Smart home! How smart is your home?

[IceBreeze]

Smart home is something you see more and more. You buy a (Raspberry Pi) Single Board Computer (SBC), install and run for instance Domoticz add some sensors, switches, and the first steps are done. Sounds simple, and to a certain level it is, but once it is working you have the benefits of it and the joy of a hobby to build a project like this. Like you come home at the end of the day and the lights are already on. Or they go off automatic when at the end of the day.

 

How about you wake up with not only your favorite music, but also the curtains or a window opening automatic, or you wake up to the smell of your coffee machine brewing your first cup when you open your eyes...  🙂

 

What option would you add if this was your house? Your washing machine? Your garden sprinkler installation? Your music system? Or do you have already your smart home and would you like to share ideas and inspiration about it? So far I use WiFi modules which works great. However when it comes to programming it can get difficult.

 

Any ideas? Suggestions? Questions? Maybe you are happy to share them?

[Qapla]

My home is not so smart - we still use the light switches to turn our lights on/off. Most of the ones I know who do use smart home devices just use Alexa or Google and do not try to program a Raspberry Pi.

 

They simply say something like "Alexa/OK Google - turn the lights on" and the lights come on.

 

 

[SUNRAY]

I am not techy enough for all of that..plus I am sensitive to emf and would not want wifi in our home..We just bought a dumb tv and are satisfied just to watch on the basic cable that is provided by our senior community..so I can't help you on this topic..sorry!😎

[IceBreeze]

6 minutes ago, Qapla said:

My home is not so smart - we still use the light switches to turn our lights on/off. Most of the ones I know who do use smart home devices just use Alexa or Google and do not try to program a Raspberry Pi.

 

They simply say something like "Alexa/OK Google - turn the lights on" and the lights come on.

 

 

Thank you for your reply. Alexa and OK Google are more ready out of the box, but the principle is the same. 😊

[IceBreeze]

5 minutes ago, SUNRAY said:

...I am not techy enough for all of that...

It is your input what counts also. Thank you very much for your reply. 😉

[Dustparticle]

1 hour ago, IceBreeze said:

Smart home is something you see more and more. You buy a (Raspberry Pi) Single Board Computer (SBC), install and run for instance Domoticz add some sensors, switches, and the first steps are done. Sounds simple, and to a certain level it is, but once it is working you have the benefits of it and the joy of a hobby to build a project like this. Like you come home at the end of the day and the lights are already on. Or they go off automatic when at the end of the day.

 

How about you wake up with not only your favorite music, but also the curtains or a window opening automatic, or you wake up to the smell of your coffee machine brewing your first cup when you open your eyes...  🙂

 

What option would you add if this was your house? Your washing machine? Your garden sprinkler installation? Your music system? Or do you have already your smart home and would you like to share ideas and inspiration about it? So far I use WiFi modules which works great. However when it comes to programming it can get difficult.

 

Any ideas? Suggestions? Questions? Maybe you are happy to share them?

If your home, phone, etc becomes smarter than you, then something is wrong. Use your God given brain as much as you can my brother.

[IceBreeze]

2 minutes ago, Dustparticle said:

...If your home, phone, etc becomes smarter than you, then something is wrong...

Thank you for your comment. It is a hobby. Some can spend hours in their garden, others can spend much time on their car, some are into Domotica (Computers). It should not become smarter than the owner. That is a matter of finding balance in things. 🙂

[Ludwika]

I consider my home smart because I live in it 😂

[IceBreeze]

1 minute ago, Ludwika said:

I consider my home smart because I live in it 😂

That is a very smart comment 😂

[Qapla]

The weird part is, when you come home and hear talking coming from the house, and you know no one is home - you go inside and find you are hearing Google, Alexa and Cortona having a conversation.

 

 

[IceBreeze]

13 minutes ago, Qapla said:

The weird part is, when you come home and hear talking coming from the house, and you know no one is home - you go inside and find you are hearing Google, Alexa and Cortona having a conversation.

 

 

It can go very weird indeed. As long as it is not causing a serious problem it can be ok, and even make you laugh.

 

But some have their curtains automated too, and I'm sure it is very embarrassing when the curtains open spontaneously in the middle of the night, or on a sunday morning because of an error in the system.

 

Google might say; I can see you! lol

[jayrtom]

My smart house is pretty much limited to Alex but I would like to hear your ideas br

 

I use Alexa mainly for

• lights on/of
• Adding items to my shoping list
• comunicate to other places in the house (i have several echo devices)
• Announce to my wife to answer the phone when she doesn't  (this announce goes to all echo devices and it works pretty good because she seldom doesn't carry her phone with her)
• Play music
• open/close my garage door / mail box (big for packages)
• Check agenda / notifications
• Ask for tomorrows weather
• Wake up with a morning briefing
• etc...

