The Elusive Smart Home

[S-F]

I think that whoever can bring a product to the market which addresses the concerns in this article and also remain compatible with the many new products that spring up all the time will quickly dominate the home automation market.

http://www.mhealthtalk.com/elusive-smart-home/

Consumers like the benefits of home automation but not the cost and effort to automate. No wonder this industry remains stalled, even after some 58 years. It just takes too much expertise to program the automation; there are too many different types of things to automate; and we rely too much on rules-based programs (e.g. the home may ask. Or, (like a crash or glass break)

[outbackrob]

The only way Home Automation is going take off is if the price comes down.

When an X10 module was $29, I bought one every other month or so. In 1986 I had a GE Homeminder (Radio Shack $99) 2 lamp modules, a wall switch and 2 appliance modules. I got a timer box for Christmas so then I woke up to a lit room and the smell of fresh toast and coffee every morning (If I loaded the toaster and old coffee pot the night before.) When X10.com had their crazy period and everything was so cheap, I had cloud boxes arriving at my house ever other day or so. It allowed me to "automate" EVERYTHING. EVERY light. EVERY lamp. EVERY appliance. It was SO CHEAP! Using macros stored in the CM11A, I made my house as SMART as it could be with that technology. Then, for $79 more, there was software that could control all the stuff I already had, and make it all work together in just about any way I could think of! THAT was awesome!

Today we are back to the 80 and 90's. Granted the technology is better, but the cost of entry is high again. Gone are the days when you could buy a stand-alone system that controlled a light and an appliance with a remote or by motion detection for $25. Now a single Z-Wave module is $40 and if it has a person's name on it, it's $60+. A decent programmable thermostat is $40, but one you can control with your phone is a minimum of $150. Garage door controllers are about $100. If you are a regular Joe and just want to be sure your A/C is turned up, the garage door is closed, the front door is locked and the a few lights are turned off after you leave, you're in it for close to $500 already. (Assuming all the parts talk to each other.) 4 60W incandescent bulbs cost $6.50. A single 60W LED bulb costs about the same but supposedly lasts 4x longer. A single Z-Wave light bulb (that requires an additional interface to work) costs at least $35. $150+ to be able to control 4 bulbs from your phone..... If you are a newbie to HA, that is a pretty intimidating number. For a regular Joe, that's a non-starter. Add to that the complexity of multiple brands and multiple apps and making it all work together, and the probability of someone buying into it diminishes even farther.

I think that whoever can bring a product to the market which addresses the concerns in this article and also remain compatible with the many new products that spring up all the time will quickly dominate the home automation market.

Homeseer was that product for me in 2003! It allowed me to do everything I had wished I could do for about 15 years! 12 years later? Still trying to figure it out...

[Steve Q]

Cost is an important factor, but I think the complexity of home automation is the big issue. In my opinion HA is getting more complicated instead of less complicated. We need "plug & play". A Z-wave network may be more reliable once it is properly setup, but the setup is daunting.

I am optimistic that cloud based services will provide solutions to the setup issues. If privacy concerns can be met, I think plug & play will be a reality.

Steve Q


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[S-F]

Aside from cost, complexity and compatibility there is also the rise of the virtual assistant. Getting that one nailed is about to become very VERY important.

[NeverDie]

The only way Home Automation is going take off is if the price comes down.

When an X10 module was $29, I bought one every other month or so. In 1986 I had a GE Homeminder (Radio Shack $99) 2 lamp modules, a wall switch and 2 appliance modules. I got a timer box for Christmas so then I woke up to a lit room and the smell of fresh toast and coffee every morning (If I loaded the toaster and old coffee pot the night before.) When X10.com had their crazy period and everything was so cheap, I had cloud boxes arriving at my house ever other day or so. It allowed me to "automate" EVERYTHING. EVERY light. EVERY lamp. EVERY appliance. It was SO CHEAP! Using macros stored in the CM11A, I made my house as SMART as it could be with that technology. Then, for $79 more, there was software that could control all the stuff I already had, and make it all work together in just about any way I could think of! THAT was awesome!

