4 ms·

I don't like the idea of home automation and these complex, all-in-one systems in general. They are just bound to fail. And not even in some spectacular fashion

by blfr 8y ago

I don't like the idea of home automation and these complex, all-in-one systems in general. They are just bound to fail. And not even in some spectacular fashion, they will just be a grind to use with this or that piece not working correctly, requiring fiddling, etc. Like my rather pricey, fully automatic Nivona coffee machine which has a really hard time beating a manual coffee grinder and a French press since they don't require descaling, special cleaning tablets, or adjusting the tray sensor to notice that the tray is back in. Or like these home audio solutions where the sound is following you around the house in whatever configuration you want but have a hard time beating a simple bluetooth adapter connected to an old hifi. Both at 1/50th of the price. What works and what I would like however are some simple technological improvements to existing solutions. For example, being able to check if I closed and locked the door behind me. More like that bluetooth adapter than a complex integrated solution. Also, it really doesn't need to relay my conversations to the cloud. What a terrible trade-off for a silly gimmick.

tomp 8y ago
Exactly. I think humanity hasn’t mastered building complex software systems yet. In addition, I’m not sure I want proprietary, closed source software in something that is supposed to last 10 (car) to 50 (house) years... what if the company goes under, bugs are discovered but not fixed, or simply it’s no longer profitable to support your version..
uxcolumbo 8y ago
Well said and the other problem is that this technology can also become obsolete quite quickly - forcing you to throw out older hardware - creating waste. For example - speaking of Apple - my iPad 3 is stuck on iOS9 - can't upgrade it anymore. The hardware and everything is fine, but some websites don't load correctly etc. Migt have to jailbreak it... And I don't understand why people are willing to have a listening device like Alexa in their home.
- wilsonnb3 8y ago
  There's already two smartphones and an iPad in my living room. Why should I care about adding a fourth listening device?
debaserab2 8y ago
I miss the days when my TV didn't have software updates and was simply a dumb panel whose only job is to display a picture for whatever input I give it.
- blfr 8y ago
  Fortunately, you still can buy dumb screens and add smart features with addons like Chromecast or just a computer with HDMI output. This works reasonably well, much like the bluetooth adapter.
  - ghaff 8y ago
    Chromecast is a candidate for most-overlooked electronic gadget. This $35 or so gizmo lets me use the great UI on my tablet (or sometimes laptop because... reasons) to fling video up on my TV without dealing with all the trials and tribulations of my TV remote and crappy TV apps. I get why TV makers hate this model. Too bad.
  - debaserab2 8y ago
    There's not a ton of new dumb TV options. The majority of new offerings from the big TV makers are all smart TVs. The dumb panels that I looked at lacked specs on screen quality in comparison to smart TVs, too. I'd love to be wrong about this though.
  - scarface74 8y ago
    I think Chromecast is one of the worse ideas for a shared communal TV. How do other people control the TV? Am I expected to leave my phone/tablet in the living room? A Roku stick/Apple TV/Nvidia Shield have apps and you can just use a traditional remote. With the AppleTV/Nvidis Shield you can Airplay/Cast when necessary.
    - blfr 8y ago
      I just disconnect when I'm done watching and the next person can connect using their device. With Netflix you need to at least switch profiles so it's about as convenient but I rarely watch anything on TV and never actual TV so it may be more annoying for heavier users.
j45 8y ago
Agreed. Sometimes the simple solution is best so we don't end up working for technology instead of technology working for people. The lack of interoperability between smart home devices and a consistent communication (and security) protocol remains the most painful part. There are some good devices (open sources and commercial) helping - my $100 Logitech Harmony Hub remote has gotten more done and taken care of small projects. It's comparable to the wild west that required manual loading of apps onto PalmOS or WindowsCE mobile devices.

by blfr 8y ago

tomp 8y ago

Exactly. I think humanity hasn’t mastered building complex software systems yet. In addition, I’m not sure I want proprietary, closed source software in something that is supposed to last 10 (car) to 50 (house) years... what if the company goes under, bugs are discovered but not fixed, or simply it’s no longer profitable to support your version..

uxcolumbo 8y ago

Well said and the other problem is that this technology can also become obsolete quite quickly - forcing you to throw out older hardware - creating waste. For example - speaking of Apple - my iPad 3 is stuck on iOS9 - can't upgrade it anymore. The hardware and everything is fine, but some websites don't load correctly etc. Migt have to jailbreak it... And I don't understand why people are willing to have a listening device like Alexa in their home.

wilsonnb3 8y ago
There's already two smartphones and an iPad in my living room. Why should I care about adding a fourth listening device?

debaserab2 8y ago

I miss the days when my TV didn't have software updates and was simply a dumb panel whose only job is to display a picture for whatever input I give it.

blfr 8y ago
Fortunately, you still can buy dumb screens and add smart features with addons like Chromecast or just a computer with HDMI output. This works reasonably well, much like the bluetooth adapter.
- ghaff 8y ago
  Chromecast is a candidate for most-overlooked electronic gadget. This $35 or so gizmo lets me use the great UI on my tablet (or sometimes laptop because... reasons) to fling video up on my TV without dealing with all the trials and tribulations of my TV remote and crappy TV apps. I get why TV makers hate this model. Too bad.
- debaserab2 8y ago
  There's not a ton of new dumb TV options. The majority of new offerings from the big TV makers are all smart TVs. The dumb panels that I looked at lacked specs on screen quality in comparison to smart TVs, too. I'd love to be wrong about this though.
- scarface74 8y ago
  I think Chromecast is one of the worse ideas for a shared communal TV. How do other people control the TV? Am I expected to leave my phone/tablet in the living room? A Roku stick/Apple TV/Nvidia Shield have apps and you can just use a traditional remote. With the AppleTV/Nvidis Shield you can Airplay/Cast when necessary.
  - blfr 8y ago
    I just disconnect when I'm done watching and the next person can connect using their device. With Netflix you need to at least switch profiles so it's about as convenient but I rarely watch anything on TV and never actual TV so it may be more annoying for heavier users.

j45 8y ago

Agreed. Sometimes the simple solution is best so we don't end up working for technology instead of technology working for people. The lack of interoperability between smart home devices and a consistent communication (and security) protocol remains the most painful part. There are some good devices (open sources and commercial) helping - my $100 Logitech Harmony Hub remote has gotten more done and taken care of small projects. It's comparable to the wild west that required manual loading of apps onto PalmOS or WindowsCE mobile devices.