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I suppose but it still seems like a copout (not on you of course, on them) to play the brand lock-in game. You don't need a centralized server to personalize an

I suppose but it still seems like a copout (not on you of course, on them) to play the brand lock-in game. You don't need a centralized server to personalize and operating those servers, even on something like AWS, costs money. Why not put that on the consumer instead? Many consumers I know would prefer the roll-your-own solution and it saves the manufacturer money.

komali2 10y ago
Well, we are on a something.ycombinator.com website right now... why don't you throw together a prototype, register a company, and present to ycombinator?
- FussyZeus 10y ago
  Well primarily because I wouldn't take VC money anyway, too much pressure to grow too fast. I'd rather have a company that lives and dies on it's own. Second because I'm not at all a hardware guy. Thirdly I'm not at a point where I feel entrepreneurial yet, I don't have enough experience. Lastly I'm incredibly lazy.
tunap 10y ago
Thanks for your manners, but it is probably a copout on my part. I have the wherewithal(-money) to build something like this in my own home but I believe most of these controls are over-engineered progress for progress' sake... for anything less than a few thousand square foot structures. All I really need is a programmable thermostat, a couple timer plugs & my 'routine'. As always, YMMV. As for the providers, I have to admit, a service economy cannot sustain itself using only transactional relations. In order to ensure future revenues, a contracted service agreement &/or proprietary walled garden approach is the only sustainable model they have come up with. I am a 'break-fix' geezer stuck in my ways and don't subject my clients to lock-in, but my widely varying income from month to month can make affording life difficult at times. edit: +&/or proprietary walled garden approach
- FussyZeus 10y ago
  But this is assuming that I expect something beyond the transaction. I don't. I expressly DON'T want a continuing relationship where Nest decides my perfectly functional thermostat no longer works or that Phillips decides their controller is only going to work with Phillips light bulbs. I want them to sell me the product and then politely f*ck off so it keeps working. :)

komali2 10y ago

Well, we are on a something.ycombinator.com website right now... why don't you throw together a prototype, register a company, and present to ycombinator?

FussyZeus 10y ago
Well primarily because I wouldn't take VC money anyway, too much pressure to grow too fast. I'd rather have a company that lives and dies on it's own. Second because I'm not at all a hardware guy. Thirdly I'm not at a point where I feel entrepreneurial yet, I don't have enough experience. Lastly I'm incredibly lazy.

tunap 10y ago

Thanks for your manners, but it is probably a copout on my part. I have the wherewithal(-money) to build something like this in my own home but I believe most of these controls are over-engineered progress for progress' sake... for anything less than a few thousand square foot structures. All I really need is a programmable thermostat, a couple timer plugs & my 'routine'. As always, YMMV. As for the providers, I have to admit, a service economy cannot sustain itself using only transactional relations. In order to ensure future revenues, a contracted service agreement &/or proprietary walled garden approach is the only sustainable model they have come up with. I am a 'break-fix' geezer stuck in my ways and don't subject my clients to lock-in, but my widely varying income from month to month can make affording life difficult at times. edit: +&/or proprietary walled garden approach

FussyZeus 10y ago
But this is assuming that I expect something beyond the transaction. I don't. I expressly DON'T want a continuing relationship where Nest decides my perfectly functional thermostat no longer works or that Phillips decides their controller is only going to work with Phillips light bulbs. I want them to sell me the product and then politely f*ck off so it keeps working. :)