weather.

I used to like this kind of stuff, but its largely overkill, maybe the Roomba could be decent as it actually automates something and saves time.

Still ill keep tabs on the thread

[Tasty]

Well in addition to that I'd like to bark at Google to turn the heat off sometimes. Plus my current bill is pretty low anyways.

[Cerveza mas fina]

I think thats a generational thing maybe, I will never adapt to voice control.

Also I dont envision a scenario where I cant take off or put on a sweater to regulate my temperature, like how long would it take for the heating to adapt in the house to my feeling?

Maybe I should get you a blanket 

Dont get mw wrong I see the appeal of all this from my nerdy side.

[Tasty]

Honestly a lot of this *is* a solution looking for a problem, but once you try even a little bit of it you want to go full-tilt. Like, do I need Wi-Fi controlled coffee? Absolutely not. Would it make my life 0.000000000019% more efficient? Yes.

Thermostats are in fixed points and if you're preoccupied, voice control is a productive option.

[G The Resurrected]

I've gone kind of overkill on the smartification going on in my apartment. The whole place has Hue lights throughout, great for if I leave the house and want to make it look like I'm home. Then I've got the nest for heating, and I hacked in a bt/wifi module to send a signal to my portable ac unit. About to replace the gen 3 with the E so I can get a rebate. As for the rest of the house I just got a Sony 930E which takes input from my Google homes which I already had. Now I have a mini sitting right in front of the tv plugged in it for commands. I've got 4 mini's and 3 big guys throughout, several are set to another language though. We also have Alexa's around too. So I can control just about everything including my computer just by voice. The Wemo plugs and the TP mini plugs have made things like forgetting to turn something off a thing of the past. We can quickly look and see what is "hot."

Another thing we've had before all of this was Nest cams. Nest was nice enough to send me some of the IQ 4k cameras to replace my old Dropcams to settle a potential lawsuit over the 1080p claims. Next bit of tech I'm getting is a security system from Nest and a not so smart deadbolt. One thing I won't go fully smart home is a lock for the door, too many of the locks I've seen can be attacked similarly to some cars. I might even get a roomba or the dyson eye. I've spent a lot on the tech so far, but I think it has been a benefit but it's solving very simple problems. Call me when my washer dryer have this tech in it. For now I'll go back to using my Ember cup that I control through bt to achieve the perfect hot cup of coffee.

[Tasty]

You have seven Homes, PLUS Echoes?! I thought I was overboard with four.

[G The Resurrected]

Yeah we've been getting them kind of like candy at all kinds of events and parties over the last few years. They kind of just accumulate, I've even got unopened ones sitting around. Going to give them as gifts.

I was going to add I really don't like how all of these items use multiple apps. I would really love some unification on someone's part to make that a better user experience. Also I want a damn AI that knows me it's 2017, get on it tech folks.

[Tasty]

Also apparently HP and Samsung have smart washer/dryers this year, you should check 'em out.

[Tasty]

Yeah we've been getting them kind of like candy at all kinds of events and parties over the last few years. They kind of just accumulate, I've even got unopened ones sitting around. Going to give them as gifts.

I was going to add I really don't like how all of these items use multiple apps. I would really love some unification on someone's part to make that a better user experience. Also I want a damn AI that knows me it's 2017, get on it tech folks.

Agreed. Same with each one having their own hubs. The best thing about Google Home is that all the connections can seemingly be managed by voice, or in the Home app. I guess "Z-Wave"/"Zigbee" were the promise of interoperable standards allowing for a unified management app, but few things really go full-on with that support.

[Tasty]

Also crazy to hear you're getting a Nest Secure. That's probably in my far, far-off future, but I'm pretty excited when I think about getting it. Especially the door sensors and the Nest Cam IQ integration with smart faces or whatever.

I wanted a Nest Hello doorbell until I learned it needs an existing doorbell for installation.

[Tasty]

PS- G, for the rest of people looking to get into this stuff, which is your pick for smart speaker? Google Home or Amazon Echo?

[G The Resurrected]

Yeah smart doorbells are a pain in the ass, just installed a RING pro for my grandfather. I want one but will have to deal with having a Nest outdoor covering the entrance. The Nest secure sounds like a great thing since it prioritizes data traffic analysis from the cameras and information going to the base station. Basically no more late 30 sec warnings about movement. They still have the best push notification system it just wasn't enough to react to a situation now it is, but at a price. The new sensors are also awesome since they don't need external wires and they sense motion really well. I'm hoping to get one today from Target since they have that $20 off each $100 spent and Nest isn't discluded. Might wanna check out anything else you were looking for online at Target.com just on the off chance.

Personal sound preference becomes hard but the overall better speaker has to go to the OG google home. They sound a bit bassy, but they updated the firmware so you can adjust the treble and bass independently. Now if we are talking about Echo dots and mini's it's a hands down winner for Google the mini just sounds better.

[Tasty]

Yeah I'm surprisingly happy with my free Mini. Great for shower karaoke and way louder than it needs to be, lol.

