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>the home automation/assistant market hasn't been the goldmine that was predicted Customers are learning or have learned, the hard way, that home automation is

>the home automation/assistant market hasn't been the goldmine that was predicted Customers are learning or have learned, the hard way, that home automation is not at all like fairy dust and unicorns. See for example: Linus Tech Tips.

sliken 4y ago
Heh, I do follow Linus Tech Tips, and shared their hate of subscriptions and almost bought a Ubiquiti g4 door bell they recommended because I didn't want a subscription, didn't want my video uploaded to a cloud, and wanted to keep everything on premise. Sadly unlike their Ubiquiti APs, where you can host the software on any hardware (even a Pi), their doorbell requires their hardware. Last thing I want is a security system that dies with whim of some random manufacturer.
mmahemoff 4y ago
I love my home automation setup, but it was slap in the face to get started and realise how brittle and poorly maintained this technology is, versus the hype that surrounds it. It makes for great demos in keynotes, followed by adoring media regurgitation, but actually try to set it up and nothing works as it’s meant to. The benefits outweigh the costs to me, but it’s only suitable for technically inclined folks with a lot of patience or those who are willing to outsource the whole process. An average consumer can’t just setup their lights/aircon/curtains to be voice controlled out of the box. This has been my experience for both Google and Alexa. Google’s app is particularly slow and tedious. Routines take several seconds to load and save. Neither platform has anything resembling a proper programming module with reusable code, ability to pull in open source modules, or listening to input and using it as variables. Unlike Alexa, you can’t even add sound effects to a routine with Google Home. This is a platform built around “smart” speakers. The voice interaction on both platforms is just not smart or contextual. ChatGPT highlights that.

sliken 4y ago

Heh, I do follow Linus Tech Tips, and shared their hate of subscriptions and almost bought a Ubiquiti g4 door bell they recommended because I didn't want a subscription, didn't want my video uploaded to a cloud, and wanted to keep everything on premise. Sadly unlike their Ubiquiti APs, where you can host the software on any hardware (even a Pi), their doorbell requires their hardware. Last thing I want is a security system that dies with whim of some random manufacturer.

mmahemoff 4y ago

I love my home automation setup, but it was slap in the face to get started and realise how brittle and poorly maintained this technology is, versus the hype that surrounds it. It makes for great demos in keynotes, followed by adoring media regurgitation, but actually try to set it up and nothing works as it’s meant to. The benefits outweigh the costs to me, but it’s only suitable for technically inclined folks with a lot of patience or those who are willing to outsource the whole process. An average consumer can’t just setup their lights/aircon/curtains to be voice controlled out of the box. This has been my experience for both Google and Alexa. Google’s app is particularly slow and tedious. Routines take several seconds to load and save. Neither platform has anything resembling a proper programming module with reusable code, ability to pull in open source modules, or listening to input and using it as variables. Unlike Alexa, you can’t even add sound effects to a routine with Google Home. This is a platform built around “smart” speakers. The voice interaction on both platforms is just not smart or contextual. ChatGPT highlights that.