The Smart Home
#1
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,040
The Smart Home
Here we go.
So the Annual CES Conference https://www.ces.tech/ is about to wrap up and some of the big news from the conf is the Home Smart stuff. Lots of stuff coming - tonnes of it.
At present, for general all in one voice control we really only have Google at the moment in Australia (Amazon not launched here yet I believe) and Apple losing market share by the minute since the sad departure of Steve Jobs.
Not a lot of it is connected yet but that is changing.
The easiest move into the Smart Home, though not the cheapest, first cab off the rank is the Smart Light Bulbs.
So after bath time and dinner you sit down ready for the next Ray Donovan and you've forgotten the mood. No problem "Hey Google - Dim the lights"
So lighting - Phillips is the marketters favourite right now. Not the cheapest that's for sure.
Has anyone installed Smart Lighting yet? (Garry for sure)
So the Annual CES Conference https://www.ces.tech/ is about to wrap up and some of the big news from the conf is the Home Smart stuff. Lots of stuff coming - tonnes of it.
At present, for general all in one voice control we really only have Google at the moment in Australia (Amazon not launched here yet I believe) and Apple losing market share by the minute since the sad departure of Steve Jobs.
Not a lot of it is connected yet but that is changing.
The easiest move into the Smart Home, though not the cheapest, first cab off the rank is the Smart Light Bulbs.
So after bath time and dinner you sit down ready for the next Ray Donovan and you've forgotten the mood. No problem "Hey Google - Dim the lights"
So lighting - Phillips is the marketters favourite right now. Not the cheapest that's for sure.
Has anyone installed Smart Lighting yet? (Garry for sure)
#2
Re: The Smart Home
The easiest move into the Smart Home, though not the cheapest, first cab off the rank is the Smart Light Bulbs.
So after bath time and dinner you sit down ready for the next Ray Donovan and you've forgotten the mood. No problem "Hey Google - Dim the lights"
So lighting - Phillips is the marketters favourite right now. Not the cheapest that's for sure.
Has anyone installed Smart Lighting yet? (Garry for sure)
So after bath time and dinner you sit down ready for the next Ray Donovan and you've forgotten the mood. No problem "Hey Google - Dim the lights"
So lighting - Phillips is the marketters favourite right now. Not the cheapest that's for sure.
Has anyone installed Smart Lighting yet? (Garry for sure)
I've LifX bulbs (RGB direct wifi connected) in living area. Good for dimming and watching movies, etc.
I've also got multiple mains switches, IR controllers, Chromecast, Kodi, etc. and both Alexa and Google Home. These all integrate via a Home Assistant instance.
Could do a lot more, but there are definite problems with Australian houses and proprietary stuff you can't integrate easily. Would like to get the HVAC under smart control, and hook into the security system too - however those proprietary interfaces are a pain.
#3
Re: The Smart Home
Here we go.
So the Annual CES Conference https://www.ces.tech/ is about to wrap up and some of the big news from the conf is the Home Smart stuff. Lots of stuff coming - tonnes of it.
At present, for general all in one voice control we really only have Google at the moment in Australia (Amazon not launched here yet I believe) and Apple losing market share by the minute since the sad departure of Steve Jobs.
Not a lot of it is connected yet but that is changing.
The easiest move into the Smart Home, though not the cheapest, first cab off the rank is the Smart Light Bulbs.
So after bath time and dinner you sit down ready for the next Ray Donovan and you've forgotten the mood. No problem "Hey Google - Dim the lights"
So lighting - Phillips is the marketters favourite right now. Not the cheapest that's for sure.
Has anyone installed Smart Lighting yet? (Garry for sure)
So the Annual CES Conference https://www.ces.tech/ is about to wrap up and some of the big news from the conf is the Home Smart stuff. Lots of stuff coming - tonnes of it.
At present, for general all in one voice control we really only have Google at the moment in Australia (Amazon not launched here yet I believe) and Apple losing market share by the minute since the sad departure of Steve Jobs.
Not a lot of it is connected yet but that is changing.
The easiest move into the Smart Home, though not the cheapest, first cab off the rank is the Smart Light Bulbs.
So after bath time and dinner you sit down ready for the next Ray Donovan and you've forgotten the mood. No problem "Hey Google - Dim the lights"
So lighting - Phillips is the marketters favourite right now. Not the cheapest that's for sure.
Has anyone installed Smart Lighting yet? (Garry for sure)
#5
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,040
Re: The Smart Home
Of course.
