Are Smart Home Devices Worth It

[@technologymusings2376]

I totally respect the reasons why one would add smart home devices, but my preference is still to utilize high quality non-networked devices that won't become obsolete as web backend change or app development stops. For example Lutron's Caseta switches can be used and paired with additional Pico switches without requiring a hub.

[@rabaanum]

Now this is exactly the kind of video I didn't even know I was looking for! Thank you for making this. It helped take me off the fence 👌🏽

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks for watching!

[@davidwright6105]

I really love my smart home stuff. The main reason that I got into SH is that it gives me something constructive to do. I really enjoy making things work just the way that I need them to. You were correct about the Harmony. When I sit down on the couch and press one button, it turns on the TV, receiver and whatever else needs to come on plus the table lamp, the TV backlight and the ceiling fan. All this from one button press. Awesome. I think the Harmony is the best SH thing that I have invested in. Any time I want to add something to my SH the wife says "do we really need that" and then after a few months of use she changes her tune. She also likes the SH. Thanks for your videos and comments, they are pretty spot on.

[@ShaneCreates]

Great video! My favorite aspect of a Smart home is automations. In my opinion, that’s where you can really notice the added convenience on a day to day basis.

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks, Shane. And agreed! That's what makes it so compelling for me too. Finding those ways you can shave off the rough edges of your day to day life/tasks.

[@lucidmoses]

I used to be into smart homes. Still have a bunch of modules but I found three problems with them. 1) Life has too many exceptions to the rule. i.e. No I don't want it to turn on the hall light when I enter if the kids have left there door open. 2) Reliability. for example. Far to often the system thought the light was on when it in fact was not. And that brings me to; 3) Way too much time fiddling with the system. Replacing old modules with new ones due to tech changes, To much time setting up and changing the programming. I don't want to spend two hours a day fiddling with software to save 5 minutes. So, now I use a few simple standalone things. Programmable thermostats for the House and bathroom floor. An automated lights for the downstairs and outsides steps. And a smart remote for the entertainment system. So, far from automation free, but scaled back.

[@srats56]

congrats and i agree the smart crap is nothing but a money pit and time waster, no need to make life more complicated

[@lucidmoses]

@@srats56 I can see some people liking to fiddle with the system. If they enjoy that kind of thing then... Have at er. I'm just not interested in that amount of mucking around.

[@FrangoTraidor]

the best option for a dwelling is still a cabin in the woods

[@4daluvofnikki]

I am all in. If I had a newer house I would be going all in even further. My house is a bit old so I am struggling a bit, but it hasn't stopped me for going all in as much as I can. I have Security Cameras, Smart Speakers, a Smart Lock, Smart Plugs, Smart Bulbs, Smart Motion Sensors and a RoboVac. I love smart home devices. I have never considered them as "Toys" and I honestly don't understand why some people see them as such. There will always be new tech. The light bulb replaced, candlesticks, lanterns and oil lamps. The electric water and gas heaters replaced fireplaces that once heated our homes. Being able to control your heat using a thermostat was unheard many, many years ago. Now you can set the temperature in your home. Sinks in your home weren't always a thing. You had to go outside to a well to get drinking water and water to wash and clean your clothes. The washing machine replaced hand washing boards and the dryer replaced the clothes line outside in your yard or the back of your house. Technology is always improving the way we do things. Smart Home devices are no different. They just improve the way we are doing things in our day to day lives. Now I am not old enough to have used any of the aforementioned things, but I know they existed. My Grandparents (God Rest Their Souls) could tell a story or two about not having a sink inside of the house, having to wash by hand all of the time, cutting wood for the stove so they could cook. I grew up knowing nothing of the sort. Children today will know nothing but being able to control their home's with the tech coming out now. My Niece is 5 yrs old (loves tech) and by the time she is 15. Most of the tech that some people are turning their noses up at will be mandatory in new homes being built. The office buildings they will be working in will have some of this tech installed. I am glad you touched on what a game changer this technology is for the differently able community. People who cannot speak, people who cannot walk, people who cannot move will all benefit from these new technologies.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Can't agree more!

[@gordoa172]

Thanks for always making videos that are always on point. And you get it!! To your continued success!

[@UndecidedMF]

👍 Thanks so much!

[@menock12]

I do like how the price of smart home products have come down. It is a great idea for people with special needs to be able you run things when mobility is a challange. Recently my father-in-law couldn't walk from a knee injury. If their home was automated things would have bee so much easier. But seems that generation has a hard time making that switch. I love it, being able to control lights when not home to make it appear someone is home along with my security cameras bring huge peace of mind. Thanks for another great video, keep them coming!

[@johnmiller5630]

Literally just found you Matt and this series. I really like what you’re doing and how you get a potentially complex topic across in a straightforward no nonsense way. I have a few basic smart home devices - Nest thermostat, Echo Dot, smart plugs, ring door bell - and want to expand so your series is perfect to point me in the right direction. I’m hooked!!

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks, John. Glad you found it useful.

[@johnmcnaught7453]

I used to think such gadgets were the toys of the hobbyists, but I've come around and see the benifits. For the physically challenged it's a godsend. As I'm old now and becoming ancient, I grudgingly admit some of these technologies may be in my future.

[@AnimalFacts]

I'm not in yet... but I do like the lighting, ac control and the idea of things like water leak sensors.

[@bradto36]

I really enjoyed watching your video yesterday. I was struck by your comment about a smart home should be doing things automatically instead of one doing things with a smart phone or smart screen. I realized I haven't been using my smart home devices effectively. I am now letting my motion sensors turn off my lights, and I feel more relaxed and not obscessed about my lights. Much thanks!

[@UndecidedMF]

That’s awesome to hear that something from the video struck a chord. Automation really is the secret sauce of a smart home. Thanks for watching!

[@ahale1987]

Thank you, Matt! Great video as always. I had never considered the accessibility benefits to smart home technology. Your videos are always good food for thought.

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@robsengahay5614]

One key benefit I see is that people like you help just by supporting innovation. It does not always lead to a destination you or I could anticipate or expect but without enthusiasts buying, testing and giving feedback there would be no driver to innovate in a market-driven economy.

[@UndecidedMF]

Really great point. It’s part of why I love being an early adopter on some tech. Kicking the tires and seeing where things fall short and finding new ways to take advantage of it. In time the kinks get worked out and more people are willing to jump on board. Progress!

[@randyrice1429]

Another excellent and helpful video. Convinced me that there are things I would like in the house I'm going to build. It has lots of windows and voice controlled shades to open/close them all at once would be wonderful.

