Smart home getting dumber

Beer & Queso
802

This is why you always want to have manual controls as backup.

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803

Let us know when your house rickrolls you

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804

Google has introduced a new version of its famed Nest thermostat that is Matter compatible, which means it will work with Amazon Alexa and Apple Home. That’s good.

The bad: you have to set up the thermostat in Google Home before it will release the Matter code to set it up in other systems. That’s a big “nope” from me. Just Google trawling for data.

A minor “nope” is that it is not Thread compatible and uses WiFi. It’s one of those “does it really matter in practice? Not really.” vs. “it’s so simple why didn’t they do it?” quibbles. It doesn’t need the horsepower of WiFi and making it Thread compatible would take it off the WiFi network and allow it - as a mains powered device - to be a hub, expanding the range and flexibility of your home Thread network.

Basically every IOT device should be Thread compatible or thrown in the bin.

805

I just want to control my thermostats from my phone.

I don’t want them to learn anything, or “follow” me about the house. A program that I control is useful, like bedroom colder at night because that is the way the wife sleeps better. But I don’t need it to do more than that.

You there, thermostat, make it colder I say. Harrumph.

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806

That’s what have. There is an app I can control the temp, but I don’t need Alexa to do it for me, or have body heat sensors implanted into the ceiling. I don’t even know why you’d want it Thread compatible. I can’t imagine any use for that.

807

A programmable thermostat will set the temperature based on a schedule, and that’s fine if that’s all you want. I agree that “learning” thermostats are a bit much; I have pets so it’s not like I want the temperature to get jacked up to 85Âș when I leave the house.

However, I do want the temperature to be changed based on certain criteria, and a smart thermostat allows you to have settings adjusted based on scenes and automations, which can be triggered by things other than a pre-set time. This is useful in many ways.

I have the ubiquitous “Good Morning” and “Goodnight” scenes that adjust the temperature from the sleep setting to daytime setting when I actually get up or go to bed. I find this better than a timer-based trigger because I don’t end up freezing downstairs when I’m up past my bedtime, or sweating in bed because I am sleeping in.

Further, I have a remote temperature sensor in my office. I have a “Work” scene that, among other things, switches the priority of the thermostat from the main unit to the office’s remote sensor. My office is on the 2nd floor and south facing so it gets notably warmer than the rest of the house; this automation means the office is always comfortable when I’m there but the A/C reverts to normal when I’m not.

Right now I have to activate the “Work” scene by voice command or through the app. Very soon I will have this triggered by a presence sensor in the office, so I don’t even have to think about it. The “Work” scene will be en vogue when I’m in the office (say, for more than 5 minutes) and only when I’m in the office.

Lastly, a smart home assistant means you can command the thermostat on the fly with voice commands. “Hey Siri! Turn the temperature down two degrees.” Never taking the phone out of your pocket.

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808

Here’s how a workday morning goes:

“Hey Siri! Good morning.”
The lights on the nightstands are turned on to 40% and the lights are turned on in my bathroom. Lights and music are turned on in the kitchen. The alarm is disabled. The thermostat is set to the daytime temperature.

After I’ve made coffee and had breakfast, as I head upstairs to the office (typically laden with water, coffee and a snack for mid-morning)


“Hey Siri! Work.”
The front and back doors lock (just in case I went outside for some reason and left one open). The music is turned off in the kitchen. The lights are turned off in the kitchen, but only if it is before sunset, otherwise they stay on. The office lights and ceiling fan are turned on. The thermostat priority is switched to the office sensor.

Now, all of these things can be done by hand, but it’s a pain and I much prefer letting Siri take care of all that shit.

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