Agreed about the OG Home's bassyness. I actually have it cranked way down in the app for my bedroom's Home since the bass keeps me up and drowns out the highs at lower volumes when I'm trying to fall asleep. Side note, the sleep timer is exactly the feature I wanted since Home's launch. Such a small yet clutch feature.

[G The Resurrected]

Make sure you're opted in on the fast ring for updates and beta invites for Google assistant if you want features before they are announced. Let's just hope Google doesn't get bored with it like everything else.

[bork]

I'm interested in all this smart home stuff, but it seems overwhelmingly expensive to get a full setup and a pain in the ass to find products that all work together.

Currently only have some LIFX and Flux smart lightbulbs and lightstrips-- Philips Hue bulbs are supposed to be the best, but you have to buy the hub system and it's pretty pricey, whereas with say, LIFX, you just buy the light(s) and can then control everything with a smartphone app.  Flux is cheaper, but the bulbs I got weren't as bright or colorful as LIFX and were Bluetooth only, which kind of sucks.  Although I am talking about the color changing bulbs and not regular ones, which are all pricier.

Have been really interested in getting a video doorbell recently but don't know if the condo association will allow for it.  Ditto for an external video camera.  My dad recently was gushing all over some home security camera system that is ridiculously cheap...I forget the name, but there was a Kickstarter for it and the cameras were something like $20 each.  Seems too good to be true.

[zomgee]

I bought the Harman Kardon Invoke with Cortana.

I don't know why.

The sound is great so music sounds quite good, and I can set an alarm with it.

[Tasty]

I'm interested in all this smart home stuff, but it seems overwhelmingly expensive to get a full setup and a pain in the ass to find products that all work together.

Currently only have some LIFX and Flux smart lightbulbs and lightstrips-- Philips Hue bulbs are supposed to be the best, but you have to buy the hub system and it's pretty pricey, whereas with say, LIFX, you just buy the light(s) and can then control everything with a smartphone app.  Flux is cheaper, but the bulbs I got weren't as bright or colorful as LIFX and were Bluetooth only, which kind of sucks.  Although I am talking about the color changing bulbs and not regular ones, which are all pricier.

Have been really interested in getting a video doorbell recently but don't know if the condo association will allow for it.  Ditto for an external video camera.  My dad recently was gushing all over some home security camera system that is ridiculously cheap...I forget the name, but there was a Kickstarter for it and the cameras were something like $20 each.  Seems too good to be true.

Not if you use IFTTT as the intermediary.

Yeah, for me I look first for native Google Home functionality, and barring that, IFTTT (which seems to be becoming the actual smart home standard, not Zigbee/Z-Wave.) If you have an Echo or Home then it's relatively easy to look down a feature list and see if it's compatible.

[Tasty]

Have been really interested in getting a video doorbell recently but don't know if the condo association will allow for it.  Ditto for an external video camera.  My dad recently was gushing all over some home security camera system that is ridiculously cheap...I forget the name, but there was a Kickstarter for it and the cameras were something like $20 each.  Seems too good to be true.

See, the thing is yes, a lot of the top 1/2 brands in these categories are pretty damn expensive, but a lot of them (like smart locks, security systems, smoke alarms, etc.) are extra critical - if it fails, the results could be catastrophic. And the top 1/2 brands are genuinely known and relied upon enough that they take their shit seriously. And in addition to all that, I'm uber suspicious about security if it's not a premiere brand.

I got my mom a cheap outdoor camera last year since she said she wanted one and I couldn't afford a Nest Outdoor Cam at the time. Did it functionally work? Yeah, most of the time... until it died. And even before then it would have trouble staying connected to the Wi-Fi. The app was also Engrish-laden garbage and the stream couldn't be viewed on a browser without Flash.

This year, I'm getting her two Nests instead.

It may not be true for most things, but for IoT devices I generally believe you get what you pay for.

[Tasty]

Yeah, I get it. But IFTTT and google home are pretty seamless and don't seem like non-native commands at all. You set custom phrases and responses as triggers and pretty much anything as an action.

Agreed, it's pretty seamless all things considered. The only thing I will say is that IFTTT commands are a bit slower to execute than native commands, but that's to be expected (even though seeing the spinning lights occasionally go for 15-20 seconds can be annoying and make you think something went wrong.)

[TVC15]

Dave's not here, man.

[Tasty]

Ugh I'm reading/watching reviews for the Nest Secure and I waaaaaannnt it.

[Tasty]

Finally picked up a Nest Cam IQ and Roomba 690, the latter of which I've dubbed Simba.

They both really fucking rule.

Now I need the Roomba mop. Also, a shitton more Hue bulbs.

Edit- I also got a "Weight Gurus" Wi-Fi scale and while the app is garbage, you don't actually need it installed once you connect the service to Google Fit. And unlike Bluetooth scales which need your phone nearby (and possibly the app open) this scale just beams it to the cloud via Wi-Fi. It's great and has actually made my life (slightly) better than I originally expected it to, which is rare for a smart home product.

[Tasty]

Also if anyone has any good/useful IFTTT applets, post them! I'm always at a loss at making my own, but I've seen some online that kinda blew my mind.