Starting to look into some home automation and wow $$$!!!

[HumblePie]

I was hoping by now that prices would start coming down a bit on some of the home automation electronics for some decent equipment. Last time I looked it was a hodge podge or electronics that may or may not work with each other, usually buggy, and costs were ridiculous for what was actually being sold. Typically a servo or two with a wifi/bluetooth/radio transmitter inside a cheap housing. I wouldn't mind the DIY style, but I just literally don't have the time to do it.

The last time I looked was about a couple of years ago and today I am pretty much finding the same thin. Want a smart door lock? $200ish on average. Thermostat? $200 on average. Other pieces? typically just as ridiculously prices such as $40 light switches. And those prices are on the cheap end of price averages. I was hoping for some company to finally put stuff out that was about a fourth of those prices.

On top of that, while some of the interfaces and software got better, it's typically still buggy and not completely user friendly all the time. There is a bit more polish and less bugs now, but it still has a long way to go. Most of what is being automated or synced up isn't even close to new tech at all. It's just old tech with an interface into a wireless antenna tech that allows the user to control the old tech through a mobile device, internet, or both. Seriously all the tech involved when sold separately is dirt cheap in today's market, but combine the techs and the prices zoom through the roof.

What is more annoying is on a few items I might actually consider paying the high prices, but I can't actually find something I want with it all. Take a simple front door lock. Here is my check list of must haves for a door lock

Wifi tech so I can control it remotely through the internet
Bluetooth or some other NFC or proximity tech. So I can use my phone or a key fob to unlock and/or open as well. Must support android, windows, and iOS devices.
Key pad of some sort to allow for entering in code keys as well
Programability so I can set it to auto lock if unlocked during certain hours.

Here is some nice to haves.

Motion sensor with camera and notification when someone at the door that can be sent wifi to a device I authorize.
Capacitive touch screen for the keypad


That's it. I see there are door locks with some but not all those features on the market. Prices range from $150ish on up with the average closer to $200. That is usually with 1 or 2 of the requirements I am looking for. Get perhaps one more requirement met and the price skyrockets. Can't find anything door lock with all must have requirements let alone the nice to have ones.

A decent door lock is the item I would love to be my first foray into the world of home automation, but sadly nothing I can find fits the bill. Then I can move form there to cameras, thermostat, and light switches. Maybe eventually some appliance controls as well.

 

[openwheel]

I've been looking at home automation as well mostly for security and home entertainment.

I've decided to spend my money on other things like bathroom remodel. That's money better spent.

 

[purbeast0]

i've been using roomie remote for about 18 months now to control my home theater and i love it. the entry fee really wasn't that much at all. i basically just had to buy the 2 following pieces of hardware:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and then of course the application. i control my projector, avr, xbox360, ps3, cable box, and my bluray player with it. since i got a ps4 and xbox1, i haven't tried to hook it up to that yet, because i really never used it to actually control ps3 or 360 after having it all hooked up, because i just use the controller to control it. i never use those consoles for anything other than gaming, so i'll always have my controller in use anyways.

at some point i plan to get 2 dimmer switches i can connect to my network, but it really isn't much of a priority at all because one of the light switches is right near my a/v closet, and when i turn off my sub amp (which only has a physical switch), i just turn on the lights before i head upstairs.

really like roomie, and with the ip6, the interface is even nicer because i have a lot more screen real estate coming from an ip4 when using the app.

 

[Kaido]

I've decided to spend my money on other things like bathroom remodel. That's money better spent.

Motorized blinds alone for my place would be like three grand. Yeah, I'll stick with the $99 manual ones & spend elsewhere :thumbsup:

 

[poofyhairguy]

I feel you so much OP. I want a set of wifi thermostats for my house, but I feel like all the products out there are a Blackberry right before the iPhone hit.

I know Google bought Nest, I am hoping next year that combo disrupts the market.

 

[Kaido]

I was hoping by now that prices would start coming down a bit on some of the home automation electronics for some decent equipment. Last time I looked it was a hodge podge or electronics that may or may not work with each other, usually buggy, and costs were ridiculous for what was actually being sold. Typically a servo or two with a wifi/bluetooth/radio transmitter inside a cheap housing. I wouldn't mind the DIY style, but I just literally don't have the time to do it.

The last time I looked was about a couple of years ago and today I am pretty much finding the same thin. Want a smart door lock? $200ish on average. Thermostat? $200 on average. Other pieces? typically just as ridiculously prices such as $40 light switches. And those prices are on the cheap end of price averages. I was hoping for some company to finally put stuff out that was about a fourth of those prices.

On top of that, while some of the interfaces and software got better, it's typically still buggy and not completely user friendly all the time. There is a bit more polish and less bugs now, but it still has a long way to go. Most of what is being automated or synced up isn't even close to new tech at all. It's just old tech with an interface into a wireless antenna tech that allows the user to control the old tech through a mobile device, internet, or both. Seriously all the tech involved when sold separately is dirt cheap in today's market, but combine the techs and the prices zoom through the roof.

What is more annoying is on a few items I might actually consider paying the high prices, but I can't actually find something I want with it all. Take a simple front door lock. Here is my check list of must haves for a door lock

Wifi tech so I can control is remotely through the internet
Bluetooth or some other NFC or proximity tech. So I can use my phone or a key fob to unlock and/or open as well. Must support android, windows, and iOS devices.
Key pad of some sort to allow for entering in code keys as well
Programability so I can set it to auto lock if unlocked during certain hours.

