4 ms·

Article is kind of light, but there is a surprising amount of work that comes with smart technology. Now, when I visit my parents, instead of getting asked to h

Article is kind of light, but there is a surprising amount of work that comes with smart technology. Now, when I visit my parents, instead of getting asked to help fix something physical, I get asked to help diagnose smart light bulbs that for some reason have a single bulb that works but won't connect.

thrw42A8N 2y ago
I have been fixing my grandparents IT stuff for the past 30 years, it's nothing new. I remember how happy I was I'm now an adult (15 or so, well over a decade ago) with enough authority to pass this on my brother.
lnsru 2y ago
That’s why we are living like luddites. During house renovation nothing smart comes inside despite complete new electrical installation. There come thick cables for wallbox and heat pump, but that’s all. I am so tired of barely working apparently simple electronics.
- guappa 2y ago
  I built my own smart home… it's not flawless but I know how to fix it.
- xemdetia 2y ago
  When I did a roof replacement two skylights needed to be replaced and I was offered 3 options. One was purely mechanical, one had a simple remote, and one that required an app! Naturally the app one was the super premium trim. Am I just so old to know that tying a permanent house control to a platform that can go away like say palm or blackberry or windows xp (vista driver signing) or support for the current wifi standard is slightly ridiculous? Especially for a 30 yr+ purchase? If I want to be positive about smart home stuff I just share my confusion that the industry didn't standardize on PoE(power over Ethernet) and just give the end customer an Ethernet switch or switches that most novices can figure out and is trivial to transfer to the next homeowner.
- jchw 2y ago
  I sometimes use RF-based (Zigbee, Z-Wave) smart home stuff in the walls; no Internet dependency. These devices work fine if you don't use any smart stuff, they just allow control over the radio.

thrw42A8N 2y ago

I have been fixing my grandparents IT stuff for the past 30 years, it's nothing new. I remember how happy I was I'm now an adult (15 or so, well over a decade ago) with enough authority to pass this on my brother.

lnsru 2y ago

That’s why we are living like luddites. During house renovation nothing smart comes inside despite complete new electrical installation. There come thick cables for wallbox and heat pump, but that’s all. I am so tired of barely working apparently simple electronics.

guappa 2y ago
I built my own smart home… it's not flawless but I know how to fix it.
xemdetia 2y ago
When I did a roof replacement two skylights needed to be replaced and I was offered 3 options. One was purely mechanical, one had a simple remote, and one that required an app! Naturally the app one was the super premium trim. Am I just so old to know that tying a permanent house control to a platform that can go away like say palm or blackberry or windows xp (vista driver signing) or support for the current wifi standard is slightly ridiculous? Especially for a 30 yr+ purchase? If I want to be positive about smart home stuff I just share my confusion that the industry didn't standardize on PoE(power over Ethernet) and just give the end customer an Ethernet switch or switches that most novices can figure out and is trivial to transfer to the next homeowner.
jchw 2y ago
I sometimes use RF-based (Zigbee, Z-Wave) smart home stuff in the walls; no Internet dependency. These devices work fine if you don't use any smart stuff, they just allow control over the radio.