Smart Home Discussion

[Larry_LCFC]

So I've been drawn in by the Black Friday deals and invested in the Amazon Echo plus (2nd gen) which has a home hub built in. Now I'm slightly hooked on the various gadgets I can get to go with it.

 

Is anybody already on the smart home bandwagon? I'm particularly interested in the smart lightin but Phillips Hue colour bulbs seems stupidly expensive. Anyone ever used the Innr alternative at like half the price?

[martyn]

I'm in a similar position of wanting to get more involved. I've got an Amazon Echo dot at the moment which is only used to voice control my Sonos system, and set alarms.

 

The Philips Hue bulbs have been competitively priced as part of bundles (e.g. with Amazon Echo Dot/Spot) this week. Will look to see if tomorrow brings up some more good deals.

 

I had a look at the Echo + but from what i read a while back (and things may have changed) it seemed that there was too much of a compromise in terms of the functionality you could actually control with various smart home products through the Echo as the primary hub. As such, I think I'm tending more towards a hub like Samsung Smartthings.

 

On my shortlist (but still anxious about pulling the trigger) are:

1 or 2 more Echo Dots

Philips Hue (Start off with a couple of bulbs and maybe a motion sensor somewhere)

Smart Heating system (I was 100% going to get a Tado system, but they've now sprung a subscription model for all future updates - so might have to revisit that one. If anyone has a recommendation here for a system which has individual smart radiator valves I'm all ears).

Logitech Harmony Elite (down to £119 at Amazon this week)

 

 

Edited 22 November 2018 by martyn

[Hitesh]

Hue is the way forward, a lot of enhancements on a regular basis on their app and their bulbs will last longer than the cheaper versions. Plus look out for the deals on bulbs as you can often pick them up for cheap. 

 

Nest is also good for the heating but more for convenience as not convinced it saves money. 

 

Next up will be the ring doorbell, or equivalent

[urban.spaceman]

 

[Larry_LCFC]

23 minutes ago, martyn said:

I'm in a similar position of wanting to get more involved. I've got an Amazon Echo dot at the moment which is only used to voice control my Sonos system, and set alarms.

 

The Philips Hue bulbs have been competitively priced as part of bundles (e.g. with Amazon Echo Dot/Spot) this week. Will look to see if tomorrow brings up some more good deals.

 

I had a look at the Echo + but from what i read a while back (and things may have changed) it seemed that there was too much of a compromise in terms of the functionality you could actually control with various smart home products through the Echo as the primary hub. As such, I think I'm tending more towards a hub like Samsung Smartthings.

 

On my shortlist (but still anxious about pulling the trigger) are:

1 or 2 more Echo Dots

Philips Hue (Start off with a couple of bulbs and maybe a motion sensor somewhere)

Smart Heating system (I was 100% going to get a Tado system, but they've now sprung a subscription model for all future updates - so might have to revisit that one. If anyone has a recommendation here for a system which has individual smart radiator valves I'm all ears).

Logitech Harmony Elite (down to £119 at Amazon this week)

 

 

The new echo plus has the Zigbee hub in which covers my whole house. Eventually I want to get dots in all the rooms that will link back to my echo and control all the lights. Certainly the free white bulb I got with the plus seems pretty cool. Would really like colour bulbs in my living room. Not sure I can justify 70 quid for 2 bulbs.

[Carl the Llama]

I've seen enough black mirror to know this can't end well.

[Buce]

6 minutes ago, Carl the Llama said:

I've seen enough black mirror to know this can't end well.

 

Me too.

 

I think I'll stick with my stupid home.

[Larry_LCFC]

I just asked Alexa to tell me a joke and she replied "You". Wtf? Do Amazon do refunds? Bitch.

[stripeyfox]

I got a Hive and Amazon Echo from British Gas for £125 installed. Tend to use the Echo as a radio in the kitchen but the Hive is pretty good, Our old thermostat didn't work so was a no brainer really.

 

[RoboFox]

A friend of mine has all of this stuff, Alexa systems in the kitchen, living room and bedroom, all connected to his smart Hive boiler system, he controls the lights with them etc. 

 

For all the expense of it, it's essentially gimmickry and saves him the three seconds it takes to get off his arse to turn the lights on. Sure the Hive thing is good, and probably the most useful of the gadgets - but it can easily be controlled from your smartphone, which we all carry around with us at all times anyway.

 

[AKCJ]

I do a lot of cooking so i'm in the kitchen a lot.

 

I have an Echo, I use it for music and asking questions that I would otherwise google on my phone.

 

Not really convinced by many other 'Smart' home features. Switch your own bloody lights on etc.

[Trav Le Bleu]

2 hours ago, Larry_LCFC said:

I just asked Alexa to tell me a joke and she replied "You". Wtf? Do Amazon do refunds? Bitch.

Pwned!

[FoxesDeb]

I have Hive and most of the things that go with it, with a gen 2 echo. I have a sensor on my landing which turns the light on as I'm going upstairs, and one which turns the porch light on when someone walks up the drive. My iron is plugged in using a smart plug, and I often forget to turn it off when I leave the house so it's handy that I can do it on my phone when I realise. 

The heating can be turned off or down when I'm away and my teenage son has turned it up, and my lamps are on timers for when I'm away. 

I have door sensors too which notify me if they have been opened, and a camera recording my living room when I'm away, and another for the back garden year round. 

Normal lights are a nuisance to use, the light switch is better, and the thermostat can just as easily be used normally. But overall I love it, although because of the company I work for I didn't pay full price for any of it. 

[VLC86]

6 hours ago, Larry_LCFC said:

So I've been drawn in by the Black Friday deals and invested in the Amazon Echo plus (2nd gen) which has a home hub built in. Now I'm slightly hooked on the various gadgets I can get to go with it.

 

Is anybody already on the smart home bandwagon? I'm particularly interested in the smart lightin but Phillips Hue colour bulbs seems stupidly expensive. Anyone ever used the Innr alternative at like half the price?

Thanks for the reminder, completely forgot I’ve got Philips Hue! Never use it.

[Larry_LCFC]

Oooh Amazon have knocked £70 quid off the triple Phillip Hue colour bulb with Hue Bridge bundle. Down from 150 to 80. That's a decent deal.

[Jattdogg]

If it cant make me dinner it can fck off as its very very expensive once you start getting the whole house setup.

 

My kids would probably find a way to turn the heating up in the summer, call the police and order 25 pizzas with a few key words