ᐅ What exactly is a smart home, and is it possible to retrofit one?
Created on: 15 Jun 2021 14:41
P
Pacc666
Hello,
I am currently in the process of building a house and have come across the topic of smart homes.
Smart home technology is quite a complex subject, and I am asking for help because I can’t figure it out on my own.
What exactly can a proper smart home do?
I think I only need a very basic smart home or simply remote control for my house.
What I want to have:
Control of roller shutters with rule creation, for example, always open them 30 minutes after sunrise but not before 7 a.m.
Lighting control via smartphone or voice (Philips Hue lamps will be installed in the living room for ambient lighting)
Window sensor for the sliding patio door so my roller shutter doesn’t accidentally lock me out
Video doorbell that notifies me on my phone when I’m at home
Smart sound system in the living and dining area, for example, for internet radio
Maybe later, control of underfloor heating
I definitely want to be able to create rules or scenarios (for example, cinema mode = lower the living room shutters to x % and dim the lights in the living and dining area and activate the ambient lighting)
What I don’t need:
Motion sensors (since I have a dog, they would be triggered all the time anyway)
I’m sure there are many other features I haven’t listed.
I don’t actually need an overly intelligent house.
I just want a few nice quality-of-life improvements.
For now, I want to find out what a proper smart home can actually do to see if I’m missing any functions that might be interesting for me.
I am currently in the process of building a house and have come across the topic of smart homes.
Smart home technology is quite a complex subject, and I am asking for help because I can’t figure it out on my own.
What exactly can a proper smart home do?
I think I only need a very basic smart home or simply remote control for my house.
What I want to have:
Control of roller shutters with rule creation, for example, always open them 30 minutes after sunrise but not before 7 a.m.
Lighting control via smartphone or voice (Philips Hue lamps will be installed in the living room for ambient lighting)
Window sensor for the sliding patio door so my roller shutter doesn’t accidentally lock me out
Video doorbell that notifies me on my phone when I’m at home
Smart sound system in the living and dining area, for example, for internet radio
Maybe later, control of underfloor heating
I definitely want to be able to create rules or scenarios (for example, cinema mode = lower the living room shutters to x % and dim the lights in the living and dining area and activate the ambient lighting)
What I don’t need:
Motion sensors (since I have a dog, they would be triggered all the time anyway)
I’m sure there are many other features I haven’t listed.
I don’t actually need an overly intelligent house.
I just want a few nice quality-of-life improvements.
For now, I want to find out what a proper smart home can actually do to see if I’m missing any functions that might be interesting for me.
Hannes S schrieb:
As another user already mentioned, apps on the phone are only used for the first two days. They are far too complicated to operate. The roller shutter should lower on its own when I turn on the TV and the sun is shining, without me having to do anything or open an app. OK, I still control the fan via the app, but only because I’m too lazy to get up and I haven’t yet figured out the criteria for when it should turn on. Although I tend to be quite conservative in many areas and don’t always keep up with the latest trends, when I read comments like this, it makes me wonder whether someone is stuck in the last millennium or simply lacks experience with many of the comfortable solutions that exist today!?
A quick app operation usually takes just a few seconds on a smartphone that is almost always with you or nearby. Even easier, it can now be controlled just as quickly and reliably by voice—whether via smartphone, smartwatch, etc.
Whether the shutter should go up or down or trigger a specific scenario, such as a “movie night” with all the related commands, or automatic functions linked to connected sensors, all of this is already reliable (enough) and convenient today! At a low cost and with minimal setup effort!
Well, to each their own 🙂
P
Pwnage61916 Jun 2021 17:28The house construction has not started yet; currently, the site development is still in progress.
So, from a timing perspective, it’s not too late, but the costs for a bus system are probably too high.
At the moment, I can only spend around 3,000 to 4,000, maybe 5,000.
After all, the house cost a nice 600,000.
So, from a timing perspective, it’s not too late, but the costs for a bus system are probably too high.
At the moment, I can only spend around 3,000 to 4,000, maybe 5,000.