 

 

[IceBreeze]

12 minutes ago, jayrtom said:

My smart house is pretty much limited to Alex but I would like to hear your ideas br

 

I use Alexa mainly for

• lights on/of
• Adding items to my shoping list
• comunicate to other places in the house (i have several echo devices)
• Announce to my wife to answer the phone when she doesn't  (this announce goes to all echo devices and it works pretty good because she seldom doesn't carry her phone with her)
• Play music
• open/close my garage door / mail box (big for packages)
• Check agenda / notifications
• Ask for tomorrows weather
• Wake up with a morning briefing
• etc...

 

 

Sounds good. I like your list with options and what you use. Maybe we can become "smart" friends. 😉

[Pabo]

Well, I may work with computers and technical things at work, but at home it is very basic and simple when it comes to being connected. I find the more things you have connected to your home's network, the more vulnerable your home is to being a target. Not only that, when your home is connected, even when it is in a state of standby, it consumes electricity.

 

Any electronic devices we have at home is very much old technology, as we use them until they literally no longer can work or be fixed. Our TV had an issue with it changing it's own channels a year ago, but the fault was recognisied as being the channel/volume circuit board on the TV itself, so we just disconnected that circuit board to stop that from happening and just use the remote control (which we do anyway). The rest of the TV works just fine for us, as it is not a smart TV, nor are we connected to any stream services. I connected an old Dell micro form factor computer and we use that for mainly JWL to watch the broadcasts and such, or any other video files that I may have on any portable harddrives connected to that computer.

 

As for music, we still use an hi-fi stereo which has a 5 CD player, and we still have vinyl records. As for listening to the radio, we just have an portable radio in our kitchen which is about 20 year's old now, and the one I use in the shed is about 45 years old, although I will need to clean or replace the potentiometers in it, as they make the sound scratchy when you adjust the volume.

 

If a criminal broke into our home, he wouldn't be able to hock any goods at the pawn store, as they are basically worthless in value due to their age.

[Mike047]

On 7/25/2023 at 1:58 AM, Pabo said:

Well, I may work with computers and technical things at work, but at home it is very basic and simple when it comes to being connected. I find the more things you have connected to your home's network, the more vulnerable your home is to being a target. Not only that, when your home is connected, even when it is in a state of standby, it consumes electricity.

 

We have an excellent system here that meets all the criteria for living. Everything in our home is operated by IPOS and it works very well.

 

It provides early morning cups of tea, midday meals and evening dinner. It sys goodnight at the end of the day, with a little prayer. What could be better than that?

 

Oh, by the way, IPOS is In Person Operating System

[Jake]

I use a Google Home (at the time it came as a promotion with Spotify premium). I use it for my lights. It's very helpful when I come home hands full and I can say "Hey Google, lights!" I renamed my lights specifically too, so that I can specify which lights to turn on if I don't want all of it on (eg. Corner light, accent wall light, etc).

[chuck83]

Most of my smart home items are things I don't want to constantly get up for. Philips Hue Lights, Smart AC, Smart Fans, Roomba, Litter Robot, Ring, Power strips and plugs, TV, Apple TV, etc. I don't own voice command products anymore for IT Security. Though I do miss commanding Alexa to play the daily text and settings timers. 

[New World Explorer]

My home is very non-smart.. I still have to mop the floors ...

I live in this home for more than 20 years and the "house" did not learn anything... 

[Witness1970]

I looked into a lot of technology years ago.  I had the idea for curtains that opened up after sunup and closed before nightfall.  Lights that came on and went off automatically.  Years ago, this was all discrete logic circuits, because computers and WIFI were not available back then.  I studied TTL (transistor transistor logic) and DTL (diode transistor logic) and had a couple of books on the subject.  There were AND circuits, OR circuits, NAND (not and) circuits, and NOR circuits.  It is much easier today with computers and WIFI.

 

My house is smart enough to turn on the heat or AC as needed, and to keep a supply of hot water and refrigerate foods that need to be kept cold.  Of course we don't often consider these things as being very smart, but it does that work automatically. 

Edited November 1 by Witness1970

[Mike047]

We are still using IPOS, but it seems time for an upgrade.

[LeolaRootStew]

I won't look into smart technology until we have a trustworthy government. This tech would work great in Welcome Centers in the NS.

[IceBreeze]

43 minutes ago, LeolaRootStew said:

I won't look into smart technology until we have a trustworthy government. This tech would work great in Welcome Centers in the NS.

The government has not really something to do with it, special not after you flash it with other software, and use it on your own local wifi network. But I can understand the thought.

 

I'm sure you rely on you being a smart girl! 😉

[Pabo]

8 hours ago, Mike047 said:

We are still using IPOS, but it seems time for an upgrade.

 

Especially when the IPOS is getting older and it starts to creak and groan in operating itself.

[Mike047]

3 hours ago, Pabo said:

Especially when the IPOS is getting older and it starts to creak and groan in operating itself.

So true, perhaps it's time for TIPOS (Tablets)