Hello everyone,
I am generally knowledgeable and open-minded when it comes to IT, but I’m not really comfortable with "Smart Home" technology. That’s why I’m asking the community why you decided to go for it, especially in light of my concerns.
Overall, I don’t see much value in the typical smart home features. This is partly due to my way of living, but also largely because of the functions offered. For example, I don’t feel the need to control lighting via smartphone. Each room has appropriate light switches or motion sensors. Controlling blinds/shutters is unnecessary for me since I deliberately opted not to install shutters, except for two large south-facing windows. The same applies to a ventilation system, which I don’t have nor need. Turning devices on and off via an app strikes me as unnecessary.
What bothers me in particular is the multitude of protocols, the proprietary technology, and manufacturer-dependent software. I simply do not want to buy and install an expensive system from a manufacturer when I don’t know if they will still exist in five years or whether and how the software will be further developed.
Devices that can actually be usefully controlled via app now come with Wi-Fi capability and a matching app, so I don’t need a complex smart home system for that. For example, heating systems/heat pumps, photovoltaic systems, charging stations, video intercoms, robot vacuum cleaners, etc. Whether you really need an app for a washing machine, refrigerator, or dishwasher is debatable, but even these appliances have become "smart" nowadays.
Maybe I’m missing a significant advantage of smart home technology—if so, please feel free to fill in my knowledge gap!
I am generally knowledgeable and open-minded when it comes to IT, but I’m not really comfortable with "Smart Home" technology. That’s why I’m asking the community why you decided to go for it, especially in light of my concerns.
Overall, I don’t see much value in the typical smart home features. This is partly due to my way of living, but also largely because of the functions offered. For example, I don’t feel the need to control lighting via smartphone. Each room has appropriate light switches or motion sensors. Controlling blinds/shutters is unnecessary for me since I deliberately opted not to install shutters, except for two large south-facing windows. The same applies to a ventilation system, which I don’t have nor need. Turning devices on and off via an app strikes me as unnecessary.
What bothers me in particular is the multitude of protocols, the proprietary technology, and manufacturer-dependent software. I simply do not want to buy and install an expensive system from a manufacturer when I don’t know if they will still exist in five years or whether and how the software will be further developed.
Devices that can actually be usefully controlled via app now come with Wi-Fi capability and a matching app, so I don’t need a complex smart home system for that. For example, heating systems/heat pumps, photovoltaic systems, charging stations, video intercoms, robot vacuum cleaners, etc. Whether you really need an app for a washing machine, refrigerator, or dishwasher is debatable, but even these appliances have become "smart" nowadays.
Maybe I’m missing a significant advantage of smart home technology—if so, please feel free to fill in my knowledge gap!
M
motorradsilke12 Aug 2021 22:51Sahitaz schrieb:
What I find very interesting is that many people consciously decide against a smart home, yet drive new cars where a lot of optional features are essentially mandatory.
There is keyless entry, so you don’t have to take the key out of your hand, climate control that automatically adjusts the temperature, convertibles with roofs that open at the push of a button, headlights that stay on for 30 seconds after leaving the car to light the way to the front door...
These are extras we are willing to pay a lot of money for. I know not everyone has these features, but nowadays a large share does, and even used cars offer this increased comfort. Features like central locking, at least a remote key fob, and air conditioning are installed in almost every car, even older ones.
I spend about 1.5 hours a day in the car (and I believe that is above average). I spend significantly more time at home. With a car, I often don’t have much choice and have to buy the supposedly comfort-enhancing features bundled together.
With a house, I’m still fortunate to be able to decide for myself when I want which lights on, what temperature, or when to have coffee, or whether an automation system handles that for me.
I honestly can imagine only a few functions that I would want to be automatically controlled.
Bertram100 schrieb:
Yes, I do. I don’t know a world without telephones, but one without mobile phones and the Internet—I would like to go back to that time. I can’t say that using my mobile phone makes me happy. It’s practical. But that’s different from real benefit. Well, you can choose to give it up.
Honestly, I don’t believe you.