After all, the house cost a nice 600,000.
netuser schrieb:
Although I am quite conservative in many things and don’t always “keep up with the times,” when I read statements like these, it makes me wonder whether someone is stuck in the last millennium or simply has no knowledge or experience with many comfort-enhancing solutions that already exist today!?
A quick use of the app usually takes just a few seconds on the smartphone, which is almost always with you or nearby.
Even easier, it can now be controlled just as quickly and reliably via voice commands, whether on a smartphone, smartwatch, etc.
Whether you want to raise or lower the roller shutter or activate a specific scenario like a “movie night” with all the linked commands or automations connected to networked sensors, all of this is already reliably (enough) and comfortably possible today! At a low cost and with minimal setup effort!
Well, to each their own 🙂 Personally, I find it very annoying to first take the phone in hand, unlock it, open the app, and then lower the roller shutter. It’s faster just to get up, press the switch, and sit back down. Also, there are so many different apps accumulating on the phone because each manufacturer has their own app, but no manufacturer offers the full range of devices.
For me, app control is clearly a step backward unless you use a central system (like IOBroker, etc.) and control it via a web interface. But those can produce so many pages that it takes a while before the lights are even turned on. I once started a visualization system but gave up again. Eventually, it becomes too complex.
I don’t see this as a step backward when the roller shutter lowers automatically and I don’t have to fiddle with my phone first. On the contrary, this kind of automation is what makes a smart home truly smart.
Voice control is, of course, a different matter, and it has its limits (for example, when channel surfing on TV—you can go crazy).
Everyone to their own preference, and if someone prefers to fiddle with their phone rather than just doing nothing, that’s their choice. I’m happy to be stuck in the last millennium, but I really don’t understand your criticism. What is the difference if the scenarios run automatically or if I control them via an app? 🙂
By the way, our house is covered with various devices from different manufacturers, all controlled via IOBroker because I was fed up with all the separate apps and there is no single manufacturer that offers everything.
Hannes S schrieb:
Personally, I find it very annoying to first pick up my phone, unlock it, open the app, and then lower the roller shutter. It’s faster to just get up, press the switch, and sit back down. Plus, there’s the number of different apps accumulating on the phone because each manufacturer has their own app, but no manufacturer covers the entire range of devices. One does not exclude the other, meaning switch + “app” can coexist.
Hannes S schrieb:
That’s why I clearly see controlling via apps as a step backward... I agree with you. I admit I am a devoted Apple user (HomeKit) and don’t have to unlock anything or rely on dozens of different vendor apps.
Hannes S schrieb:
I don’t see controlling the roller shutter as a step backward if it lowers automatically and I don’t have to fiddle with my phone first. On the contrary, this is what makes a home truly smart. I agree with you as well. On the other hand, one doesn’t exclude the other. You can program/assemble scenes and trigger them with a single button press or linked sensors, voice control, or geolocation—so they run “automatically.”
Hannes S schrieb:
To each their own, and if someone prefers fiddling on their phone instead of doing nothing, that’s of course their choice. I might be stuck in the last millennium, but I don’t really understand your criticism. What’s the difference if I run scenes automatically or control them via an app? 🙂 You don’t need to fiddle much with the phone. Just a few clicks or a voice command, and it’s done—especially if sensors are involved anyway, triggering automatically.
At least on iPhone, but let’s leave that debate aside 😉
netuser schrieb:
One doesn’t exclude the other, meaning switches plus an app.
I agree with you. I admit I’m a dedicated Apple user (HomeKit) and don’t have to unlock anything or rely on a dozen different provider apps.
I agree with you as well. Again, one doesn’t exclude the other. You can program or set up scenes and trigger them with a single button press, linked sensors, voice control, or geolocation to run “automatically.”
You don’t need to fiddle with your phone much. Just a few taps or a voice command, and it’s done—unless sensors are already integrated that trigger automatically...
At least on the iPhone, but let’s leave that discussion aside 😉 Hmm, I’m a bit slow on this. Didn’t you describe fully automatic rolling shutter shutdown as a technology from the last century, or did I misunderstand something? But anyway, basically we’re almost on the same page, except we still need to agree on the phone brand 😉 😀
I think we’ve also drifted off-topic a bit here 🙂