4 ms·

The water sensor one is a good use case but the others seem a bit weak. They seem like the kind of technology I could have developed or even bought off the she

The water sensor one is a good use case but the others seem a bit weak. They seem like the kind of technology I could have developed or even bought off the shelf in 1980. I was talking to one guy who says the security sensors to detect footfall were better decades ago. These are the kinds of use cases I'd like to see: 1. If my house is broken into, I want intruders isolated such that they have to break down every door before they can be in contact with me. Bizarre that my internal doors should work for my ax-murderer/burglar. 2. I want my countertops/bathroom to be given a targeted UV wash. Same with handles of doors/fridges etc. 3. A complete inventory of all food in my fridge and cupboards. I could then try out new recipes depending on what I had in stock. I imagine this is within reach with present day technology. 4. Funnel daylight into fibre optic cables and into my lights so I don't use electricity for light during the day. Full colour spectrum too, can't beat free. One smart house application I liked was smart glass which was able to alter itself depending on whether you wanted to accept radiant heat or reject it. I think these are still prototypes. The other one I liked was the Toto Intelligence Toilet which analyzed your health from your stool/urine. Having an intelligent cupboard/fridge controlling your inputs and the toilet analyzing the outputs could genuinely put a dent in Western lifestyle diseases. I see no progress on this front except for one presentation from Toto in Japan. They don't appear to sell this anymore. That magic mirror shit is very visually impressive. The commercial interpretations I've seen are frankly unimpressive. The hobbyists we see on Reddit and HN are doing a great job. Every bathroom and hallway mirror ought to have those abilities. To date I don't see much that is 'smart' about smart houses. I hope to be proven wrong!

knz 10y ago
>The water sensor one is a good use case but the others seem a bit weak. They seem like the kind of technology I could have developed or even bought off the shelf in 1980. I was talking to one guy who says the security sensors to detect footfall were better decades ago. Sure they aren't cutting edge but they work and add a minor amount of value/security at home for little cost. I do some hobby things on the side (ads-b tracking etc) but other family members get the most value from the simple IoT functionality. All of your ideas would be great but the technology isn't affordable it mature enough for consumers currently.
- internaut 10y ago
  > Sure they aren't cutting edge but they work and add a minor amount of value/security at home for little cost. I do some hobby things on the side (ads-b tracking etc) but other family members get the most value from the simple IoT functionality. Sure, I'm not really knocking what you're doing, it's just that there's a point at which you start to think "Wait, I've heard this before". Perhaps you become a cynic. I think it was the multicoloured light bulbs for the low low price of 200 dollars 99 cents for a pack of three that did me in. https://imgflip.com/i/1fqj14 https://imgflip.com/i/1fqj14 > All of your ideas would be great but the technology isn't affordable it mature enough for consumers currently. I don't really understand why it has to be so expensive. It's so expensive it's easier to roll your own magic mirror or whatever. I know the raw ingredients like sensors are cheaper than ever.
  - knz 10y ago
    I don't disagree re the Hue bulb. Personally I went for the GE link ($10-15 on sale for a z-wave LED bulb).
    - dangrossman 10y ago
      Those are actually ZigBee, not Z-wave.
rev_bird 10y ago
For what it's worth, #4 is a relatively old concept, and one that's currently implemented for lots of different reasons. I've heard them called "sun pipes," but there are all kinds of variants; basically sky lights that can be aimed other places. Companies like this one: http://www.solatube.com http://www.solatube.com have been around since at least the '80s, and got their designs from earlier attempts.

knz 10y ago

>The water sensor one is a good use case but the others seem a bit weak. They seem like the kind of technology I could have developed or even bought off the shelf in 1980. I was talking to one guy who says the security sensors to detect footfall were better decades ago. Sure they aren't cutting edge but they work and add a minor amount of value/security at home for little cost. I do some hobby things on the side (ads-b tracking etc) but other family members get the most value from the simple IoT functionality. All of your ideas would be great but the technology isn't affordable it mature enough for consumers currently.

internaut 10y ago
> Sure they aren't cutting edge but they work and add a minor amount of value/security at home for little cost. I do some hobby things on the side (ads-b tracking etc) but other family members get the most value from the simple IoT functionality. Sure, I'm not really knocking what you're doing, it's just that there's a point at which you start to think "Wait, I've heard this before". Perhaps you become a cynic. I think it was the multicoloured light bulbs for the low low price of 200 dollars 99 cents for a pack of three that did me in. https://imgflip.com/i/1fqj14 https://imgflip.com/i/1fqj14 > All of your ideas would be great but the technology isn't affordable it mature enough for consumers currently. I don't really understand why it has to be so expensive. It's so expensive it's easier to roll your own magic mirror or whatever. I know the raw ingredients like sensors are cheaper than ever.
- knz 10y ago
  I don't disagree re the Hue bulb. Personally I went for the GE link ($10-15 on sale for a z-wave LED bulb).
  - dangrossman 10y ago
    Those are actually ZigBee, not Z-wave.

rev_bird 10y ago

For what it's worth, #4 is a relatively old concept, and one that's currently implemented for lots of different reasons. I've heard them called "sun pipes," but there are all kinds of variants; basically sky lights that can be aimed other places. Companies like this one: http://www.solatube.com http://www.solatube.com have been around since at least the '80s, and got their designs from earlier attempts.