I had a friend with whom I used to argue late into the night. For him, everything was terrible. But he consumed everything and benefited from many things himself. Eventually, I got fed up. I said, stop complaining. If everything is terrible, go into politics and change something. Anyone can start a party and run for election.
Then he said he can’t change anything. Continuing like this just makes it unbelievable.
He always said he didn’t need all that stuff. It’s destroying us. The next day he made plans by SMS (digitally!). I said, I can’t take you seriously. Go live in a cabin in the woods.
I completely understand those viewpoints; in fact, I even have a lot of respect and some envy.
But most people don’t mean it seriously. They just talk. Even though they could take action.
If you read carefully, I deliberately didn’t list the smartphone. I almost did, but then I thought this invention doesn’t deserve to be included in my list.
I spoke about the Internet and networking and asked if we want to give those up.
Do we want to give up the ability for entire populations to unite against their regimes because of this invention? Isn’t it wonderful that I can book a train ticket online for my almost blind mother and then send it to her?
Isn’t it great that you can communicate with us in this forum?
Maybe you are even using your smartphone or tablet to do so?
If all of this is terrible, then you can give it up. It’s certainly hard, but possible.
Lead the way. Be an example.
Why do I sell my car again after a few years? I can also keep driving my car until it is no longer economical to repair.
The reason most people get a new car is rarely that the old one had problems too difficult to fix.
And you have choices—you can also drive a basic model like a Dacia. Or try driving a classic car as a daily driver again, but it’s not as much fun anymore (I’m a big car enthusiast and do drive classics, but only for enjoyment, not daily)... No central locking, manually tuning the radio frequency with a rotary knob, using a paper map instead of GPS, and so on. Nobody can convincingly say they prefer that. I myself drive comparatively ‘old’ cars (currently 11 years old); I really don’t need the latest gadgets, but compared to my first car (a 1989 BMW E30), it’s something completely different. I really appreciate features like cornering lights, automatic climate control, automatic Bluetooth connection to my phone, and many other things.
If there is a problem with home automation, I call in a specialist (if I am not one myself), just as I would take my car to a garage when it needs service. Sorry, but that sounds like simply badmouthing. It’s understandable to sell a car if recurring problems occur, but a well-designed home automation system, compared to the complexity of a car, is quite straightforward to maintain, with wiring and logic that are much less exposed to external factors like weather (for example, cable breaks are quite rare in a house, and contact problems due to corrosion are significantly reduced).
How often do these problems really happen with modern building technology, and could it possibly be due to insufficient expertise during planning and installation? (serious question)
In a smart home, you can still manually control the lights and adjust the temperature, but with sensible automation, the times you need to do that become negligible. In our renovation, we automated lighting, shading, and partially heating. For a new build, I would definitely automate these systems again, and even more extensively (brightness sensors, dimmers, weather stations, etc.). I would also make sure to integrate the front door fully (the doorbell isn’t audible throughout the apartment, and do I really have to walk to the intercom to open the door and then hurry to the stairwell to wait for my guest to arrive? Do I have to lock the door manually, or does the house do that automatically for all entrance doors when I leave?).
These are all things that can be done manually (and still are), but we used to unlock each car door individually, and no one thinks about that anymore. We’re talking about basic, simple, and proven automation tasks here—not highly complex features like gesture recognition to change radio volume by rotating your finger in the air.
I think for most people it’s more a fear of something ‘new and unknown’ rather than truly rational reasons.
The reason most people get a new car is rarely that the old one had problems too difficult to fix.
And you have choices—you can also drive a basic model like a Dacia. Or try driving a classic car as a daily driver again, but it’s not as much fun anymore (I’m a big car enthusiast and do drive classics, but only for enjoyment, not daily)... No central locking, manually tuning the radio frequency with a rotary knob, using a paper map instead of GPS, and so on. Nobody can convincingly say they prefer that. I myself drive comparatively ‘old’ cars (currently 11 years old); I really don’t need the latest gadgets, but compared to my first car (a 1989 BMW E30), it’s something completely different. I really appreciate features like cornering lights, automatic climate control, automatic Bluetooth connection to my phone, and many other things.
