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Russ in Vancouver
07-28-2012, 12:34 AM
Hello all,

I was wondering how the general population feels about being able to control things around the house via your smartphone.
Things that one can do:

Open and close garage door
Turn on and off lights
control central HVAC
Remotely unlock a door for a contractor or friend etc.
Water the lawn
Set coffee pot to make coffee at a set time.
Tell you when your kids used a code to unlock door and come home from school


This set up can run stand alone or it can be incorporated into a modern security system that can manage and log events like who opened doors. It also can manage surveillance cameras.

Would this technology be appealing to you?
Would you spend a few thousand for this convenience and control over your home or commercial enterprise?

Steve B
07-28-2012, 05:55 AM
There wasn't an answer choice that fit my response. It is interesting to me, therefore I "like" the technology. I just don't have a need to automate any of those things and it wouldn't be a priority for me even if I had a bunch of money. So, I "Like" it, but don't need it and wouldn't spend any money on it.

painperdu
07-28-2012, 07:37 AM
I too like the technology but I don't know if I'd feel motivated enough to get it done. I do think these things would make great selling points to new home buyers. That is, if these technologies were already implemented I might be persuaded to pay a little extra for it.

Harold Mansfield
07-28-2012, 10:53 AM
I love the technology am always looking for ways to automate, and integrate. My favorite word with a new product or service is "sync". I even look for ways to get my clients to "integrate" their marketing and utilize their smart phones, as well as provide their clients opportunity to utilize theirs.

Sadly, I can't yet afford all the really cool toys, but when I can, it's on. My favorite place to window shop is Control4 Home Automation and Smart Home Control > Home (http://www.control4.com/)

MyITGuy
07-28-2012, 11:45 AM
As an IT person myself, I definitely like the home automation products.

However I could not justify spending thousands on these products for what amounts to a few bucks in parts and programming just for me to tell these systems what to do anyways. It might be worth it if these systems could sense where the homeowners are and take actions on this.

I.E. No one is at home - Adjust the A/C Up or Heat down to save on power/gas, ensure all doors are locked, close the garage door, ensure all dangerous appliances are turned off, turn off lights
System detects I am on my way home from work - Adjust the A/C down or Heat up
System detects that I just pulled on to my street - Open the garage door if needed, unlock the front/access door, turn on lights as needed.

billbenson
07-28-2012, 12:42 PM
The problem you are running into here is a lot of us work from home so the remote functions have little value. Having said that, a very high percentage (I believe) of Americans both spouses work outside of the home. They are mostly non technical so packaging anything from the nanny - cam to the other things you mentioned should have a good market?

Russ in Vancouver
07-28-2012, 12:44 PM
Hi IT guy


As an IT person myself, I definitely like the home automation products.

However I could not justify spending thousands on these products for what amounts to a few bucks in parts and programming just for me to tell these systems what to do anyways. It might be worth it if these systems could sense where the homeowners are and take actions on this.

I.E. No one is at home - Adjust the A/C Up or Heat down to save on power/gas, ensure all doors are locked, close the garage door, ensure all dangerous appliances are turned off, turn off lights
Todays modern alarm systems can somewhat do this by syncing with the PIR motion detectors. Creating a timer macro to close garage door and alert you if certain appliances are left on if system is armed and away rather than armed and stay.
System detects I am on my way home from work - Adjust the A/C down or Heat up
This is cool, its on its way with smartphone GPS location based apps. The current systems work with a set schedule or you may activate by smartphone apps.
System detects that I just pulled on to my street - Open the garage door if needed, unlock the front/access door, turn on lights as needed.
Todays systems can most definitely do this

Have a great weekend everyone

MyITGuy
07-28-2012, 06:16 PM
Todays modern alarm systems can somewhat do this by syncing with the PIR motion detectors. Creating a timer macro to close garage door and alert you if certain appliances are left on if system is armed and away rather than armed and stay.

I had forgotten about alarm systems...but in that case I will add:
What if PIR detectors are not in every room. (I.E. Glass Break or Window/Door sensors)
If people are home but just aren't moving enough to set off the detectors (I.E. In bed, or taking a long bath or etc...)
Or if you would prefer that your home automation enable/disable the alarm automatically based on your location.

For the purpose of this thread I am keeping Phone/NFC devices in mind when thinking of Home Automation and I say this because true Automation should not involve any manual interaction from me (At least in my opinion). Setting alarms, using control panels or remote controls is not automation...but rather another interface that you can use to control certain devices.

billbenson
07-28-2012, 11:55 PM
I understand your point Jeff, but I think interactive things should go in the same basket. I've always wanted put a good camera system in and around my house that is both locally and remotely available. I've never done it because I live in a low crime area. A year or two ago some kids baseball batted to death my mail box and 19 others in my neighborhood. I'd love to hand a cop a video of them or at least know who did it.

I'm also an automation freak. The greatest invention for me is my sprinkler system and well. It doesn't cost me anything to water the lawn and it happens automatically.