Smart Home kit - the thread

TimmyO

I have decided to get some of this stuff - not because I have a rambling great place that needs it, because I want to :-) 

I'll stick my thoughts in here about such bits as I get.

First up, we already have a Sonos Play:5 downstairs, and over the next 48 hours a second one and an Amazon Echo Dot will arrive. Both will go upstairs (where I end up seeking refuge a lot from the kids and their various noisy games and TV) and if the Dot works out will probably put another downstairs.

In the next week or so I'll probably also order a Philips Hue starter kit.

I also had a fiddle with the smart thermostat jobbies in John Lewis Home the other day. Interestingly I'd only really got the Hive on my radar before going in there but the Nest one was next to it and was really nice to interact with (a combination of spinning the outer dial and pressing it in)

For me, a big factor in choosing something will be that it can mostly be controlled from as few sources as possible (rather than a dozen dedicated apps) so probably HomeKit or Alexa compatibility for most stuff. 

If anyone else dabbles in any of this stuff feel free to contribute!

midlifecrisis

Feeling out of the loop, I don't know what any of that stuff is 

Travisthedog

I really want to but other than the music, is there really any point to any of it?

I mean, if I want to change the temperature in my house I can just get up and walk the 10ft to the thermostat. I've never once thought "I'm away from the house but I need to put my lights on" with perhaps the exception of being on holiday and even then £4.99 buys you a pluck socket timer in Argos. My heating is on a timer so it's already on when I get home from work and if I come home early, well I'll just keep my coat on for the 20 minutes it takes to warm up.

i love the idea of it all but when it comes to pressing buy it now - I always think what's the point it won't make my life any easier at all

the Amazon echo was of interest though but again, really? "Alexa, play some pink Floyd" or just pick up my phone and press play myself.

i know it does more than that- I'll see how the reviews are after a few months though

Iamnobody

Good thread..

The hive can control your lighting. So might be worth holding back on the hue stuff until you make a decision on the thermo?

I'm looking at getting something - been talking about it for ages but not seriously looked into the pros and cons yet.

Rocker

I agree with @Travisthedog, life is complicated enough as it is. Why the need to make it even more so?

RaymondLin

I have 2 echo dot and Hue and Harmony remote.

It integrates well with the Hue but not so well with Harmony.  I use the dot as an on/off switch mainly for the Hue, and turn the TV on and off.

gubble

My father in law got a dot for x-mas and honestly I see zero point in it.

It fails to provide and form of service and tries to solve problems that simply do not exist.

Is it quite simply just a data mining tool from amazon masked as a fancy and pointless toy?

TimmyO

That's the spirit guys. 

thecolourbox

gubble said:

My father in law got a dot for x-mas and honestly I see zero point in it.

It fails to provide and form of service and tries to solve problems that simply do not exist.

Is it quite simply just a data mining tool from amazon masked as a fancy and pointless toy?

Yes it is. If a product seems cheap to buy when it should be expensive, chances are you are the product being sold.

axisus

To complex for an old boy like me. I still refuse to use SATNAV.

ThorpyFX

I have fitted Hive to the boiler and central heating, i also have a number of lightbulbs and plugs in key places that allow me to see/control things wirelessly. i also have sonos and some wireless cameras.

This was really useful when we had that cold snap recently, i was on holiday and whilst sat on the beach i could check the temp of the house, adjust the heating and ensure that we didn't get any burst water pipes etc.

I'm interested in the echo, but it needs to align its functionality to that available in the states.... why have a two tier system? anyway, id love to know how you are getting on with it.

roundthebend

I'm a software developer so it goes with the territory that I should be interested in this stuff.....except I'm not really. The only thing I'm really interested in is a web enabled CCTV system. I bought a couple of cheap Chinese cameras which work OK - they are motion sensitive, can be Pan/Tilt/Zoom controlled over the internet, they upload photos to my NAS drive and email the same to my email account, and I can even listen in and speak through them. Problem with them is they are no good outside where I really want them, and they are a bit temperamental with there connectivity.

So, I'm looking at Netgear Arlo setups which are expensive but seem to be the ideal system.

I think I ought to get a Raspberry Pi and use it to program something, but I've no idea what. Maybe an intruder alarm of some sort.

ourmaninthenorth

This "stuff" seems to have replaced cocaine as God's way of telling you that you've got too much money...

Chalky

ThorpyFX said:

I have fitted Hive to the boiler and central heating, i also have a number of lightbulbs and plugs in key places that allow me to see/control things wirelessly. i also have sonos and some wireless cameras.

This was really useful when we had that cold snap recently, i was on holiday and whilst sat on the beach i could check the temp of the house, adjust the heating and ensure that we didn't get any burst water pipes etc.

I'm interested in the echo, but it needs to align its functionality to that available in the states.... why have a two tier system? anyway, id love to know how you are getting on with it.

Having met you I know you are an ace chap and an absolute electronics wizard. But that bold section above also shows you that even SuperPedalMan has his 'kryptonite'!

koneguitarist

Looking at the Amazon Echo, how good is the sound? 
I know it's not expected to beat a proper HiFi but is it worth having? 

TimmyO

koneguitarist said:

Looking at the Amazon Echo, how good is the sound? 
I know it's not expected to beat a proper HiFi but is it worth having? 

I was tempted to order one and try it out - return it if not impressed with the sound quality, but decided to get another Sonos and connect a Dot instead

TTony

Sonos is good, and has become a lot easier to set up and control since its early days.

i *think* that there's still a restriction on the number of tracks that you can index into it though.  It was something like 50k-60k tracks (it depends on how extensively they're named) last time I read through the Sonos forums ...

fretmeister

I love be the idea of turning things on and off by voice. 

I want a full blown Star Trek control system.

With Majel Barrett's voice on it too.

dhaywood67

We've got a dot  and hive. I've also set up a new Gmail account that me and the wife will share the calendar so we can make sure we don't clash on nights out. Or two little girls love asking Alexa to play music for them, is like their own personal DJ.

The hive is handy as we turn off the heating if we are out for a long time and then turn it on as we set off home.

No, neither is an essential. We were due a new thermostat as our existing wireless one had started playing up and we got hive on a cyber deal for£125 and I installed it. The dot was a Christmas present from my folks and I wasn't sure it was going to be of any use. Hooked up through the Bose speakers we use for the TV means it's fantastic quality sound and always available. And yes, it is easier to say "Alexa, play Pink Floyd station" than it is to get my phone, open the app and search and then play. We'll see how it pans out with the shared calendar.

dindude

Hive is great. Heading back from where we spent Christmas yesterday was a 4 hour drive, checked the temp at home before setting off and it was 9 degrees, turned it on and by the time we got home it was 20 degrees - lovely.

Don't underestimate how good it is controlling the temp from your bed also. 

One of of those things you really don't need but once you have it..........

it's a great use of technology if you ask me.

ThorpyFX

Chalky said:

ThorpyFX said:

This was really useful when we had that cold snap recently, i was on holiday and whilst sat on the beach i could check the temp of the house, adjust the heating and ensure that we didn't get any burst water pipes etc.

Having met you I know you are an ace chap and an absolute electronics wizard. But that bold section above also shows you that even SuperPedalMan has his 'kryptonite'!

Well lol,  being a total gadget nut and suffering with OCD to a degree.......yup I'd call that a weakness. I love being connected and connecting the home has been great for me on many levels