Flutterby™! : If your home automation starter kit

If your home automation starter kit

2013-01-14 05:01:07.982474+00 by Dan Lyke 5 comments

If your home automation starter kit contains a remote control, you have failed. Anyone in your demographic has a smart phone or a tablet.

[ related topics: Interactive Drama Marketing ]

comments in descending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment Re: made: 2013-01-15 22:04:18.930134+00 by: ebradway

And Fibaro is coming to the US. May be time to automate!

#Comment Re: made: 2013-01-15 00:39:13.225356+00 by: ebradway

If I automate my home to any degree, I'll have either old Android devices or less- expensive iOS devices, like iPod Touch, that I can loan to guests. A refurb 8GB iPod Touch is $129 at the Apple Store. An iPad Mini could provide even more controls.

If I were to sell the house and wasn't planning to strip the automation, I'd sure as heck buy a couple iPad Minis and pre-configure them so the realtors could demonstrate the automation.

#Comment Re: made: 2013-01-14 16:42:20.799751+00 by: Dan Lyke

I can't remember when the last home visitor I had who didn't ask for a WiFi password was. Although all of my applications involve overriding physical switches. The specific one we're looking for right now is being able to turn on the bathroom heater/fan from the comfort of the nice warm bed. In this case we'd wire it in parallel with the physical switch in the bathroom.

And most of the remotes are... well... don't match my notion of how a home automation system would be useful. Which may simply be a failure of my imagination on these fronts, or may indicate that I can see further than the people marketing these devices.

#Comment Re: made: 2013-01-14 15:46:18.936324+00 by: meuon

Nope. I disagree. The remote is your backup. It's for visitors. It's for house guests. It's for selling your house.

#Comment Re: made: 2013-01-14 14:45:45.841719+00 by: ebradway

I think a lot of the "start kits" contain remotes so they can get rid of the extra supply!