Smart Home

[Geo]

Why the storage subscription? Does that mean records go straight to some data center? Can't you link the records to a disk on your own computer?

[Lorizael]

They pick the $200 Ring 2 with a $30/year subscription.

This one automatically does facial recognition on and creates a profile for anyone who frequently pops by your door! (if it's the model my friend has)

[Rusty Edge]

They pick the $200 Ring 2 with a $30/year subscription.

This one automatically does facial recognition on and creates a profile for anyone who frequently pops by your door! (if it's the model my friend has)

Yes.

[Rusty Edge]

Why the storage subscription? Does that mean records go straight to some data center? Can't you link the records to a disk on your own computer?

Some of the companies are security services, and monthly fees are their business plan. Because that is the competition, the other companies can get away with it, and they like the idea. So the records go to their servers first, and no, you usually don't have the option of storing it yourself and bypassing them, but you can download clips you wish to save long term, such as evidence of a crime.

You can store direct on some security lights with built-in cameras.

[Unorthodox]

Well what do you know? 

Apparently whoever the builder hired (builder out of business now, no record of the sub in my stuff, so I cant go back after the idiots) to install the heater with the remodel did a total hack job, and hid it.  Exhaust run wrong, ductwork done incorrectly, filter too small, and other tech speak from the technician.  Essentially the thing isn't able to move the amount of air it was supposed to due to installation, and that's royally fubarred the furnace. 

So...I'm buying a new furnace. 

It happens to be cheaper to do a smart thermostat than hard wire a new dumb one. 

So, we haven't really messed with the smart thermostat much other than ripping the pad off the wall in the hallway and moving it to the living room during the day and replacing it to charge at night.  It does it's thing and we are fine.

So, going into vacation, I figured we'd save a few bucks and set up a nice low energy schedule while we were gone. 

There was a major power outage whilst we were away and the thing just never reset. Not enough that the pad ran dead, though, but it never properly reconnected once the wifi come back up.  I couldn't log in from my phone as it was stuck trying to resync with the wifi, so it was sitting at a default temp hold of 80 when we got home, and has been an absolute bear to re-sync. 


Not technically smart, but I also put a water meter on the hoses when we left.  It runs 4 stations, essentially making a mini sprinkler system but just with garden hoses.  THAT thing worked marvelously. 

[Rusty Edge]

Skimmed a review of security cameras. I'm not one for interior cameras. Alexa can listen to us, but I tend to block video. This laptop has a band-aid over the camera lens, for example.

Anyway, I was reading about the new Nest HD cameras which automatically track people in motion,  zoom, and facial recognition. Impressive demonstration video. I had to laugh at the reviewers saying that they were not fans of the same technology on an indoor camera, because it was constantly requesting for names to be assigned to all of the faces it saw on TV!
 

[Unorthodox]

If you have a spare/old phone you can look into manything. 

It's the app I used to catch the cats when I was having the odd lights being turned on in the night situation. 

[E_T]

Yeah, how much do we open ourselves to others watching what we say or do with all these little smart things that we want to have around us...

[Rusty Edge]

Looks like one of my smart vents has unsynced from the ecobee. I'll probably have to reset some passwords because I'm not sure what I used at the time. Might be batteries in the smart vent, too.

I think there may have been some condensation in the vent. Even if there wasn't, there seems to have been some alkaline battery leakage, because there's corrosion in the battery compartment, which may have caused a short. I tried cleaning it with alcohol, a quetip, and a hairdryer. Then I tried swapping parts with a working vent, but I didn't get the good one to work with parts from the bad one, and I couldn't get the bad one to work with parts from the good one. So I'm calling the bad one a loss, and the lesson learned is to investigate any offline vent in a timely fashion to minimize damage from battery alkaline. So, the cost of the vent negates my estimated energy savings.

However, the smart thermostat and vent approach has been more comfortable, and the fall & winter / spring & summer HVAC transition has been simpler & easier for me without the whack-a-mole game of trying to re-balance the system with duct dampers and the resulting tell-tale vibrations and screeches it causes the main fan. Most importantly, my wife is delighted to change the room temperature according to the number of cats on her lap by voice without getting up and going down the hall to do it, thus scattering the cats and creating another game of whack-a-mole.

So, it's not justifiable on energy savings from what I can see, but it is on comfort and convenience in our own home. That's kinda the point of having a home, customizing your personal comfort and convenience while minimalizing and eliminating stressors.

[E_T]

They love her lap, do any get on your lap?  As long as they are positioned to were I can easily scratch a face at times, I was always good with mine doing that to me, too.

