Smart Phone +Smart Home=Safer Home

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HisTreeNut

Minister of Fire
Nov 3, 2014
1,097
Burnsville, NC
Well, maybe not...



I must say this has a lot of "if's" to it, but something to be aware of...just a little creepy for me.

Sent from my VS835 using Tapatalk
 
I'm not sure we have to worry about lasers, but I dont understand the fascination with a "smart" home.
 
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Reactions: firefighterjake
Smart home is just a way to sell you more stuff and collect more data. I might be interested if the mfgs were willing to pay consumers for all of that data.
 
i wire switches and outlets for people so they can pay me money to do it and so that they can stop and fumble with their phones for a minute. the big one is wiring a thermostat that can be controlled via the web. they can't remember to turn the thermostat before going to work but they can remember to do it with their phone. i don't get it. when i ask why they just say they want control from the sofa......
 
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Reactions: SpaceBus
I never understood how the nest type thermostats have a following if the furnace is sized right. If I turned my thermostat down 5 degrees, it would probably take a few hours to get back to temp.
 
I never understood how the nest type thermostats have a following if the furnace is sized right. If I turned my thermostat down 5 degrees, it would probably take a few hours to get back to temp.
the other reason people like them is the next guy has one and they don't want to miss out.
 
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Reactions: Grizzerbear
I have a web based Honeywell thermostat system. Because it takes up to 24 hours for the house to come up to 70 from 55 degrees it’s a must for me running up for long weekends 2X or more per month.
I use Arlo cameras for peace of mind and I can watch the snowfall amounts.
Security system is VHF radio first and telco is its backup
Everything else is old school and staying that way.
 
That's a little bit different situation from the guy who wants to cut the temp back on his house in the middle of the day.
 
That's a little bit different situation from the guy who wants to cut the temp back on his house in the middle of the day.
Correct and I could program set backs into the system but RFH really doesn’t perform well with setting things back too much. Losing a few degrees is not going to save much anyway.
 
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How do you like the Arlo system? And what's the VHF security system?
VHF is radio to a tower. Go ahead and cut my phone line. LOL.
Arlo is good for what it is. It’s wifi and battery powered. If somebody pulls in the driveway like tonight (my snow plower) it sends me an instant alert. I really use it for who is driving in. How much snowfall did I get and with the 3rd camera it is in the kitchen looking at a major intersection in the house if someone strangely got in and did not trip the alarm.

On a personal level I think it’s very creepy. I try to remember to disable it on my way thru the town south of me with great cell service but sometimes I forget then as soon as I pull in to the front door my phone blows up.

When I replaced the alarm a couple of years ago the owner of the company asked if I wanted smart home capability and I quickly said NFW!! It’s really not that hard to press 4 digits for on/off when I walk in/out plus I have contractors and friends with user alarm codes.
 
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I have some smart outlets and switches. They are super handy because I can tell them to turn on and off ( cattle water heater that pulls 250W ) when temps outside are above or below freezing. I also have an outlet in my barn that I can set to turn on at 4AM for the block and tranny heater on my tractor. All of my stuff is either Z-Wave of Zigbee which are industry standards unlike some of the Wi-Fi Chinese crap you buy from Amazon.
 
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Do you mean cellular, or are you a Ham radio operator?
I'm not familair with any modern VHF commercial security systems.
I ask because I have a cabin in NE PA where cell service is still sketchy.
VHF transmitter that communicates off one of the communication towers that the area uses for PD/FD/SP/Warden and Forestry Service.
Cell service at the house is not great.
The alarm company is locally based and owned and they really know the limitations of the area due to our remoteness.