I've LifX bulbs (RGB direct wifi connected) in living area. Good for dimming and watching movies, etc.
I've also got multiple mains switches, IR controllers, Chromecast, Kodi, etc. and both Alexa and Google Home. These all integrate via a Home Assistant instance.
Could do a lot more, but there are definite problems with Australian houses and proprietary stuff you can't integrate easily. Would like to get the HVAC under smart control, and hook into the security system too - however those proprietary interfaces are a pain.
I've LifX bulbs (RGB direct wifi connected) in living area. Good for dimming and watching movies, etc.
I've also got multiple mains switches, IR controllers, Chromecast, Kodi, etc. and both Alexa and Google Home. These all integrate via a Home Assistant instance.
Could do a lot more, but there are definite problems with Australian houses and proprietary stuff you can't integrate easily. Would like to get the HVAC under smart control, and hook into the security system too - however those proprietary interfaces are a pain.
#6
Re: The Smart Home
I'm into tech and gadgets but when it comes to home automation, I'm kind of ambivalent
It will be a sad day when I can't walk over to a switch and turn the lights off.....
It will be a sad day when I can't walk over to a switch and turn the lights off.....
#7
Re: The Smart Home
For those looking to draw together a smarter house, worth putting some attention on Home Assistant
https://home-assistant.io/
You can run it on a Pi, or in a docker, and it can integrate a silly number of devices. Techie coding type of automation, but will even do Bayesian stuff if you want, and will integrate with location so the garage door opens as you approach and turn the lights on if its dark, etc.
And it's free.
https://home-assistant.io/
You can run it on a Pi, or in a docker, and it can integrate a silly number of devices. Techie coding type of automation, but will even do Bayesian stuff if you want, and will integrate with location so the garage door opens as you approach and turn the lights on if its dark, etc.
And it's free.
#9
Re: The Smart Home
I have 12 Philips Hue bulbs at home.
10 of them are in carriage lamps on the exterior of my house. I've used If This Then That (IFTTT) so they come on automatically at sunset, dim to 5% at 10pm and switch off at sunrise every day.
IFTTT gets the sunrise and sunset information for Perth each day so the time they come on and switch changes on a daily basis.
Because they are LED they use very little power and my house looks AWESOME!
At Christmas and Halloween I use apps to control the lights to put on a colourful display, again it looks fantastic.
10 of them are in carriage lamps on the exterior of my house. I've used If This Then That (IFTTT) so they come on automatically at sunset, dim to 5% at 10pm and switch off at sunrise every day.
IFTTT gets the sunrise and sunset information for Perth each day so the time they come on and switch changes on a daily basis.
Because they are LED they use very little power and my house looks AWESOME!
At Christmas and Halloween I use apps to control the lights to put on a colourful display, again it looks fantastic.
#10
Re: The Smart Home
I have 12 Philips Hue bulbs at home.
10 of them are in carriage lamps on the exterior of my house. I've used If This Then That (IFTTT) so they come on automatically at sunset, dim to 5% at 10pm and switch off at sunrise every day.
IFTTT gets the sunrise and sunset information for Perth each day so the time they come on and switch changes on a daily basis.
Because they are LED they use very little power and my house looks AWESOME!
At Christmas and Halloween I use apps to control the lights to put on a colourful display, again it looks fantastic.
10 of them are in carriage lamps on the exterior of my house. I've used If This Then That (IFTTT) so they come on automatically at sunset, dim to 5% at 10pm and switch off at sunrise every day.
IFTTT gets the sunrise and sunset information for Perth each day so the time they come on and switch changes on a daily basis.
Because they are LED they use very little power and my house looks AWESOME!
At Christmas and Halloween I use apps to control the lights to put on a colourful display, again it looks fantastic.
BTW in the 'adding control to existing stuff' stakes there's now a newer player in the game, SONOFF. These are little, inline, wifi controlled, switches - that can switch on/off virtually anything, and cost $5 a shot. People have hacked the firmware to make them talk to more things, nicer.
https://www.superhouse.tv/21-six-sonoff-secrets/
#11
Re: The Smart Home
Smart Home gadgets; another way for companies to make sure gadgets are made obsolete by a date effected by them by switching them off via the nett.
#12
Re: The Smart Home
Amazon Echos & Dots are up for pre-sale on Amazon. Delivery 1st Feb.
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B078GH9T4R
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B078GH9T4R
#13
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,040
Re: The Smart Home
Amazon Echos & Dots are up for pre-sale on Amazon. Delivery 1st Feb.
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B078GH9T4R
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B078GH9T4R