[Rusty Edge]

They love her lap, do any get on your lap?  As long as they are positioned to were I can easily scratch a face at times, I was always good with mine doing that to me, too.

Only Chester II is my lap, or pick up and carry cat. Both Chester and Inky will visit me in bed, but not at the same time, and mostly for pets and scratches. They don't nap for long. Sundance doesn't trust me at all. She seems to think that when I approach, it's only to catch her and take her to the vet. Guest cat Nala is typical in that she will only come to me when she wants scratched or petted, but stays on the floor or the coach next to me.

[Rusty Edge]

Prime Day is advancing our smart home, so time for an update.
 
1)We ordered a single time programmable vent for the upstairs. It's the last one left for sale on the internet in our size, near as I've found. We need two more. I'll have to see if Alea is close to producing and selling smart vents yet/again for the other two.

2) We ordered an outdoor smart plug that is Alexa ready. This will enable me to turn off the other stuff on the outdoor circuit ( usually holiday lights ) and run the roof and gutter heaters by voice command when the temps are in the proper range by voice command. No getting dressed to go outside and swap some plugs.

3) Ordered an indoor smart plug for the printer problem. Uno was right. The only reliable way to get the printer ( which is on the 2nd floor) working properly is to turn it on and off. The driver update didn't solve the issue. So my wife should be able to tell Alexa to turn the printer off, and then back on, and then proceed without involving me. Two plugs were actually about a buck and a half cheaper than one, so we're getting two, but don't have any plans for the 2nd one.

4) The video doorbell. SkyBell HD is a lost cause. A new one costs as much as we paid, but there seem to be limited amounts left in stock. I expect it would work much the same, amazing for a while, and then with difficulty or not at all. So I'm guessing it's obsolete. I indicated I'd go with Ring because it was now under Alexa ownership. The trouble with that is their security system business model. $10/month to access anything but a live feed. An extra $3/month for each additional device. So it's like buying the device every year. We refuse to go with that. So, we could go with replacement lamps with HD cameras, motion sensors, speakers, etc. Maximus charges $5/month to store your video. A competitor offers card storage onboard, but you replace one, you need to replace all exterior lamps, and they only make smart ones. No matching dummy lamps. So the initial cost is the highest. We chose to procrastinate and buy nothing at this time.

5) Ordered the new Echo Show 5. Essentially an Echo Spot with a 5 inch phone screen. I wanted it for the kitchen. I'd like having Alexa there to set timers and reminders when I'm cooking. Possibly to check my math on measurements and conversions. To play music or an audiobook while I work. To pull up a recipe from Pinterest, instead of walking between rooms. To extend our intercom system. I probably would have preferred the Echo show 2, but this is inexpensive enough to try it and see if it's justified first. It can always be moved to replace the Echo Dot if we upgrade the kitchen to the Show.

6) We're going to see about trying to upgrade our ceiling fan to a remote or smart configuration after the summer, but not while it's in heavy service. It's a cast bronze reproduction of an antique, so it's not a fan that can be replaced with anything comparable. It has to be upgraded. We already upgraded it once, so that now the wall switch controls the fan speed, direction, and light kit by radio. I figure it can be internally modernized a little more.

That covers it for now, I think.

Black Friday approaches, time for an update-

#1 had to Sawzall the vent to fit, as I knew I would. Trouble is that the vibration caused a tiny critical part to be lost in my garage. Maybe I'll find it some day. Meanwhile nothing installed. Might order the 3 programmable vents if we can find a deal in stock.

#2 & #3. Still haven't installed these. The need hasn't been that great. But winter is certainly here now and I may do that tomorrow.

#4 Decided on the new Eufy door bell to replace the SkyBell. eufy Security Wi-Fi Video Doorbell, 2K Resolution, Real-Time Response, No Monthly Fees, Secure Local Storage, Free Wireless Chime (Requires Existing Doorbell Wires, 16-24 VAC, 30 VA or above) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R3WY95C/?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=xm2&ascsubtag=AwEAAAAAAAAAAXq3
As I've said, most video doorbells use a security service subscription business model, so you really need to think of it in terms of the purchase price and a couple years of subscription fees when making a comparison. We resent that business model and have been waiting for this.

