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I must be in the minority but I really dislike voice commands. Every time I try it I feel stupid talking to appliances. But even if I didn't mind talking to li

I must be in the minority but I really dislike voice commands. Every time I try it I feel stupid talking to appliances. But even if I didn't mind talking to lightbulbs and thermostats it would still bother me for several reasons: I don't like being listened to by these corporations, I don't like exposing my electronics to the internet, and I still don't see how any of this stuff is better than flicking a switch.

outworlder 4y ago
> I don't like exposing my electronics to the internet, and I still don't see how any of this stuff is better than flicking a switch. That assumes you are close to the switch, that you have switches for all the things you want to do and that you are even free to operate said switches. I do agree if all you are doing is turning a device on and off, it isn't that helpful(it can still be as it allows you to do something else in the mean time). However, you can operate multiple devices simultaneously by triggering a routine. A single command can arm your alarm system, turn off the lights across your entire house, close curtains, activate robot vacuums and whatever else you can think of. Could it be a button? Yeah, it could. Is it as convenient? No. And obviously messing with devices is not all they can do. You can ask questions. Also, to the security point, at least the Echo devices don't allow amazon to be "listening" to you all the time. They listen for the trigger word, and then they send your query. I know, because my devices are being monitored. If they start uploading data all the time I'll know about it. And I bet I'm not the only one doing that.
- BuildTheRobots 4y ago
  > I know, because my devices are being monitored. If they start uploading data all the time I'll know about it. And I bet I'm not the only one doing that. I had previously been pretty happy with this explanation until I got my hands on the new Pixel 7 where the transcription/live subtitles/translation is scarily accurate and completely offline. I'll believe they're not streaming audio out of the house and "listening to me" that way, but it would be easy to exfiltrate a very accurate transcription.
- namaria 4y ago
  I'm completely stunned that people will compromise safety to avoid taking a few steps. The idea of filling my home network with iffy iot devices and having a single point of failure for things like lighting my home and unlocking my doors is absolutely crazy to me. Not to mention all the meta data these devices might leak about my routine and whereabouts. I have no idea why people think these are reasonable trade-offs. Maybe I'm crazy.
  - Arrath 4y ago
    I'm both with you and understanding the other side. Decades of watching Star Trek have filled me with the urge to be able to say "Home, prepare for away team departure." or something less eye-roll worthy for my girlfriend, to do as the GP says and close curtains, turn off lights, set heat lower, etc as I leave. But, as you point out, the state of security for IoT devices, the specter of surveillance and monitoring, all that keeps me from committing to such sheer nerdery.
    - Gud 4y ago
      You can have best of both worlds. There are software that gives you complete control. I use Home Assistant with IKEA Tradfri lights. It works great. More advanced configurations are possible.
      - Arrath 4y ago
        It's long been a project on my mind, but I just haven't found the time yet.
    - namaria 4y ago
      I really don't see the appeal. I want my life to be simple in the way that I have few possessions and few things to keep track of not in the sense that there is a very complex system hiding difficulty from me but if it fails my life gets 10x worse.
      - Arrath 4y ago
- taylodl 4y ago
  Several of my friends live in these so-called smart homes. They have lots of intermittent problems. Meanwhile I'm not having any of their issues living in my dumb house. If my router is down or my ISP is having problems - it doesn't affect how I run my household. Ironically these tools were intended to reduce one's mental load but what I've observed is they actually increase it.
scarecrowbob 4y ago
I don't prefer it either, and I am glad you're not in a position to understand why it is better than a switch. However, my dad is pretty far into Parkinsons and doesn't have a lot of mobility. It's nice that he can turn off the lights when he goes to bed, or turn on the radio from his chair. I hope to never be in a position where these tools are big upgrades for me, but my assumption is that we all will if we live long enough.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

outworlder 4y ago

> I don't like exposing my electronics to the internet, and I still don't see how any of this stuff is better than flicking a switch. That assumes you are close to the switch, that you have switches for all the things you want to do and that you are even free to operate said switches. I do agree if all you are doing is turning a device on and off, it isn't that helpful(it can still be as it allows you to do something else in the mean time). However, you can operate multiple devices simultaneously by triggering a routine. A single command can arm your alarm system, turn off the lights across your entire house, close curtains, activate robot vacuums and whatever else you can think of. Could it be a button? Yeah, it could. Is it as convenient? No. And obviously messing with devices is not all they can do. You can ask questions. Also, to the security point, at least the Echo devices don't allow amazon to be "listening" to you all the time. They listen for the trigger word, and then they send your query. I know, because my devices are being monitored. If they start uploading data all the time I'll know about it. And I bet I'm not the only one doing that.

BuildTheRobots 4y ago
> I know, because my devices are being monitored. If they start uploading data all the time I'll know about it. And I bet I'm not the only one doing that. I had previously been pretty happy with this explanation until I got my hands on the new Pixel 7 where the transcription/live subtitles/translation is scarily accurate and completely offline. I'll believe they're not streaming audio out of the house and "listening to me" that way, but it would be easy to exfiltrate a very accurate transcription.
namaria 4y ago
I'm completely stunned that people will compromise safety to avoid taking a few steps. The idea of filling my home network with iffy iot devices and having a single point of failure for things like lighting my home and unlocking my doors is absolutely crazy to me. Not to mention all the meta data these devices might leak about my routine and whereabouts. I have no idea why people think these are reasonable trade-offs. Maybe I'm crazy.
- Arrath 4y ago
  I'm both with you and understanding the other side. Decades of watching Star Trek have filled me with the urge to be able to say "Home, prepare for away team departure." or something less eye-roll worthy for my girlfriend, to do as the GP says and close curtains, turn off lights, set heat lower, etc as I leave. But, as you point out, the state of security for IoT devices, the specter of surveillance and monitoring, all that keeps me from committing to such sheer nerdery.
  - Gud 4y ago
    You can have best of both worlds. There are software that gives you complete control. I use Home Assistant with IKEA Tradfri lights. It works great. More advanced configurations are possible.
    - Arrath 4y ago
      It's long been a project on my mind, but I just haven't found the time yet.
  - namaria 4y ago
    I really don't see the appeal. I want my life to be simple in the way that I have few possessions and few things to keep track of not in the sense that there is a very complex system hiding difficulty from me but if it fails my life gets 10x worse.
    - Arrath 4y ago
taylodl 4y ago
Several of my friends live in these so-called smart homes. They have lots of intermittent problems. Meanwhile I'm not having any of their issues living in my dumb house. If my router is down or my ISP is having problems - it doesn't affect how I run my household. Ironically these tools were intended to reduce one's mental load but what I've observed is they actually increase it.

scarecrowbob 4y ago

I don't prefer it either, and I am glad you're not in a position to understand why it is better than a switch. However, my dad is pretty far into Parkinsons and doesn't have a lot of mobility. It's nice that he can turn off the lights when he goes to bed, or turn on the radio from his chair. I hope to never be in a position where these tools are big upgrades for me, but my assumption is that we all will if we live long enough.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]