Reply With QuoteHow hard is it to get up and change a channel , but the remote is still used.Originally Posted by Neil.C
You could apply your logic and get rid of most modern inventions etc but home automation is convenient
Ditto.
I mean, how hard is it to turn on the lights, play some music etc etc?
Cheers,
Neil.
How hard is it to get up and change a channel , but the remote is still used.
You could apply your logic and get rid of most modern inventions etc but home automation is convenient
I dont know, mine is 3rd Gen. Bloke at work has one and his works fine using his mobiles and geofencing to set it away but not using the thermostat to sense home or away.
True, but Amazon are not tracking my TV remote.
There was a post earlier about keyless front doors and we know how that has worked out with cars. Probably "convenient" for the burglar though.
Being bone idle I am all for labour saving gadgets but the present stuff seems a step too far IMO.
Cheers,
Neil.
Well, I just got the Nest thermostat installed this week and like the presentation of it, and that when I walk past it lights up and tells me the current temp, what I have it set at and the colour signifies whether it is on or not.
Next step will be to get a smart hub and start adding other devices. Thinking the Amazon Echo Plus which does seem to top reviews and comes with a Philips Hue light bulb included for £139.99 (although I know not the most popular choice on here)
I've just started to take an interest in this sort of thing, and I can see why people can get sucked in so quickly. I have an Echo and just fitted a wifi switch for the porch, which is great on a timer for those dark mornings and evenings, and great for keeping the light on when making the walk back from the pub in the dark. Next up I'd like to get some wifi plugs for a couple of lamps with hard to reach switches (they're on a cord and the switch gets lost behind things), and I'm tempted to invest in a Nest type thermostat too. After that it's all self control, and seeing what would be useful vs. what I just think would be cool to have....!
Other than my Arlo security cameras, our home computers and tablets and the WiFi router itself I don’t have any connected devices. Not sure I trust the current IOT developers security implementations enough yet. I accept the Arlo but use them to check on the dog and outside of the property so hopefully nothing too vulnerable there.
I will go IOT in the future I’m sure but at the moment the rush to market makes me want to wait a little for the kit to mature.
Is that much help? We have an old fashioned IR sensor porch light that comes on when it “sees” me. Not sure what this gives you over that?
I did think about a sensor version, but for about £10 more I could get a wifi version which gives a few more options. I also looked into a timer switch, and it was actually more than the wifi version!
I have energy saver bulbs, so being able to turn the lights on 10 mins before I leave is useful as it takes a minute or so to 'warm up'. They then stay on until sunrise, at which point they switch off according to the sunrise time / same with switching on at sunset. Additionally they can be switched on remotely, which is particurly useful when working away, as I often do.
My house backs onto the woods, and is at the botom of a long sloping hill, so a house with no lights on stands out like a sore thumb from the top of the estate for any local ne'er do wells. This having a regular schedule combined with the remote option works for me, and like I say, was a couple of quid more than a sensor.
Currys selling the Tado smart radiator starter kit for £138 atm, that's better than 20% off retail recent deal.
Picked one up myself so will see how it goes.
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What are the Arlo cameras like? Looking at a cctv and also an alarm system for the house
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The WiFi one will let you set a timer for on/off and also can turn it on/off from anywhere - could be handy if a long path or want to light the porch up prior to your return.
The sensor one will go off when anyone approaches and is dark and won't have any glitches with the WiFi network/servers etc.
I think for a porch light I would go sensor personally for both convenience and reliability, but I have WiFi plugs working an internal light (mostly as a timer but handy to turn on/off at different times via phone app)
Starting to think about smart thermostats. We have have two heating circuits in our house, one upstairs one down each controlled by their own thermostat. So I assume if I go nest/hive/whatever I'd need two of them or is it not that simple?
Last edited by SimonH; 24th January 2018 at 23:26.
That's exactly my current setup. I've just ordered a Tado kit and loads of radiator valves so I can control room by room to save energy. If that's what you're looking to do, choice really comes down to evohome, Tado, Drayton wiser, and netatmo. Nest and hive doesn't really offer room by room control.