#5 I love this thing. It works as expected. Recently I used it to familiarize myself with the lyrics/libretto before we went to see the musical Hamilton. We'll get an Echo Show 2, and my wife can decide if she wants that for viewing the front door, or if she'd rather have the smaller screened show 5 from the kitchen. Will be on sale for Black Friday. https://www.amazon.com/All-new-Echo-Show-2nd-Gen/dp/B077SXWSRP/ref=sr_1_13_sspa?crid=1LIK3NNA59TAS&keywords=echo+show+2nd+generation&qid=1573883969&s=electronics&sprefix=Echo+show%2Celectronics%2C171&sr=1-13-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFaTDYzT0ZNTUVCVTYmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA2Nzk1NjUzOUpEUUdCNU1SOE9YJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5MDIyNTgzUUZJQVRWWUUyNTJOJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfbXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

#6 I have a shoulder injury and it hurts to raise my right arm to horizontal, so I'm not going to use a screw driver over my head or otherwise mess with a bronze ceiling fan that weighs like a Kitchen Aid mixer. That project is on hold until I heal, at the least.

#7 Will possibly replace the Keen Smart vent which failed if we can get a deal.

[Rusty Edge]

Sorry for the long URL stretching the page width.

That Eufy doorbell link should work with the discount code "D2EUFYSD" to bring the price down to $108.
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The basement is lit by pull chain light sockets on multiple circuits. Why? Because my brother in law is an electrical engineer, end of argument.
Well, the one at the bottom of the stair is the one that ties into the motion sensor switch at the top, that's the exception.
The motion sensor is programmed with a 15 minute timer, which is great most of the time.
Except that it goes off while I use the sauna every night, or while my wife is getting her hair done every 6 weeks.
That means carrying a light ( I use screen light to navigate ), or leaving lights on, going to the top of the stairs to trip the motion sensor,
coming back down and pulling the string on the light to turn it off, then going back u the stairs.

So the solution is a smart socket that allows one of the lights to be turned on and off by voice.
Medium/easy  difficulty on the set up and synch. Tested well, but was unsynched when I first tried to actually use it.
Maybe I pulled the string without thinking about it...don't think so. Working again.
-------------
Got that smart plug installed on the printer. It was easy, used the same app as the light socket I just added. Still need to do the outdoor smart plug.

[Rusty Edge]

Well, it's Black Friday/Cyber Monday season again. For people interested in getting their feet wet in the smart home stuff,
here is an article about some deals-

https://thewirecutter.com/blog/best-smart-home-starter-kits/?utm_source=Deals+We+Love&utm_campaign=a55d3108bd-DEALS_2019_11_28_12_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97ed68eaf3-a55d3108bd-90491241

[Rusty Edge]

So, I've been doing this about a year. I'll start with an update.

*I like the larger Echo2 Show even better than the Echo5 Show. Basically it's a tablet sized screen rather than a horizontal smart phone sized,
 and the bass is proportionally deeper. Plus it has a built in router. The 5" show screen is good enough for doorbell purposes. 
The two Shows I have linked with the spot in a group called "Everywhere" for music playing purposes.The Ecobee (which doesn't have much of a speaker)
and the First Alert smoke detector (which has a robust one) have Alexa built in, but like the inexpensive Echo Dot, they can play music,
but not in conjunction with other Alexas. One purpose of the system is to have an intercom. For strict intercom we use the video drop-in feature
on the shows and the spot. They have a streaming feature- I guess that's why they do video calling as well as liked music.

  Otherwise we've evolved a musical code of sorts. Playing Kim Mitchell's "Go for a Soda" means to bring a Coke when we return to the living room.
"Cheese" by Tim Minchin is similar. "TV Dinners" by ZZ Top means to put one in the microwave and start it.mWe use Alexa for alarms, timers,
reminders and lists. I have some programmed responses, such as "Alexa, Who's right?" "Mrs. Edge, of course." / "Alexa, Who copied whom?
( a random answer of two of the nieces names, or the dog's) /Alexa, How many days? (Is a countdown program for the next trip).
The wife and I think so much alike that it's uncanny. Saying she's right isn't a concession so much as validation for myself. It's only been used with guests.

*Since installing and testing the smart plug on the printer, I haven't had the need for a voice reboot. I guess we've been using the printer almost daily,
and it hasn't gone into a deep sleep.

*Outside smart plugs are working well.

*The doorbell is up and running. I may want to fine tune the scan zone on the motion sensor, but it's been working well enough. There is a lag on
notifications, and I haven't tried to converse with anyone at the door since the initial set-up test.

*The basement light  works great, but becomes unsynched.
SO... Synching. Our cable tv, land line phones, cell phones and internet are bundled with AT&T. Lately the tv and internet have been crashing daily.
 I don't know if all of the smart home stuff is an issue, or the age of the modem, or what. Regardless I'm thinking about upgrading: either getting a
replacement from AT&T, or buying our own.

* Got a used Keen smart vent on the internet, and one of the programmable vents this week. Haven't installed them yet. I need to buy batteries.

So far the most used smart home feature is voice controlled temperature. The least would be the dining room chandelier.