If there is a problem with home automation, I call in a specialist (if I am not one myself), just as I would take my car to a garage when it needs service. Sorry, but that sounds like simply badmouthing. It’s understandable to sell a car if recurring problems occur, but a well-designed home automation system, compared to the complexity of a car, is quite straightforward to maintain, with wiring and logic that are much less exposed to external factors like weather (for example, cable breaks are quite rare in a house, and contact problems due to corrosion are significantly reduced).
How often do these problems really happen with modern building technology, and could it possibly be due to insufficient expertise during planning and installation? (serious question)
In a smart home, you can still manually control the lights and adjust the temperature, but with sensible automation, the times you need to do that become negligible. In our renovation, we automated lighting, shading, and partially heating. For a new build, I would definitely automate these systems again, and even more extensively (brightness sensors, dimmers, weather stations, etc.). I would also make sure to integrate the front door fully (the doorbell isn’t audible throughout the apartment, and do I really have to walk to the intercom to open the door and then hurry to the stairwell to wait for my guest to arrive? Do I have to lock the door manually, or does the house do that automatically for all entrance doors when I leave?).
These are all things that can be done manually (and still are), but we used to unlock each car door individually, and no one thinks about that anymore. We’re talking about basic, simple, and proven automation tasks here—not highly complex features like gesture recognition to change radio volume by rotating your finger in the air.
I think for most people it’s more a fear of something ‘new and unknown’ rather than truly rational reasons.
I also find it very concerning that e-waste is mentioned here, and in the same breath, cars are discarded if they no longer run as desired.
I have always used my cars until they can’t be driven anymore. The current one I’m using, a 2014 Skoda Octavia, will be driven until it falls apart.
But here comes the double standard again. Leasing a car, then leasing the next one. Company car? Sure, but then I have to get rid of it later and lease a new one, because it’s better for taxes. Benefit-in-kind and all that.
Electric car? Environmentally friendly?
Of course! I’m all for it. A heavy hybrid SUV, total 300 hp. Electric motor for 50 km (30 miles) range, the rest with an internal combustion engine. There’s even a subsidy.
Such hypocrisy.
I have always used my cars until they can’t be driven anymore. The current one I’m using, a 2014 Skoda Octavia, will be driven until it falls apart.
But here comes the double standard again. Leasing a car, then leasing the next one. Company car? Sure, but then I have to get rid of it later and lease a new one, because it’s better for taxes. Benefit-in-kind and all that.
Electric car? Environmentally friendly?
Of course! I’m all for it. A heavy hybrid SUV, total 300 hp. Electric motor for 50 km (30 miles) range, the rest with an internal combustion engine. There’s even a subsidy.
Such hypocrisy.
I find the argument that someone is not credible if they oppose “something” but still use it to be off track.
I support a speed limit of 130 km/h (80 mph) on highways but drive at 160 km/h (100 mph) when the situation allows. It would be easier to stick to 130 km/h (80 mph) if not everyone around me was driving faster.
I know some people who smoke even though they know it’s unhealthy.
I drink little (water) even though it is said to be good to drink a lot.
One can believe that having a smartphone has negative effects and still use one.
I consider flying harmful to the environment and have not flown for a long time – but it might be that someday I will sit on a plane again.
There are so many reasons for and against …
Calling someone out for being inconsistent is somewhat understandable but not compassionate (or more broadly put: not life-friendly).
The core of what I want to say is:
You shouldn’t judge others because you think you can see that they are behaving “wrongly.”
There are ALWAYS reasons – for example, the often cited and mocked unhappy childhood.
What I consider vitally important is to strengthen a spirit of kindness toward others – and that always starts with myself and doesn’t stop with Bernd Höcke.
Being kind to others doesn’t mean letting everything slide for everyone; it means trying to make things better for everyone.
