this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2023
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Still haven't gotten in to the smart home stuff. Friends who enjoy it as a hobby and self host I can see the fun in it. The consumer stuff just seems like it tells you stuff that doesn't really matter, or it's controlling lights on voice command which is cool I guess, but it's not as good as a self-contained switch with instant feedback.
You can have a smart home and still keep your privacy. Home Assistant is an open source tool you install to a raspberry pi, and it lets you control your devices locally without ever sending anything to the internet.
I've been using it for years and it is really nice.
That's what my friends who self-host use, it's more utility than privacy that's holding me back though because I'd totally use this option. It's like "ugh another system to manage" after managing computer systems for work all day. I like my analog switches and a heavy knobfeel, drive a car from the 00s with all buttons.
Oh I feel this. So true.
I love my "smart" thermostat. Being able to adjust the AC or heat a few degrees when I'm leaving work so my place is the perfect temp when I get home is awesome.
I don't understand why I would want any of my other appliances to be "smart."
Having my lights automatically controlled is nice. They turn on just before sunset, then I have my lamp in my bedroom turn on just before I head to bed normally so I can get straight into bed and hit a button to make the room dark.
I have a few other things connected to Home Assistant like my 3D printer and an air quality meter just to have a dashboard for how things are in my place. But I have zero interest in appliances being connected to the internet. Especially anything that could be dangerous if it malfunctioned.
We have old European radiators in this apartment. But you can attach these electric valves to it with radios. So now my home assistant can just turn the knobs when the thermometer notices it's getting too cold or hot. Very old tech combined with smart home automation...
You can make it smarter by attaching time delay relay.
I like that I can away from my oven while it's preheating and it will notify me when the preheat is done and being able to turn it off remotely is also nice. I really appreciate my smart lights, if ni other feature than colour changing.