Thinking about setting up some home automation and trying to tell myself it’s going to be harder and more tedious than I expect, but it still seems like a good idea… someone talk me out of it?
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Honestly I have never seen the point, or how it would ever really be worth the time and money.
I can't imagine any scenario where having lights or devices turn on or off for me at specific times is any better than turning them on or off myself, as needed.
And that's putting aside both security considerations, and abdicating even more control over your life and environment to corporations.
I just... don't get how pressing a few buttons became so onerous to some people. 🤷♂️
@emmadavidson “I just have to reboot the light-switch,” is not a phrase I ever want to find myself saying.
@emmadavidson Do it! I had a Siri thing set up specifically to start playing Roxy Music's 'Avalon' on the HomePod. "Hey Siri, Avalon!" What a joy.
@johnnydecimal I would do this with the main theme from Super Mario World
@emmadavidson I have literally given you stickers about this.
@daedalus I also jump off tall buildings and paddle kayaks into coal shipping lanes for fun, so I’m clearly not good at listening to risk management advice
@emmadavidson we did this in a very limited way--running Home Assistant with some zigbee-compatible lights in a few rooms. They go on/off on certain schedules, and we control them with our phones. It's been great.
@emmadavidson There's nothing quite like sitting in the dark, figuring out if the zigbee bridge caused the crash or the crash killed the zigbee bridge. In the dark, for hours, as your significant others wonder if all this was worth it.
@emmadavidson Use the bare minimum.
Ikea and/or Apple.
@emmadavidson If you just need simple IR signals the RM4 is manageable and has been a net time saver for me. If you can keep everything extremely simple it is not terrible.
But you won't. You'll have success and want more. Complex automations, particularly Home Assistant, are a full time hobby.
https://retro.social/@ifixcoinops/113504577544018227
@emmadavidson the motes, devices, sensors, links etc have a life of three years until bitrot dooms then. After that you throw well working gear away as ewaste.
@Heterokromia that sounds terrible
@emmadavidson you did ask to be talked out... <shrug>.
Actually balanced view:
Can be fun to do.
Is irritating for non-enthusiast cohabitants
Brilliant for peple living with disabilities.
The capacitors die too soon.
Nobody needed everchanging coloured LED strips. Not even aquarium fish. I acknowledge people like to buy computers, keyboards etc with them inside. These people are wrong.
@emmadavidson When I think 'Home Automation', I think Wallace and Gromit or Pee-Wee Herman.
@troberts Wallace and Gromit makes it look fun