[@jsouto77]

We do it because we like innovation. Those that dont are well within their right as an individual. However, those that condemn the technologies because "old school" works just fine, should consider how they got to see this video and their current standard of life....We MUST keep pushing tech forward....

[@UndecidedMF]

That's an interesting point. What I'd add to that though (in defense of the folks that don't like it) is that smart home tech is still pretty rough around the edges right now. In 5 more years, it'll be even better and seamless to use and integrate. I'm an early adopter and willing to put up with the quirks because of the benefits. For everyone else, I can understand why they stand back and shake their head a little bit.

[@HATipsByLarry]

@@UndecidedMF I thought that way and what I learned is that if you wait for it to get that much better.............you will be waiting forever because it just keeps getting better and better and better. I've been around back when home automation was a radio shack X10 light module, (OK I'm dating myself here) so yeah better and better. Now i have a smartthings V3 hub and use webcore for my home automation. Agree with you that home automation should be automatic. As a matter of fact in my home it just works, it blends into the background and never stands out. I have some 93 smart home devices and you would never know it just by looking at the inside of the house

[@Mari0o0o]

If it has to be boiled down to one word, it’s convenience. Automations of smart devices are amazing and make your life so much easier so you can focus on the important things (or just take a moment to relax and not worry).

[@UndecidedMF]

I still think it's more than just convenience, but there is a lot that's centered around that. I'd put my Roomba vacuums into that category. I can spend more time working and making these videos instead of vacuuming my house every day. ;-)

[@kaitlyn__L]

Oh shittttttt thank you for bringing up the accessibility stuff!! All of my personal uses are in that realm, and I agree that marketing focuses way too much on convenience. It's a common refrain, that what is merely convenient for most will be life enabling for some. Some of those spurious infomercial products that people make fun of were just overstock of accessibility aids, in fact. So I really appreciate your going into how "well I can just go to the light switch, what's the point" doesn't always apply to everyone, and so the products aren't inherently expensive useless toys. I see a lot of people lambasting IoT like "who needs to have their phone trigger a [device]", and it's so obvious they think the answer is no one. And to that matter, a hundred or so years ago, electric lights were the pointless luxury, because people were fine with lighting oil lamps or gas lights when it got dark. It was only a few decades past initial availability that they came to be seen as crucial for safety and comfort. People scoffed at the idea of wanting to quickly put a light on and off again, but people nowadays will hardly think control of their lights with a switch was a luxury.

[@miketrombley9107]

Great video! I started with my smart home set up with a smart thermostat. I live in the lower half of an old house that was converted into a duplex. The only thermostat to control heating and cooling is in my unit. Super inconvenient for the person who lives above me. I got the smart thermostat in order to give the person in the upper flat the ability to control the heating and cooling from their phone. I then added light smart lights to a few rooms that did not have wall switches in the proper locations.

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks, Mike! That sounds like a real tricky situation. What do you do if you want different temps? I can imagine a constant battle of wills turning the temps up and down all the time.

[@miketrombley9107]

That is tricky, but we developed a schedule that works pretty well. One thing I am interested in is how to have the thermostat change temps based on the outside air temperature. If the temp outside is 72 and the inside is 75 but thermostat is set to 74. I really don't need or want the AC unit running. This is especially true if I am not at home to open windows to allow the cool air into the flat. I come home to find the AC unit running with the upstairs unit's windows wide open. Again the remote operation of the thermostat to the rescue, but it would be nice if I could automate that feature. I have the nest thermostat for around a year, it has lowered my heating and cooling cost on average about 15$/month. The best solution here is to purchase and install a heating and cooling system for the upper flat. I want a smart home for the remote monitoring and operation features that it can offer.

[@UndecidedMF]

Mike Trombley It’s a decent compromise you’ve landed on. Setting up an automation like you’re thinking about should be very doable. If you got an outside temperature monitor that could be linked into IFTTT, then you could do something like this: ifttt.com/applets/412754p-if-outside-temperature-drops-below-a-certain-point-then-turn-off-nest-thermostat Or with something like Smartthings, Hubitat or Home Assistant, you could program that type of control yourself with a temp sensor outside.

[@Yemto]

Whats great with smart homes, is that you don't need to by everything at once. I have replaced 2 lights every month, this month I added a Google Nest Mini to the system. So while everything can get pricey if you add it up, it's not like it's needed right from the start.

[@huzbum]

I bought an old house that had a few changes over the years before I bought it. Switches are in the wrong place, etc. Being able to add a button to toggle a light so I don't have to stumble across a dark room is a huge improvement. Motion activated cameras are awesome too. I can see if my cat goes on the counter at night, and whether or not the knock at the door is a delivery or Jehovah Witness, etc.

[@rudikessler]

Good overview on aspects, thanks Matt. I use SH devices to a certain extent. Thermostates saved me a lot of money and this has paid off within a year. Returning home from a business trip earlier than planned and turning on heating while waiting at the luggage belt is helpful. Accessibility is an overlooked aspect, we don't care unless we are concerned.

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks, Rudi. Smart thermostats are one of the big smart home gadgets that I think everyone can get behind. Keeps you comfortable and saves you money doing it. Who doesn’t want that? But the accessibility aspect really needs more attention. Not necessarily for folks who don’t need the help, but for those that do. My parents are in that stage of life where some of these things may start to benefit their daily living.

[@JasonPrice1]