If you do go for Tado, I can send you a link where we both get £20 credit/cashback.
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Thanks for that, yes I saw Tado do room by room which is interesting.
So I guess you've gone for a stat for each zone plus a bunch of Tado radiator valves?
No just replace the existing wall thermostat with their smart thermostat, So you will need 2 smart thermostats given you have upstairs and downstairs zones.
Then you need a smart trv on each of the radiators for full control. This is what pushes up the price as I'll need 13 in total to have full room by room control. Gonna build my system slowly and see how it goes.
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Wiring is slightly more complex for two zones but in essence yes
https://nest.com/uk/support/article/...-zoned-systems
What is the forum wisdom on Smart Plugs?
I'm after some plugs that can be controlled via and app and have an on/off profile set via the app as a timer.
Anyone here have any experience good or bad?
I have a couple of simple Meross plugs to control some non Hue lights.
Work well on the timer on the app / voice controlled via Alexa as needed.
Had them a while so may be some better ones around now.
I have some Wemo, Kasa and Tapo. Doesn’t really matter what you use mostly as they’ll likely be controlled over google home/any smart assistant instead.
I seem to only use them for non-Hue lamps. Also have a weird plug in light box which mimics the tv and turns on/off on a schedule in the front room when we’re on holiday. Hue also has a holiday mode which is handy.
I have had good service from all Sonoff stuff. The only problem sometimes is they only work on 2.4G WiFi so if have problems setting up turn off the 5G WiFi (assuming they have the same SSID) - this seems to be the case with much smart stuff as they don't carry much data and 2.4 has better range.
Tapos running here, all good. Use them on hard to access plugs, lamps, Xmas trees lights, not wanting to leave stuff on standby etc etc. Proving to be reliable and Hassel free and cheap as chips.
Not had the same joy with smart light bulbs, however LOVE the dusk til dawn bulbs for the outside lights, game changer for us
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Last edited by xxnick1975; 7th June 2022 at 15:20.
Excuse my ignorance but what is a Hue light?
Phillips Hue lights / bulbs.
Leading automated lighting ecosystem.
Once most lights are automated / on timers you miss it on the ones that need manual intervention.
We toyed with a light box, but the cars not moving, blinds staying down and someone visiting to feed the cats twice a day suggests we are not home.
Can’t really work around that so we did not get one. But we do have the lights repeat our usual routines.
Ah ... I'm still old school on lights.
HomeAssistant has made leaps and bounds improvements over the last couple of years - now running running everything in my home convenience-wise:
https://www.home-assistant.io/
Living room lights on timers - on at dusk, off at bedtime. This and all other lights also on voice control.
Weather forecasts
Calendars (daily audible and visible reminders for appointments, bin collections etc)
Roomba control and monitoring
Sonos control and monitoring
Plex Media
Monitoring NAS, printer, computers
Device monitoring (phone charge states etc, turns off chargers at full)
Ubiquiti network monitoring
Logitech Harmony control/monitoring (no idea what I'm goign to do when it's out of support though, doesn't seem to be a good replacement for what it does yet)
Just tinkering with geofencing actions now (e.g. turn off lights if they've been left on during the day, and both of us out etc).
SMART also has two acronyms used by the military
1- Secret Military And Residential Technology
2-Self Monitoring And Reporting Technology
er its a no thanks from me! lol
My wife bought it and thinks it’s amazing, wasn’t going to fight it but was an excuse to add a smart plug for me.
Btw upgraded to the MX Master 3 mouse to get a free Nest mini display. Must be the Bentley or Rolls Royce of mice. Unbelievable.
Bought a 4 pack of Tapo. Good first impressions. Thanks for the recommends.
i need to update my Hasso game.
How did you get the free display with the purchase? Sounds a great deal!
I’m using both an MX3 and an Apple one. Depends on what I’m doing. Excessive but oh well.
There was an offer at John Lewis. Spend £75 or more on home, electricals or furniture and receive a free Nest mini hub. Think this is the second or third time the offer has popped up. Pretty good.
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