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I love that stuff, but I have a hard time seeing it move beyond early adopters. I just don't think that more than 5-10% of the population wants to mess around

I love that stuff, but I have a hard time seeing it move beyond early adopters. I just don't think that more than 5-10% of the population wants to mess around with the guts of their tech. Some versions of those things may go mainstream, but only after they get to the point where people don't have to do the technical and creative work (e.g., click a button and your 3D printer makes the new iPhone case you want, so you don't have to wait for it to be delivered).

Animats 9y ago
I just don't think that more than 5-10% of the population wants to mess around with the guts of their tech. Maybe 1%-2%. Most "Internet of Things" devices just don't do very much. They lack any actuators. There are lots of things that can be done to make heating, ventilation, and air conditioning more efficient and comfortable. But the good stuff requires installation. Mechanisms to open and close windows. Dampers. Sensors for humidity, CO2, CO, temperature, rain, and fire. Wired connections to everything. (Battery replacement is unacceptable in commercial environments.) All this is available from major HVAC vendors. Usually for too much money. (Window openers seem to start at $500 per window, so nobody buys them.) A few years ago I went to an IoT meetup in SF, in the Dogpatch area. This was in an old industrial building. Skylights overhead had openable windows on manual chain falls. Outside windows overlooking the bay were openable. There were overhead fans and a standard HVAC system. None of this was powered and controlled. So the place overheated and became uncomfortable with too many people inside. In a space like that, as more people come in and the CO2 level goes up, the overhead windows and side windows should open and the overhead fans should go into reverse to bring down the CO2 level. Then the side windows should be adjusted to maintain temperature. As evening comes and the outside temperature drops, the side windows should close more. At some point, heat may be required. As people start to leave, the CO2 level will drop, the overhead windows start to close and the fan speed drops. When everyone leaves, and the motion detectors see no movement, everything closes up and the temperature is allowed to drop to 60F or so for the night. Some hotels have systems like that in function rooms. Any space with a widely variable people load, such as a classroom or conference room, should be equipped with CO2, humidity, and temperature sensors connected to actuators which can do something about it.

Animats 9y ago

I just don't think that more than 5-10% of the population wants to mess around with the guts of their tech. Maybe 1%-2%. Most "Internet of Things" devices just don't do very much. They lack any actuators. There are lots of things that can be done to make heating, ventilation, and air conditioning more efficient and comfortable. But the good stuff requires installation. Mechanisms to open and close windows. Dampers. Sensors for humidity, CO2, CO, temperature, rain, and fire. Wired connections to everything. (Battery replacement is unacceptable in commercial environments.) All this is available from major HVAC vendors. Usually for too much money. (Window openers seem to start at $500 per window, so nobody buys them.) A few years ago I went to an IoT meetup in SF, in the Dogpatch area. This was in an old industrial building. Skylights overhead had openable windows on manual chain falls. Outside windows overlooking the bay were openable. There were overhead fans and a standard HVAC system. None of this was powered and controlled. So the place overheated and became uncomfortable with too many people inside. In a space like that, as more people come in and the CO2 level goes up, the overhead windows and side windows should open and the overhead fans should go into reverse to bring down the CO2 level. Then the side windows should be adjusted to maintain temperature. As evening comes and the outside temperature drops, the side windows should close more. At some point, heat may be required. As people start to leave, the CO2 level will drop, the overhead windows start to close and the fan speed drops. When everyone leaves, and the motion detectors see no movement, everything closes up and the temperature is allowed to drop to 60F or so for the night. Some hotels have systems like that in function rooms. Any space with a widely variable people load, such as a classroom or conference room, should be equipped with CO2, humidity, and temperature sensors connected to actuators which can do something about it.