I would suggest that a smart home has nothing specifically to do with the bobbles one adds. A truly smart home is one that seamlessly achieves as much as possible for as little as possible; delivering convenience and savings at as best a ratio as possible. Security - This has definitely been enhanced with web connected/IoT tech. I have Ring and am fully satisfied with their hardware and service. Lighting - With the advent of LED bulbs, there is no ROI model that works for so called "smart lighting". The ONLY reason you should invest in smart lighting is if you want something like you highlighted for home theater setups for convenience for the bedroom. The smart switches and bulbs will NEVER pay for themselves so you need to buy them based on their perceived value to you specifically. Safety - A well built or upgraded house should have features that intervene in unwanted situations. Don't want to have a flooded basement? Install a sump. Want the fire dept there faster? Get a 24/7 monitoring service for heat and smoke detectors. HVAC - This category is very situational. If you have heat pumps of any kind, then smart/programmable thermostats are a near complete waste. Heat pumps work best when left at a specific set of temperatures. If you have a high output heating device such as LNG/LPG, oil or electric then installing full on smart thermostats makes a lot of literal sense. Moreso for forced air than per room baseboard electric as the cost to retrofit every room with a register is not low enough to deliver a reasonable ROI. No air conditioning should be left to go too high and then forced to try to cool the house back down aggressively so that angle is gone entirely. Cute Devices - Sense makes no sense. The ROI is rotten and you are never guaranteed it will detect everything in your house properly. If you don't use electricity for high demand things such as cooking, drying and hot water, then you are really wasting your time (And really, if you do use electricity for those things, it is a waste as you already know that is what is hitting you the hardest). You could save more money by using the $300 USD to just pull the trigger on replacing the most horrible power using device in your house. It could be an old dryer or fridge or perhaps you have been putting off replacing all your incandescent or CFL lights with LEDs. Perhaps replace a window or two in your house that you know is leaking heat. Sense is a novelty at best and a complete waste of money at worst. Special needs - This is likely the one category that is an unequivocal win in almost every imaginable way for anyone that has special needs at any age. The sheer volume of products available now and their quality and seamlessness of integration is just mind blowing. When you are dealing with special needs, cost is almost not even an issue. Having a working and workable solution is the first goal and there is no question that this has become more of a reality than ever in the last 5 years and mostly in the last 3. For me, I have: - Ring front and back - External motion lighting - A geothermal heat pump that never needs the temperature settings changed - All LEDs house wide so that leaving one on by accident would take months of runtime to really cost me anything - Computers and laptops set to use hibernation and sleep and all have SSDs for near instant response on wake - Old school set top boxes replaced with a Plex server and super low energy draw Roku devices - Motion light switches in the house where the most traffic and demands of convenience are in play such as the laundry room Making your house yours for your wants and desires are the most important considerations though, so if you want a sense or all the crazy Philips Hue and you like it, who am I to argue. What I will say, though, is that all these gadgets are not a panacea for all the inconveniences in your life or a magic solution to save you any money. Remember that a 6 watt LED at 3 hours a day only costs about 70 cents to run for a YEAR (10.59 cents per kWh). There is no ROI for a motion switch for that. That is over 120 years ROI for a $30 motion switch if it reduced the on time by 66%. So be smart when trying to be smart or you will only be contributing to the consumerism of the world.

[@fiskie49]

I would submit that automation is a VERY personal concept. It has to conform with what you perceive as your own needs. when I began an interest in home automation 17 years ago, it was with motion-sensitive switches for light control, as in the kitchen. I still use this, 2 houses later. The same for a programmable thermostat. In that case, I now have one that communicates with the power company, and get a break on electricity costs. I have used a central control of a few lights in our home so that we always come home to a lighted house at night. Nowadays, security cameras are important for us, and have become unbelievably inexpensive. I have these integrated into a Raspberry Pi-based security system. None of this costs that much, and appeals to my electronics hobby. One thing I have tried, but never found a use for is control of lighting or appliances from my smart phone.

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks for sharing and I agree with your point of view. It’s really very personal and finding ways to improve what’s important for yourself. I recently just got added onto a program between Ecobee and my electric company to get a brake on my bill for letting them adjust temps during high demand timeframes. Really interesting program.

[@StephenMatrese]

My wife and I are 29 & severely disabled. Smart home are a godsend to the disabled and elderly. We use Google Home Mini or Echo Dot a lot. On good days, my 11 year old and I work on it so on bad days when she's at school, she doesn't work about us as much.

[@StephenMatrese]

We started with a Nest that our electric supplier gave us for free with a 2 year contract. It's great since we don't have predictable schedules.

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks for sharing, Stephen. It’s that aspect of smart homes I hope more people learn about. So much potential for people to take advantage of.

[@adyandrey23andrey]

I used to turn on/off ambiental lights in my living room with voice and/or in the app. I added 2 smart bulbs with a motion sensor in the bathroom and was amazed by the convenience of not always having to flick the switch. As well as forgetting to turn the lights off when in a hurry. When done right, even non believers will see the benefits of well placed smart devices.

[@UndecidedMF]

Exactly! Seeing and living with it really is believing.

[@decline1129]

I bought a smart lock after I got my Tesla, and not ever having to carry keys has been so freeing.

[@UndecidedMF]

That’s awesome and makes a ton of sense. I haven’t carried actual keys for my house for a few years now ... and with my Tesla ... keyless is kind of a nice way to live.

[@decline1129]

@@UndecidedMF Keyless is nice; its been great! My first step into the smart home sphere, and the experience has convinced me to try more. I keep a Tesla key card in my wallet with a set of house keys in my car for good measure, but haven't needed them yet.

[@UndecidedMF]

Decline I do the same with my Tesla keycard, but haven’t tried stashing house keys in the car. Smart!

[@thibDave]

You outlined this topic very well; this was good journalism that I appreciate. **Side note but very important to me: Can you please share with me how you are able to activate an Apple TV with the Google Assistant? I noticed this during the part of this video that focused on special needs individuals and accessibility. I could really use this. Thanks.

[@eeelpee]

After seeing your videos, I have ordered Hubitat in hopes of centralizing smart home control. Gets confusing with Wink2, SmartThings, Harmony, Alexa, Google Assistant, and all the device specific apps on phone, tablet.... want to add app controlled thermostat but have not jumped into that yet. House built 2004 so probably compatible to nest and Ecco bee but might still have it Professionally installed. hope the Hubitat will help centralize control.

[@micahjohnson9184]

Dude I plan on doing the same!, if you have, how has it been? I already have the nest I installed it myself it was super easy the box comes with wire labels just take your old one off and see if it's compatible first if you can't do it then I would call a pro👍 but definitely let me know if the Hubitat works as a central hub if not I'll try Home Assistant

[@gatgolf]

building a new home and debating how much of the smart home concept, if any, I want to incorporate. I am constantly on the lookout for that killer smart home application that will compel me to do it. It just may be the ecobee and the energy savings. other things I am considering are lawn irrigation, robot vacuum and lawn mowing, shades that are programmed by sun/time.

[@UndecidedMF]

Some kind of smart thermostat like the Ecobee is definitely the way to go. It can really earn it's money back quickly in the savings you'll see. It won't save you money, but I'm also a big fan of robot vacuums. I have some pretty bad allergies and have Roomba's the we run every other day in the house. Since I started doing that I've had fewer allergy problems in the house and we're seeing less dust buildup on furniture. Yes, you could get the same results cleaning things up yourself at the same frequency, but having a robot that can do the cleaning while you're out and about ... it's awesome. I'm dying to get my hands on something like iRobot's new lawn mower too.