Here is some nice to haves.

Motion sensor with camera and notification when someone at the door that can be sent wifi to a device I authorize.
Capacitive touch screen for the keypad


That's it. I see there are door locks with some but not all those features on the market. Prices range from $150ish on up with the average closer to $200. That is usually with 1 or 2 of the requirements I am looking for. Get perhaps one more requirement met and the price skyrockets. Can't find anything door lock with all must have requirements let alone the nice to have ones.

A decent door lock is the item I would love to be my first foray into the world of home automation, but sadly nothing I can find fits the bill. Then I can move form there to cameras, thermostat, and light switches. Maybe eventually some appliance controls as well.

Yeah, you pretty much nailed the issues on the head. I don't foresee things getting much cheaper for a good 5 years. There's some interesting new tech being thrown around, like the Thread IPv6 remake of Zigbee & Apple's HomeKit, but there are already different alliances & initiatives & nobody wants to talk to each other. The one I'm using right now is Wink, mostly because Home Depot is backing them, they support like 6 different radios in the central hub, and it's relatively cheap compared to the higher-end stuff (and it's DIY-friendly). There are a lot of very specific tools that I would like to see automated, such as:

1. Doorbell system. Some companies are doing products like DoorBot & stuff, but nothing really good yet. At minimum, I'd like a smart-enabled doorbell that can message my cell phone or talk to a whole-house speaker system. Ideally, I'd like a camera that can automatically message my smartphone a picture, or even do a live video chat with the front door system.

2. Mail system. There have been some initiatives like Mr. Postman, but nothing major. Just something I could pop in the mailbox & sent a simple alert when mail came, with a really long battery life.

3. Door lock (lock & deadbolt). They're like 90% of the way there, but I'd like to use a combination key (backup), wireless keyfob (RFID), and wireless software unlock (Wifi/Zwave/whatever). Schlage has the best stuff right now from what I've seen, but that's all like $175+.

I'd love to buy more equipment for my Wink Hub home automation system, but it's $200 for a thermostat, $200 for a doorlock, $130 for the garage door adapter, $300+ for a motorized drape, $60 for an outlet, $60 for a wallswitch, etc. I could easily spend $5k or $10k outfitting my reasonably-sized home for...not a lot of extra functionality. So now I can make the blinds go up with my phone instead of spending 10 seconds walking over & pulling it by hand, gee whiz. The geek in me likes it, but the practical side of me that says "hey, you're on budget" says otherwise haha.

 

[Kaido]

I feel you so much OP. I want a set of wifi thermostats for my house, but I feel like all the products out there are a Blackberry right before the iPhone hit.

I know Google bought Nest, I am hoping next year that combo disrupts the market.

Yeah, seriously...everyone is scrambling to get stuff out, but nothing is quite what I'd call "perfect" yet. Part of the problem is that even the $50k+ stuff like Creston aren't 100% reliable. My wallswitch works 100% of the time for the last 20 years, you know?

 

[openwheel]

Before purchasing my 1st house, I had dreams of the most efficient home automation system. Then reality hits, and I realize where to put the money to increase value of house.

Now if your house has all the important upgrades finished (dream kitchen, modern bathroom, high efficiency appliances, insulation, finished garage....etc), then it is fun to do automation, but I doubt you'll ever see a return of that money because automation system get outdated too quickly.

 

[HumblePie]

What I don't really get is the outrageous prices and from major players.

Here is what I don't understand, with really new tech that isn't quite polished, but the overall cost to make isn't exactly that expensive, most companies would be willing to sell super cheap just to promote interested in future products and releases. From a business standpoint that seems to me to make the most sense. The vast majority of tech available for this is not rocket science. Antennas, sensors, servos, control switches, and a software gui interface all wired up to existing tech that has been around for decades. The cost to make can't be that much, especially for the bigger companies that have wandered into this market.

So make a decen product offering, put it out there for a nice introductory price, garner some real interest in the initial product offering, and use that interest forward into real good products with a large market share from your initial starting point that spurs massive growth. It's effing basic business econ 101.

Instead for the last decades, of which most of this stuff could have been easily made, we still have the crap-tacular smattering of overpriced garbage that the market is filled with.

 

[HumblePie]

Before purchasing my 1st house, I had dreams of the most efficient home automation system. Then reality hits, and I realize where to put the money to increase value of house.

Now if your house has all the important upgrades finished (dream kitchen, modern bathroom, high efficiency appliances, insulation, finished garage....etc), then it is fun to do automation, but I doubt you'll ever see a return of that money because automation system get outdated too quickly.

Which is why spending that much money on the current product offerings is stupid. My house I had built basically how I want it. It's barely a year old and I was looking to add the automation stuff to it. But... nothing really on the market makes me go, "OHHH WANT!!!" /drool (homer simpson donut drool)

What is out there makes me go instead, "Wtf? You are charging how much for that piece oh shit?"

Worst thing is there doesn't seem to be any interest in the industry to change from the current paradigm that is going on. Nothing in the future for this market even looks promising. The ideas behind it are great, the current and future execution look like garbage.