Today we are back to the 80 and 90's. Granted the technology is better, but the cost of entry is high again. Gone are the days when you could buy a stand-alone system that controlled a light and an appliance with a remote or by motion detection for $25. Now a single Z-Wave module is $40 and if it has a person's name on it, it's $60+. A decent programmable thermostat is $40, but one you can control with your phone is a minimum of $150. Garage door controllers are about $100. If you are a regular Joe and just want to be sure your A/C is turned up, the garage door is closed, the front door is locked and the a few lights are turned off after you leave, you're in it for close to $500 already. (Assuming all the parts talk to each other.) 4 60W incandescent bulbs cost $6.50. A single 60W LED bulb costs about the same but supposedly lasts 4x longer. A single Z-Wave light bulb (that requires an additional interface to work) costs at least $35. $150+ to be able to control 4 bulbs from your phone..... If you are a newbie to HA, that is a pretty intimidating number. For a regular Joe, that's a non-starter. Add to that the complexity of multiple brands and multiple apps and making it all work together, and the probability of someone buying into it diminishes even farther.



Homeseer was that product for me in 2003! It allowed me to do everything I had wished I could do for about 15 years! 12 years later? Still trying to figure it out...

The 60w GE Zigbee LED bulbs are around $10 each. So, in theory, that cuts costs dramatically.

I'm used to light switches though, so what I don't understand is: am I supposed to control the lights through a smartphone? That doesn't sound very convenient.

[outbackrob]

The 60w GE Zigbee LED bulbs are around $10 each. So, in theory, that cuts costs dramatically.

But you still need a $50 (Wink) to $125 hub. No hub no workie

I'm used to light switches though, so what I don't understand is: am I supposed to control the lights through a smartphone? That doesn't sound very convenient.

That is a very good question! While they are cheap(?) and cool, they don't really lend themselves to lighting fixtures you use irregularly. Front porch light on at dusk off at midnight, perfect. Attic lights, great. Overhead lights in the living room, bedroom lamps, ...any lamps, not so much. If you have to use the local switch, what is the point? Need a Zigbee remote control. Is there such an animal?

[NeverDie]

But you still need a $50 (Wink) to $125 hub. No hub no workie

?

At Amazon you can get two bulbs plus a wink hub for $40: http://www.amazon.com/GE-Starter-PLI...8CN4H49KNFG9W6

[outbackrob]

WINK vs LINK

At Amazon you can get two bulbs plus a wink hub for $40: http://www.amazon.com/GE-Starter-PLI...8CN4H49KNFG9W6

They are $25 at Home Depot and at Quirky.com
http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-LINK-Starter-Pack-Link-Hub-2-GE-Link-A19-Light-Bulb-PLINK-SKIT/205311040

Yes, you do get a hub with these but they are LINK hubs (Zigbee only) vs WINK hubs, and the lag time is considerable. I got the pack from Quirky and with the LINK hub only feet away from both the wireless router and the GE bulb, the lag time was between 2-10 seconds. Using the Zigbee radio in the wireless router directly, there was no noticeable lag at all. None. My X-10 lights have 1-2 seconds of lag occasionally and that is pushing it when it comes to WAF. 2-10 seconds is a non starter.

So yeah, "no hub no workie" was considering my own local WAF.....

[NeverDie]

It might be easier for GE to sell a cheap hub (one without the cloud connection delays) than for Quirky: GE could make money on every connected bulb it sells, whereas Quirky could makes money on.... what? Mainly the hub and maybe some quirky products.

[S-F]

It doesn't even matter if they paid people to use these things. They have no real smarts. They are basically glorified remote controls for lights and other sundry stuff. The Nest is the closet thing to a truly smart device and all it does is control the temperature. And I imagine that it sucks wind when people have irregular schedules.

[macromark]

It doesn't even matter if they paid people to use these things. They have no real smarts. They are basically glorified remote controls for lights and other sundry stuff. The Nest is the closet thing to a truly smart device and all it does is control the temperature. And I imagine that it sucks wind when people have irregular schedules.

Right, many folks turn off the Nest's automation because of changing schedules

[TechHA]

I still use HS3 to adjust my Nest based on current indoor and Outdoor temps.

I also adjust it based on our cell phone locations using Tasker, still working on dialing this in but so far it's working well.

Still, it's nice to know if we don't turn it down for what ever reason, it'll sense that nobody is here and turn itself down.