[@somemovingpictures]

Technology has done much to almost inadvertently help the deaf and hearing impaired. The wide use of SMS and video calling has provided affordable solutions for communications problems to almost all people who are deaf and hearing impaired. Prior to the implementation of texting and video calling, solutions in the realm of communication were expensive and cumbersome and there was no real incentive to come up with anything better due to a limited market.. Proliferation of texting and video calling could be best described as an unintended breakthrough in communication technology for the deaf. Smart home technology brings that same potential for solutions without specific intention. Flash a red light if there is motion detected in the back yard. Flash a green light when the washer stops. Flash a blue light when the doorbell rings. On and on and on. There is certainly a a "toy like" aspect for those of us who just like playing with home tech. And I would be the first to say that I don't need most of the tech I have, I just want it. But, there is no reason why play can't be a vehicle for bringing real everyday solutions to those who need them the most.

[@UndecidedMF]

Well said!

[@royrodriguez4779]

Great content, superb editing and lighting! Love your videos so far.

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks! Really appreciate it.

[@royrodriguez4779]

You got a new subscriber! 😄

[@UndecidedMF]

Roy Rodriguez 👍

[@suburbannerd5586]

The US has an aging population. I've seen some companies making products with that in mind, but they seem to be niche. The big companies should be embracing it.

[@CBL138]

Another great one Matt. I’m a “Baby” when it comes to smart home automation. I have a Front Point security system but I’m limited to Z-Wave devices. Currently, I have a door lock, door bell cam and typical things that connect to my system. Every thing want to connect to WiFi...which degrades my internet speed. Looking for a WiFi hub solution to make a single connection point. Don’t really want to use devices that connect to the cloud or any points exterior of my house. Privacy seems to be a thing of the past. Two 👍🏽 👍🏽 up.

[@UndecidedMF]

Glad you liked it! I hate how everything wants to connect to WiFi ... I try my best to avoid adding too many devices because it really can cause stability problems for a router. Unless you buy a dedicate WiFi router just for IoT devices that is. Keeping things as local as possible and secure is definitely the best path.

[@CBL138]

Undecided with Matt Ferrell Have to find a viable option for my garbage AT&T router. They don’t make it easy.

[@UndecidedMF]

Black Ice No, they really don’t. I use Verizon Fios and they REALLY don’t want you using another router. They actually starting charging a “support” fee if you don’t use their router. Support for what? I have no idea ... I’ve never contacted them for support.

[@CBL138]

Undecided with Matt Ferrell Pure madness! Lol

[@garn5341]

As for the water leak detection. You can also have it turn off your water main with something like the "Water Cop".

[@UndecidedMF]

Yep! I’m looking into something like that for myself.

[@ovidiu0505]

The most honestly option ever!!

[@Bobbleoff]

I love my smart home. The only problem with mine is I set up a routine in the smart life app to turn on my lounge and hall way lights at 7am. This was helpful a few years ago when my son was born and we would carry him down stairs In a morning. However I've now deleted the routine but the lights still come on in a morning all by them selfs 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@UndecidedMF]

Whoops! That’s an interesting bug. Sounds like those devices aren’t properly communicating with the smart life platform. Might be worth resetting them.

[@user-tp9gy8kt2q]

Thanks for the videos you have done on your home improvements - they have given me a lot to think about. As far as limiting energy consumption is concerned, and smarter designs that allow owners to apply their utilities more efficiently, have you ever considered or even heard of Earthship construction? Besides using geothermal effect and passive solar design to maintain a comfortable (and cheap) temperature, the solar power system runs the power needs of the entire home. Earthships also catch, collect, store and filter rain water to supply all of the home needs, including watering the plants, and eventually to flush the toilets. I understand that this is beyond the scope of additions to an existing home, but it may very well be the next evolutionary step in energy efficient home design. I really enjoy your show and find your views thought provoking and well thought out. I would like to hear your take on the homes that Earthship Biotecture designs and builds.

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks for watching! And I hadn’t heard of the term earthship home before, but I am familiar with the general principal. There’s actually a KZbin channel that I love watching (m.kzbin.info/door/b0s0qC96lCcx2pO2za6mcw). His whole channel is about self sufficient living and he started by building a tiny house in Arizona. Runs completely off of solar, rain water harvesting, etc. Really incredible. Could be a good video topic for my channel!

[@guytech7310]

Not sold: 1. Energy Conservation: You save a lot more by investing in insulation & upgrading to more efficient appliances, Boiler, AC systems. Smart systems can only make a minor savings compared to making your home more energy efficient 2. Obsolence: Smart devices come and go every year. Sooner or later the device you bought, dies, or the mfg no longer supports or updates it, since they want you to go out and buy the newest devices they offer. In some instances the updates brick the device. 3. Lack of interoperablity. Few devices work across competitor devices. They want to lock you into buying own the devices they sell. 4. Wireless range limitation: most devices cannot operate too far from the hub or controller: If you need to control or monitor something in a detached garage, or perhaps even the other side of your home, you either need to buy another controller or juggle around the controller until its capable or communicating with all your devices. 5. Lack of Security: lots of devices have been used to spy on people in there homes. Sometimes the Mfgs fault, and sometimes its the homeowner that does understand tech enough to secure their devices. 6. Most devices are limited to control from a smart phone. So if you don't want to install a potential unsecure app to your phone your SOL. 7. Almost no API support for most devices. so if you want to do something custom, your out of luck.

[@LukePurdy]

I was out of town and my wife came home to a dark house. She was a bit creeped out and called me. I asked her to hold on and remotely turned on the lights. She's been a big advocate of my smart home upgrades ever since.

[@UndecidedMF]

Ha! Nice.

[@jerrys5946]

I like some of the stuff (and your video) but I only have MyQ for the garage door and LUX thermostat. Trying to add different users to the MyQ is a mystery. I and my wife are on our home one with same account, our daughter wants us on her home with a different account. Since I can't download the app twice, it would require signing out of one and back in with another, unless I'm missing something. Also, when I look at systems in the store, they all are (or seem to be) proprietary so you either settle on one system for EVERYTHING or deal with multiple apps and accounts. As for the thermostat, it was free or I wouldn't bother with it. I'm home most of the time so programming different times is not necessary. But who knows, maybe I'll live long enough to appreciate some of this stuff, hopefully not because I NEED it. I can see accessibility for folks of limited abilities is terrific.

