smart home stuff is getting stupid

[Fanatical Meat]

I just saw a preorder display for a smart home networked bathroom fan it has a app too.
Why on earth would someone want this other than nerding out. 10 years from now will the app be updated to support your current mobile device?

 

[paperfist]

Why would you want to control your bathroom fan with your phone? A humidistat can do what's needed without the fancy controls.

I haven't gotten on board with smart home stuff cause there's no standards. I have one of those NEST thermostats and it's great, but you can't tie in locks, security, lights, etc with it.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Why would you want to control your bathroom fan with your phone? A humidistat can do what's needed without the fancy controls.

I haven't gotten on board with smart home stuff cause there's no standards. I have one of those NEST thermostats and it's great, but you can't tie in locks, security, lights, etc with it.

I have a nest too, this makes sense for a thing to be networked. I can even understand locks and lights to some extent.

Even the pre-order display gave no real selling point other than a wi-fi networked fan with app control!

 

[paperfist]

I have a nest too, this makes sense for a thing to be networked. I can even understand locks and lights to some extent.

Even the pre-order display gave no real selling point other than a wi-fi networked fan with app control!

lol was it one of those Lowes systems?

 

[Fanatical Meat]

lol was it one of those Lowes systems?

No it was at Home Depot, looked very Chinese. I can't remember the name but it sounded Chinese.

 

[SparkyJJO]

"We have wifi fan for you!"

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I haven't gotten on board with smart home stuff cause there's no standards. I have one of those NEST thermostats and it's great, but you can't tie in locks, security, lights, etc with it.

I believe you can with a home automation hub. I don't have the Nest thermostat, but I do have 2 Nest Protects and am able to make robots in Wink using them. The same would be true on SmartThings but I haven't migrated them over yet.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

"We have wifi fan for you!"

I might understand a floor Wi-Fi fan. Again its a stretch but being able to control the fan with an app at least has some perceivable value. Bathroom fan value cannot be found

 

[nathanddrews]

We recently built a new bathroom and bought this LED/nightlight/fan/Bluetooth speaker combo from Home Depot. Great CFM while being very quiet, decent lighting for the shower/tub. Don't expect a lot in terms of audio performance. It's great for audio books and podcasts and it gets loud enough to hear music under the showerhead, but it's not going to impress in terms of frequency response.

Unlike the pictures, ours came with a pushbutton selector switch to activate each mode, not a dial. I definitely recommend it.

It's not "smart", it just has BT.

 

[Aikouka]

I like a good bit of the smart stuff, but what normally keeps me away is the fairly high cost at times. I installed a Z-Wave controller for my pool pump this weekend, and that thing was about $150. The problem is that it's not easy to find a good controller that can handle higher amps and/or volts than what you'd see in a typical light switch.

 

[evident]

I just saw a preorder display for a smart home networked bathroom fan it has a app too.
Why on earth would someone want this other than nerding out. 10 years from now will the app be updated to support your current mobile device?

Along the same note, I saw a Tractor with built in bluetooth. WTF?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I might understand a floor Wi-Fi fan. Again its a stretch but being able to control the fan with an app at least has some perceivable value. Bathroom fan value cannot be found

I've got a fan plugged into a smart outlet so I can say "Alexa, turn fan on" and don't have to get up.

 

[marvdmartian]

Every time I think about home automation/WiFi controlled devices, I hear stories about something else being hacked, and think, "No, dumb is good....and un-hackable!" The other day, it was some manufacturer, warning that their insulin pumps might be able to be hacked! WTF??

Now, if they want to impress me, bring me something useful. Not automated lights and fans. Bring me something that I can actually use, here in Texas. Like a sensor that, once the outside temperature reaches a certain threshold, will close the windows and turn on the A/C.....then do the opposite, at night, while I'm sleeping. That way, I get more fresh air in the house, and maybe cut my cooling bill just a bit!

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Every time I think about home automation/WiFi controlled devices, I hear stories about something else being hacked, and think, "No, dumb is good....and un-hackable!" The other day, it was some manufacturer, warning that their insulin pumps might be able to be hacked! WTF??

Now, if they want to impress me, bring me something useful. Not automated lights and fans. Bring me something that I can actually use, here in Texas. Like a sensor that, once the outside temperature reaches a certain threshold, will close the windows and turn on the A/C.....then do the opposite, at night, while I'm sleeping. That way, I get more fresh air in the house, and maybe cut my cooling bill just a bit!

Good thread revisit. I just picked up a couple of nest protects. Added unexpected bonus is the CO detector can talk to the thermostat, if CO goes high it will shut the furnace off but still maintain its safe (don't let house get cooler than xx degrees)

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Now, if they want to impress me, bring me something useful. Not automated lights and fans.

Automated lights, especially voice controlled, are extremely useful. Even simple things, like temp sensors in refrigerators and freezers which report back to a central console and can send alerts based on temps, are very nice.

Bring me something that I can actually use, here in Texas. Like a sensor that, once the outside temperature reaches a certain threshold, will close the windows and turn on the A/C.....then do the opposite, at night, while I'm sleeping. That way, I get more fresh air in the house, and maybe cut my cooling bill just a bit!

This is already possible with many systems. Andersen, for example, has a motorized control for casement windows (and there are likely controls for other windows too) which can be tied in via relays to home automation systems. Also, a few vendors make smart vents so you can combine those with temp sensors in each room and the master thermostat to open/close vents to direct conditioned air into rooms which need it the most.

Here's a thread of how one guy automated his windows: https://community.smartthings.com/t/open-close-a-casement-window/22122/9

Another example: there are water sensor kits with valves, so if a water sensor is tripped, it can turn off the water and prevents flooding and extensive damage.

Good thread revisit. I just picked up a couple of nest protects. Added unexpected bonus is the CO detector can talk to the thermostat, if CO goes high it will shut the furnace off but still maintain its safe (don't let house get cooler than xx degrees)

You can tie those alerts into home automation systems and open windows and many other things too. It is REALLY cool stuff.