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!
Red ones are better.
Comments
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
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.
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
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.
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?
soundcloud.com/thecolourbox-1
youtube.com/@TheColourboxMusic
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.
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.
I know it's not expected to beat a proper HiFi but is it worth having?
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 ...
I want a full blown Star Trek control system.
With Majel Barrett's voice on it too.
https://soundcertified.com/speaker-ohms-calculator/
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.
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.