[@UndecidedMF]

Some of these systems are crazy confusing. I haven’t used MyQ myself, but have heard complaints from others as well. There are ways to invite users onto your account, so you don’t have to share a login. support.chamberlaingroup.com/s/article/Invite-a-User-to-myQ-Guests

[@jerrys5946]

@@UndecidedMF Right, but I don't think someone can share on two separate accounts. I don't think I could invite my wife to my account AND have the daughter invite her to daughter's account. At least haven't figured it out yet. But thanks for the reply and for your channel.

[@UndecidedMF]

Jerry Spencer Ah, I’m following the conundrum now. I bet there is a way ... might take contacting their customer support. Thanks so much for watching!

[@DamionOrona]

Another great video and thanks in advance. Always on key!!!

[@UndecidedMF]

👍 Thanks so much!

[@Phelper99]

I'm in... and I'm fairly technical... I hear them say "I can do this when this" but I don't know the "how." That's my limiting factor. I don't need someone to step-by-step it for me, I just need the general understanding of the underlying tech. I just haven't looked for those videos. For instance... I'd like all my LIFX bulbs to turn off when I go downstairs between 8 and 10pm, else turn off at 10pm. The how is just escaping me since i've not done any automation before.

[@UndecidedMF]

That’s where most people tap out. Since you’re technical you should be able to get to the how with systems like Smartthings, Hubitat, or even Home Assistant. Hubitat has a built in app they call rule machine, and a lighter weight app for smart lighting. They both step you through the choices and you can set for conditions and triggers. It basically reads just like the basic rules you listed out. It’s pretty powerful.

[@darrellhuggins9901]

Matt, here is something I have been wondering for awhile. I have been wanting to get a Eufy or Arlo type camera system for my house about 1200sq feet two story, (all 4 seasons including -4 degF). I have also be looking into a Mesh router (Google / TP-Deco M9 / AmpliFi HD) what I have now is TP-Link AC1750 Dual Band Wireless AC Gigabit Router, WPS (Archer C7). What would make the most sense to look at first the camera system assuming the router I have can handle he traffic or the up-date the router do get better coverage and throughput then do the cameras later (save up he cash). The traffic on my network now is two tvs on netflix and a computer surfing or gaming all at one time and its ok, not great but ok.

[@michaelzimmermann3388]

Smart home is not always necessary let along the only way to go about. Example: For my corridors I have automated lights, that is, 2 sensors that detect motion and turn on the light for a given amount of time (if not further motion is detected). I can adjust the sensitivity, the on-time and even how dark it should be in the corriror so that the sensors turn on the lights. All without "smart" home and bus connections. Cost: almost nothing.

[@richardh6089]

I’m with you as a blind person. I find a smart home a great help I have smart lights, & 7 echo devices throughout my home and they are a god send. Next on my wish list are smart door locks for my main front door, cctv, in and outside. Are there any smart door locks that you think I should consider. I live in the UK London so any advice would be appreciated thank you. Keep up the good work.

[@noonesbusiness959]

How blind are you if CCTV is something you can use Richard? Also why does a blind man need light bulbs?🤔🤔

[@richardh6089]

I am registered blind but I have very limited vision I can see light and shadows and see Close up text. But no long distance vision. Most blind people have some sort of vision only 2% of all registered blind people have no site at all. Our vision is different from person to person do not assume that we do not see something it’s just different how we use our vision and technology to help us and to stay independent in our homes and lifenAnd besides although I live alone friends and family and visitors need light to see. So to say why do I need light bulbs in my home is very short sightedof you.

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks for sharing, Richard. I love how this technology is impacting people's lives. It's so cool. I'm a BIG fan of August door locks. They're easy for someone to retrofit on an existing door lock, so you don't even have to change your key. They tie into Apple, IFTTT, Alexa, etc., so you can control them with your voice.

[@4daluvofnikki]

@@richardh6089 Very good response.

[@richardh6089]

Thank you for the advice of a door lock. I’ll see if it is available in the UK England. And thank you for the feedback of my response to my post.

[@ronm6585]

Thanks Matt.

[@floridagarye9288]

Great vid Matt. I highly recommend, at the very least, water sensors for those who are hesitant to go the smart home route. My water sensors are under every sink, toilet and washing machine in my home. If a sensor detects water, it shuts down my main water line to the entire house. Peace of mind.

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks ... and agree completely with that recommendation!

[@floridagarye9288]

Undecided with Matt Ferrell - Although, I am like you and also have smart devices to control AV equipment, indoor/outdoor lighting, thermostat, irrigation and pool equipment. Love it!

[@sscheuri]

What product are you using to close your valve?

[@floridagarye9288]

Scott Scheurich - www.smarthome.com/smarthome-select-electronic-water-shutoff-valve-3-4-inch-12v-dc.html They have units that fit 3/4 or 1 inch pipes.

[@JoseGonzalez-wt1do]

I use smart sprinklers, i have a drip system and sone plants use less water than others so i can automate the water usage per plant.

[@UndecidedMF]

I’ve been looking into that type of thing for myself. Really an effective way to conserve water and still have healthy plants. What smart sprinkles and gear are you using for it?

[@somemovingpictures]

I would love to see a video walkthrough of the why's and how's of your Habitat Mode setup as displayed at 9:02 in the video.

[@UndecidedMF]

Adding that to my list of video topics. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@mennow9578]

Homey from Athom would be great in your case. A smart home hub from a Dutch company.

[@UndecidedMF]

I actually reached out to them a few months ago, but the U.S. uses a different z-wave frequency from Europe. It sounded like they’re considering making a U.S. version of Homey, and if they do, I’m all over it. It really looks like a nice system.

[@mennow9578]

Undecided with Matt Ferrell Yes that’s right. They talk about it in interviews. They first want to introduce Homey in Europe and I think the US will be next. At least you know you have a product that is on the market for a couple of years. So minor flaws should be fixed. I haven’t even started with smart home products so for a couple of smart lights Homey is too expensive.

[@MoeYoussef401]

Watching your videos have cost me a lot of money!! 💰🤑😁 Thanks for your unique content.

[@UndecidedMF]

Ha! Whoops ... not my intent. Thanks for watching!

[@jdonalds2001]

I find a table lamp with a stitch is just about as efficient as it can be. I have no desire to use my phone to turn the lamp on or off. I do have a wireless thermostat. Is that considered a smart home feature? I have motion detect lights and cameras. Smart home?

