I was surprised by the lack of responses in the Amazon Echo thread the other day and was wondering about other people’s general attitude to home automation. Most of us take for granted the heating coming on at the programed time and I suspect many of us also have timers on a light or two. But has anyone gone any further? If so, is it because of (perceived) security, convenience or maybe even a disability.
I’m currently investigating skirting round the edges and putting together rather Heath Robinson solutions as anything all encompassing is going to be very expensive. Ideally, I’d like to be able to draw the curtains in the living room and switch a few lights on when I out or on holiday but, unless I go for something like the Belkin or Philips lights, I’m either stuck in the past with X10 or I have to get the lighting circuit rewired (you really need a neutral at the switch and most UK homes don’t have it).
Any solutions, experiences?
My current task is seeing up a raspberry pi based system that will check if there’s a connected wifi signal available in the house and automatically reboot the router & modem if it isn’t so that I always have access back into the house from my phone when I’m away.
Home Automation
My automation is confined to the towel heater in the bathroom coming on once a day before I get up.oooh and the television recorder.
Just one piece of home automation: our airconditioning kicks into gear at 7.53 every evening – neither SFWIC nor I know why, let alone how to deactivate it.
Home automation in our house is confined to Blackie the cat making her silent presence felt about 4pm, and if no food is apparent between 4.30 and 5, upping the ante with a few beseeching meeows. After 5pm they become more strident and frequent. If we happen to come home late, and have failed to ask either our daughter (who lives round the corner) or our neighbour upstairs to attend to her needs, we are basically in deep shit.
No “automation” here. I have enough time to turn the heater on when I need it.
And having witnessed lots of pre-programmed household utilities at my former agency job (the lights switching off in the evening, the fridge not working on weekends, the microwave refusing to work after three “jobs”, etc etc.) – not to mention electronic keys and their behavior – I don’t have any intention to “upgrade”. Sorry.
What could go wrong!
I think it’s over engineering a solution to a problem that doesn’t really exist. I feel no need for home automation over what I already have (boiler that turns on and off when we want it to, largely). Add to that buying a solution that stops being supported, including security updates, and I’ll live well without I think.