🙂
I support a speed limit of 130 km/h (80 mph) on highways but drive at 160 km/h (100 mph) when the situation allows. It would be easier to stick to 130 km/h (80 mph) if not everyone around me was driving faster.
I know some people who smoke even though they know it’s unhealthy.
I drink little (water) even though it is said to be good to drink a lot.
One can believe that having a smartphone has negative effects and still use one.
I consider flying harmful to the environment and have not flown for a long time – but it might be that someday I will sit on a plane again.
There are so many reasons for and against …
Calling someone out for being inconsistent is somewhat understandable but not compassionate (or more broadly put: not life-friendly).
The core of what I want to say is:
You shouldn’t judge others because you think you can see that they are behaving “wrongly.”
There are ALWAYS reasons – for example, the often cited and mocked unhappy childhood.
What I consider vitally important is to strengthen a spirit of kindness toward others – and that always starts with myself and doesn’t stop with Bernd Höcke.
Being kind to others doesn’t mean letting everything slide for everyone; it means trying to make things better for everyone.
M
motorradsilke13 Aug 2021 06:01Sahitaz schrieb:
Why do I sell my car again after a few years? I can also drive my car until it’s no longer economically feasible to repair it.
For most people, getting a new car is probably less about the old one causing problems that are too difficult to fix.
And you have choices—you can drive a basic model, like a Dacia. Or try driving a classic car for daily use, which isn’t nearly as much fun (I’m a big car fan and do drive classics, but only for pleasure, not every day)... No central locking, manually tuning the radio frequency with a dial, using a paper map instead of GPS, and so on. Nobody can convince me otherwise. I currently drive rather “old” cars (about 11 years old), and I really don’t need all the latest gadgets, but compared to my first car (a BMW E30 from ’89), it’s a whole different experience. I really enjoy adaptive headlights, automatic climate control, automatic Bluetooth connection to my phone, and many other features.
If there is a problem with home automation, I call a professional (or fix it myself if I can), just like I go to a garage for car repairs. Sorry, but that just sounds like badmouthing. It’s understandable to give up a car if recurring problems occur, but sensible home automation, compared to the complexity of a car, is fairly simple logic and wiring that is much less affected by external influences like weather (for example, cable breaks are rare in a house, and connection problems due to corrosion are also greatly reduced).
How often do problems really happen with modern building technology, and could it maybe be due to insufficient expertise during planning and installation (genuinely asking)?
You can still manually control lights and temperature in a smart home, but with proper automation, the need to do so becomes minimal. We have automated lighting, shading, and partly heating during our renovation. For a new build, I would definitely automate these systems again—more extensively this time (brightness sensors, dimmers, weather station, etc.)—and I would also invest in integrating the front door (the doorbell isn’t heard all over the apartment, and do I really have to walk to the intercom to open the door and then hurry to wait in the stairwell for the guest to arrive? Do I have to lock up manually, or does the house do that automatically, locking all entrance doors when I leave?).
These are all things that can still be done manually (and have been so far). But we used to unlock every car door individually, and nobody would think of doing that today. We’re talking about basic, simple, and well-tested automation tasks here, not highly complex things like gesture recognition to adjust radio volume by circling your finger in the air.
I think for most people it’s more a fear of something ‘new and unknown’ than genuinely rational reasons. For us, it’s not “fear” of something new and unknown, but more the feeling that the house (or the automation system) basically controls us. With a car, I decide by pressing a button whether to lock it or leave it unlocked. How does automation in the house know if I’m just going into the garden and don’t want all the doors locked, or if I’m leaving the property? If I can lock all doors with a single button, that’s a convenience I would appreciate in the house, too. But the feeling that my house locks all the doors on its own doesn’t sit well with me.
That’s just one example. I also want to decide every time whether I want sunlight in the house today and maybe not tomorrow, whether I want to be woken by the sun in the morning (so the blinds stay up overnight) or rather sleep in with the blinds down, whether I want my coffee early or at 11 a.m., whether the room should be dark around me when watching TV or not...
My life is not an automatic process; I don’t want the same routine every day.
Similar topics