[@corderajones]

jdonalds2001 your looking at one small thing and turning it into something to justify not buying something. Take cold medicine for example they cure headache, running nose, lack of sleep and etc but what if you only have a running nose and/or a headache would you not take cold medicine because it always helps you sleep. No that’s stupid. You don’t but a smart home just because you want to control lights from your phone, it’s just a added benefit. There is features on my iPhone that are dumb or useless (Animoji) but it’s not going to keep me from buying an iPhone

[@katyelder1134]

Hacker's in the background... nice touch!

[@drreality1]

Hey man great video. Small comment. Even you say Security. Please put a disclaimer that it's a double edge weapon. It's great if everything is local with no exposure to rogue company or server but it's massive breach when otherwise. You hear the security breaches that happen everyday, heck b even Google and Amazon is similarly had!

[@UndecidedMF]

Yeah, the security of our data is a huge problem (I’ve got several videos on that topic). And I’m a big advocate for doing as much as you can locally, so your data remains in your control as much as possible.

[@drreality1]

@@UndecidedMF and I love your contents. Keep em coming

[@UndecidedMF]

👍

[@SillyPutty3700]

I am wandering. Partly for personal partly for professional (I am an electrical contractor).

[@lakorai2]

It sure as hell would be nice if they would just make an industry standard for smart home devices. Zigbee, zwave, wifi and then proprietary apis on top of that (Insteon, Samsung Smart Things, Apple Homekit etc.) The IETF is making 802.11af and 802.11ah to finally make an industry standard for iot devices. Very long range, very low power and a STANDARD.

[@UndecidedMF]

I agree 100%!

[@davelindenmuth1421]

I’m curious to see “smart glass” home applications, the glass which goes from transparent to translucent to opaque white, or darkens through various levels of grey.

[@UndecidedMF]

I’m very interested in that myself.

[@Rokalno]

Good introductory video about home automation. For those who prefer going beyond creating a really smart home need to look to any of these: - eedomus - fibaro - zipato - jeedom

[@mementomori29231]

Can you explain what these are and what benefits they have?

[@Rokalno]

@@mementomori29231 Fibaro and Zipato are very advanced and sophisticated platforms for home automation. They work with own hardware and software products but also from other makers. Search in youtube for demo videos. With Eedomus and Jeedom you can design very complex automation scenes and support hardware from many makers. With them you can automate or control almost anything, but they require programming skills. All these platforms are the most flexible and expandable. Therefore it is difficult to select one. Xiaomi or Samsung or alike are simply gadgets in comparison

[@zht9]

Great video! I am thinking of building an integrated smart home system. Homekit or Google, which one do you think has greater potential in future? Which platform are you using?

[@UndecidedMF]

I think Homekit is the better of the two systems for automations, scenes, etc. It’s a pretty good privacy-centric designed system that’s maturing nicely. With iOS 13 they’re adding a ton of possibilities with Siri Shortcut support getting added in, so we’ll be able to do even more complex routines/automations. Google has a “okay” ecosystem of support, but there’s some odd shortcomings to the system. No scene creation support. Really roundabout routines. It’s not a bad system, but just not as fully fleshed out as the other options out there. I’m using Hubitat as my central brain to my system, but have it linked into something called a HomeBridge server. That bridges none HomeKit devices over to Apple HomeKit. I’ve built out my home in a way that I can build out automations and routines in Hubitat or Apple at will.

[@daveschmarder-1950]

I became interested in home automation about 60 years ago. I watched a Ma & Pa Kettle film. Pa had won a "home of the future". That got me hooked. I just had to wait for Google and others to think of it too.

[@UndecidedMF]

Now I need to find and watch that movie!

[@daveschmarder-1950]

@@UndecidedMF There were several Ma & Pa Kettle films. Many had longer titles but this one was just plain Ma & Pa Kettle. There is an unofficial addition of "The Further Adventures of...". I believe this was their second film and perhaps didn't expect it to be so popular, but they made another half dozen. Not sure how well these old films play with modern audiences. :)

[@UndecidedMF]

Dave Schmarder I love older movies like that. I grew up watching movies like Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House with Cary Grant (my parents are big film buffs). Looks like that M & Pa Kettle film about the crazy house is out of print. Can’t find it anywhere ... not even for streaming. The hunt continues. 👍

[@keithmerrill4058]

I have started smart home control In my bedroom and bathroom I have spinabita

[@cordlc]

Tried getting into it recently, and the smart home scene still doesn't look accessible enough to me. Everything simple and convenient gives up your privacy, or worse - control of your home to a separate entity. That's crazy. There are solutions to do everything locally, but they're time consuming and/or expensive. The cheap Chinese wifi stuff, for instance, is affordably priced but you need to flash them to make them secure. Then there's setting up sensors and whatnot wherever they might be useful... I must question whether putting an entire smart home system together will actually save you time & money in the long run. And even if you have time to set everything up yourself, as far as I know there's still no good voice assistants that don't rely on the cloud. My read on most smart devices right now is it's just for wealthier people, those who don't value privacy, or people who just want to tinker with stuff. It's definitely fun to play with automation, but that's really in the tech/DIY realm, not the general populace. Really hoping for local smart devices to get more accessible and cheaper to the point of being worth paying someone to install them in all our homes.

[@lclements62]

"You are so lazy to not get up to the tv..." Today I would not consider owning a TV without a remote (and cant get one) Smart Home s today is the same.. in a few years it may like oh my God you have to get up to turn on the light.. etc

[@UndecidedMF]

Ha! Great point. It’s the march of progress.

[@ghassanal-momen9652]

Have you done a review for smart light switches?

[@UndecidedMF]

No dedicated switch reviews, but I’ve talked about them in a couple other videos. I’m a big, big fan of Lutron Caseta switches. I also have some GE z-wave switches that are pretty good, but I hate z-wave ... so try to avoid that where I can now.

[@iraf.3567]

I'm following your Smarthome track and playing along. Need a recommendation: I have a Carrier AC system in the house with multiple zones. A single thermostat centrally controls the zones by temp, time of day, etc. What smart home thermostat would you suggest that can program multiple zones as a substitute? And could also tie in to the remote slave thermostats in each room which I"m willing to swap out, too? Thanks.

[@UndecidedMF]

Hi Ira! I’m a huge fan of Ecobee thermostats and know that they support many zoned systems. Nest does as well. You’d most likely have to swap out the thermostats in each room, but might only need to use Ecobee/Nest remote sensors for that. If you’d prefer to have wired thermostats in those rooms over battery operated sensors, you can slave additional Ecobee/Nests to a central Ecobee/Nest. I don’t have this setup in my house, but have heard from some that do.

[@MoustacheAlexander]

I have a Google Home and a smoke alarm. Both are pretty darn useful. I can't see at this point living in an apartment as I do going any further.

[@UndecidedMF]

Renting does throw a bunch of limitations into what you can do, but there are ways around that. I’d say about 70% of the smart home things I have in my house are apartment friendly. If/when I move, they’ll pick up and go with me. With Philips Hue and Lutron, they have some great battery operated switches that you can stick to a wall with 3M tape. Looks like it’s installed, but easily removable. Nice way to get some smart lights and still have what feels like a standard light switch to control them. Smart outlet plugs are another good one too.

[@annekedebruyn7797]

I absolutely hate how a lot of the buttons/switches/motion sensors are battery based. I don't mind wiring once if that means that I don't have to switch the batteries every x amount of months. That's the one thing why I havent invested fully yet. And when you find one that can operate without batteries (without modding,) it won't work with whatever hub you are using. Severely frustrating.

[@ChristianBlueChimp]

I would just like to know how to set it all up.

[@4daluvofnikki]

Contact me I can help out. I love tech.

[@kennmossman8701]

One button press....After you grab your phone (I do NOT have mine surgically attached), find the app, invoke the app, ETC.

[@UndecidedMF]

My one button press comment wasn’t in regards to apps on a phone. One button press of my remote control for my TV. One button press of a smart wall light switch. One of my big rules for smart homes is that nothing should make what you can already do today more difficult after adding smart controls. If you have to pull out your phone to turn something on or off, you’ve failed.

[@emolicious7519]

I am a newbie in this SH thing but quite eager to adopt more and more of the smarthings. Privacy is the future concern of smart things, and its an eye opening when you mention localised automation. From my basic knowledge i understand many smarthings uses servers somewhere out there to help your smarthings communicate with each others in this case xiaomi smarthings i'm using. I'm really interested the idea of localisation smarthings as well the ability to communicate with my handphone while away for security things like cctv motion detections etc. what makes your system more secure and localised than such as my xiaomi things. Is the IFTTT is just as not secure as xiaomi things? I just started looking at videos of IFTTT... Why i use xiaomi not others because first i live in indonesia and SH is slowly showing up on local online shops but much slower in offline shops and still very few SH products available in my country. I and everyone in my country still try to avoid buying internationally cause of the big hassle when we have to deal with the import tax people from the government... I chose xiaomi the first time i know about smart thinga because they have one main app to control everythig where all the smart things connect and Other smarthings available here have very few items from each brand and do not connect with other brand. Until literally yesterday i found out IFTTT. But your video makes me question the privacy of IFTTT. Not that i am a special agent of any establishment and need super secure privacy just a little concerned citizen. I know alexa and google perhaps apple have their share of privacy breaches internally done. Other than the unavoidable internally commited privacy breache by the big companies, does hardware and software made security system such as the BITDEFENDER BOX (sorry not meaning to put advert) really help with defending against any outside intrusion into our SH items? Sorry for the long comment. I like your video here keep it up

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks for watching and commenting! We should all be skeptical of cloud based services and look into how they handle our private information. I’d love to not use IFTTT, but it is a good tool that has a decent privacy policy. The thing that still makes me comfortable with it is that you can tightly control exactly which bits of your smart home it has access to. I can surface just one or two lights that I need for a specific integration if I want. The rest still runs fully local on my Hubitat setup. I’m hoping more and more of these services go local over time.

[@emolicious7519]

Undecided with Matt Ferrell my guess why many companies dont go local inspite for the high service cost they have to provide is that soon they will also provide pay per use cloud storage that they hope will generate more revenue later in the future. Also soon they will ooze in ads in their interface customised to the advertisers' needs. Thanks for being the forefront thinker of this ever changing ever evolving consumer technologies...

[@Jthomas22a]

What are you using for a button on your night stand? I have been looking but cant decide one one?

[@UndecidedMF]

It’s the Smartthings button (amzn.to/2LYg9qn), which is just a Zigbee button. In theory it should work with most Zigbee capable systems. It paired with Hubitat perfectly.

[@alexjenkins1079]

TBH, I kinda like the idea of smart homes, but I'm always in 2 minds of whether I'd want one or not, especially given the recent controversies of Amazon (and also Apple!) employees having access to recordings, and I'm also a little frightened of possibly allowing hackers to find out my daily activities, and also gain access to recordings of me and my family, which they could then sell, possibly to burgulars. I know people will be like "why?", but it's just the way (and quite a few of my familymembers) are like. Perhaps my assessment of it might change when the smart home providers (especially voice assistant providers) are reigned in, but I err on it not being worth it at the moment.

[@UndecidedMF]

I share some of the concerns (made some videos on them too). That's part of the reason I've been moving my smart home over to something like the Hubitat platform. It's self hosted and all of the data exists in one place only: my home. I still use voice assistants like Google and Siri, but their access is really limited and easily shut off if I want to. I think we're starting to see the pendulum swing from cloud services back towards more local control. That ... is a very good thing.

[@alexjenkins1079]

Undecided with Matt Ferrell I haven’t really heard of that much. It sounds like a good idea, but when it comes to actually setting one up, I’ll have to go through all the settings, and put voice assistants as restrictive settings as possible.

[@greghilt539]

@@UndecidedMF Does Hubitat offer tutorial videos and if not, are you planning on making some? At that point they should probably pay you or at least become a sponsor of your channel, but it's worth exploring as it could be a benefit for you, them and us.

[@iskrenpetkov4329]

Alex - when you set up your home automated enough you rarely will need any voice control - home automation will do all you need automagically without you needing to nudge it in the right direction in any way. At this point you may get away without any voice assistant if you want full privacy

[@UndecidedMF]

Greg Hilt Hubitat actually has some really nice tutorial videos that they’ve set up. hubitat.com/blogs/home-automation-tutorials But I’ve been thinking about a follow up video on some of the things I’ve set up as a how to if enough people are interested.

[@iskrenpetkov4329]

@matt please explain what kind of Logitech Harmony remote you have and how you connected it to Hubitat. I have Hubitat and just realized with the help of your video that I can tie all 4 remotes we have into one and reducing buttons pressed from needing a manual for to just single button click to start all AV devices. I really would like to set this up and leverage all scenes triggered from start of TV like you explained in the video

[@UndecidedMF]

I use a Logitech Harmony Elite remote control, which is hub based. I have a review on it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4TGc3Vnbpyfitk. You can tie it in pretty easily to voice assistants like Alexa and Google (Siri require Homebridge). The Hubitat community has created app integrations, so you can actually activate things as part of automations. I’m still diving into that myself, but it opens up a lot of possibilities. community.hubitat.com/t/release-logitech-harmony-hub-driver-v0-1-20190723/7618

[@tonyt5498]

Regretfully I will soon no longer be able to read due to dying retinas. One highly useful device will be the microwave that I can control with my voice. At this point I can see the buttons but I cannot read the display so I'm okay with it. My understanding is that several microwave manufacturers have added the automation capability for very little extra money. So when I can no longer see the buttons, after all there is a large difference between 3 minutes and 6 minutes, these will be a no-brainer for me and affordable.

[@UndecidedMF]

Sorry to hear that. Love that point you raise about the microwave ... hadn’t thought of that one. I know there are Alexa enabled microwaves out there, which are very affordable.

[@barney9008]

Never thoght about disabilitys but yes smart homes allow that, but also because everyone else has them, it dosent single them out.

[@dali8221]

As cybersecurity student i assure you smart homes are not worth when you realize how easy it is someone can access your camera and watch you or can lock you out of the house , its not worth it at all

[@veritas932]

I stay in the tropics. the weather is either rainy, blazing hot, hot or cloudy. Do I really need Alexa to tell me the weather outside ? I could easily tell the weather by looking out the windows.

[@serenacloos]

Turn on Apple TV with Google Home? Please explain!

[@UndecidedMF]

I use a Logitech Harmony Elite for my home theater (it’s one of their hub based remotes). You can link the Harmony up to Google home, which means you can activate any activity by voice. Turn volume up and down, etc. You can launch specific apps on the Apple TV though ... unless you do some crazy setup mapping how many navigation clicks up, down, left, right to an app chiclet. Really prone to error for that though. If you haven’t seen it, I’ve got a review of the Logitech Harmony Elite here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4TGc3Vnbpyfitk

[@IaconDawnshire]

Whether we like it or not, smart homes are the future

[@c208driver6]

One problem I have had with smart home products is that they don’t always work, all the time. So I’ve found that keeping it simple is the best solution. Also when you have multiple people living in a single home, it’s nearly impossible to set any type of schedule. The variables are just too abundant. Voice assistants work reasonably well, but again not 100%, like a switch. I think reliability and complexity of scheduling are the two most challenging aspects of creating a real “smart” home. I’ve had excellent results with Nest products as well as Wemo products. Not so much success with Philips products.

[@horseface31]

Technology for the sake of technology is the best technology

[@StarlingofAzerath]

I never knew about the motion sensors or wireless switches. Now I think its more worth it than just yelling at google to turn a bulb on

[@UndecidedMF]

Yeah, I'm not a fan of shouting at smart speakers or using a phone to turn lights on. The smarts in a smart home are really about the automations that you can setup and never think about again. And on those rare occasions you can shout out commands, but for the most part it's hitting switches like you've always done.

[@ethan.colorado]

I don’t think so. In the end, all of the devices you buy will break and end up contributing to our waste problem. And for what? The slight convenience of unlocking your doors with your voice?

[@UndecidedMF]

Not sure I follow that logic. Everything we buy and use breaks in time. For smart home devices, I have devices going strong after many, many years of service.

[@ethan.colorado]

Undecided with Matt Ferrell I agree that everything we buy breaks in time. But my point is that smart home devices are eventual waste that is only there for convenience, not necessity.

[@richardh6089]

As for in home cctv means family can check up on me to see if I am ok.

[@midnightbass6596]

I'm 13 y/o and I want to have a smart home when i'm older

[@_.akihsirp._]

I don't have any automation in my home

[@kennmossman8701]

PIR may not know some-one is home. Sick & resting, couch potato, sleeping..................out-of-range. It can have false positives as well.

[@UndecidedMF]

Are you referring to presence detection? If so, it’s not perfect, but from my experience it’s got us covered 99% of the time.

[@kennmossman8701]

@@UndecidedMF A passive infrared sensor (PIR sensor) is an electronic sensor that measures infrared (IR) light radiating from objects in its field of view. They are most often used in motion detectors.

[@UndecidedMF]

Okay, now I'm following you. That's part of the reason I typically only rely on motion sensors like that to turn on lights (ie. someone walking up to the front door at night, walking into a dark room, etc.). I only use them to turn off lights in closets and the garage. In a living space like a living room, you'd get too many false positives for being empty when it's not.

[@kennmossman8701]

@@UndecidedMF Yes, PIR, IR beams, pressure mats are fine.

[@hebrewisraelites1587]

They should give it for free to disable people

[@fbabdiver]

without watching your vidi-- i say no! the automated use of electronics in your home only creates an annual power usage that a normal household would not have to pay without the tech-- see, i'm smarter that you think!

[@UndecidedMF]

I’d suggest watching the video.

[@pieternel9]

To me, they are still gadgets. This video didn't change my mind

[@UndecidedMF]

Fair enough. It’s definitely not for everyone.

[@tommy-6597]

The problem that everyone misses is that all these wireless devices talking to each other, often with the signals going right through your body, are harmful to your health. So little i.e. almost nothing is available using ethernet cable which is why as much as I would love a smart connected and automated home I will live without it for now.

[@randall96]

I'm all in on smart homes ... My wallet is all out however

[@UndecidedMF]

Nice.

[@4daluvofnikki]

So is mine. LOL.

[@oskarrrw]

**like**

[@lostn65]

It's going to lead to higher rates of obesity when people are to lazy to walk over to a switch and want to stay on the couch the whole time and have everything automated for them.

[@UndecidedMF]

We'll turn into the humans from the movie Wall-e.

[@CarlosSantos-vx1to]

techno geek lol

[@1Jupe]

get different less repetitive music please

[@kennmossman8701]

Nooooooooooooo a simple thermostat is the most basic automation.

[@UndecidedMF]

That was precisely my point. We all have automation in our lives already and this is an extension of that.

[@PremiumElectric]

First?

[@kennmossman8701]

I submit you are glossing over the inconvenience and cost of HA, ignoring the security issues, and making a very bias argument.

[@UndecidedMF]

I’d suggest watching my other home automation videos before making that assessment. I have quite a few videos on why I left Amazon/Alexa. Why I’m switching to Hubitat from Smartthings. All of it comes down to privacy and data control. My smart home is built around maintaining control over my data through self hosted options.