Alexa Cannibalism

Interesting chart about what things are now being done with Alexa and her friends... I know we stream a lot of music (vs. doing it from our smart phones), so that fits. We stream WUOT (the local NPR station) on our phones. If WUOT added a skill for streaming, that would also move off our phones to the Echo Dot/Anker Eufy Genie. I'm not seeing that Alexa replaces much time with tablets, the TV, or our computers - other than doing some basic voice commands for lights, thermostat, etc.

See the article at Business Insider.

Doom!

It's everywhere!

You can play "Doom" on a thermostat because of course you can https://t.co/tql3kdXQpX pic.twitter.com/P2Ob7fy1xD

— Motherboard (@motherboard) May 23, 2017

Look, I'm not saying ATMs are trivial to hack, just that lots of them seem to run Doom okay. Infer what you will 😏 pic.twitter.com/PNPPj4L4Tp

— covfefe||oɥɔsɐp (@da5ch0) March 6, 2017

Internet of Things: Febreze Home

Control the scent (fan) from your phone, integrate Febreze Home with your Nest Thermostat, and use it as a smart night light. For real.

Oh god. It's happening. pic.twitter.com/tibDbAh8lK

— Internet of Shit (@internetofshit) July 15, 2016

Honeywell Thermostat and Amazon Echo

I can adjust my thermostat from the app on my phone - which is nice, but the real advantage is being able to build the schedule without having to wade through the menus on the limited physical interface of the thermostat itself.

So, I'm not sure how much I would use the integration with the Amazon Echo, but it's cool to see it is an option:

"Amazon Echo can now control your Honeywell Total Connect Comfort Thermostat. Use Alexa, the voice service that powers Amazon Echo, to set the perfect temperature in your home by voice command. Simply say "Alexa, set my temperature to 72 degrees" and enjoy your home's comfort without having to lift a finger."

Also, you can get a cheap refurbished Amazon Echo today from Woot.

Nest Thermostat

Interesting take on actually living with the Nest thermostat:

"When I first got my Nest I felt like I had super powers because it connected to Wi-Fi and enabled me to adjust my home’s temperature using the Nest website or tablet app. This was unheard of for a thermostat at that time. But this positive feature has been eclipsed by negative elements that commandeered control. (And control is what you really want when it comes to using a device.) 

A learning device implies that it will not only pick up on what you usually do, but it will also: 1) allow you to change, and 2) absorb those changes. My Nest learned quite well, but then stopped learning. It remembered but it didn’t look for variations or adapt. It was the equivalent of a printed textbook: Facts, correct or not, become law if written in there and thus will be taught that way until the school chooses a different textbook. 

When I turned the dial to increase the heat to 66 degrees, rather than responding by making the house warmer, or by informing me that it is now working toward this, it read, "in 1 hour and 20 minutes 66 degrees until 10:00PM.” The next day the house temperature plummeted to a punishing 50 degrees (I realize I may be spoiled) for no reason I was privy to. Here, by the way, is another usability heuristic not heeded: visibility of system status."

That article makes me happier with my Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostats. They are very easy to control. It's not flashy, but they just seem to work. I've had one for a long time now and the second one for about a month. Defining a schedule is fairly straightforward, but the temporary overrides are trivial to make. It has controls at the thermostat or you can make changes via the web or the app.

IoT with Google Nest

It is amazing the connections that will be possible with the IoT and devices like Google Nest.

Some of the “Works With Nest” automations which Nest is talking about: 

• Mercedes-Benz cars can alert a Nest thermostat to when you’ll arrive home so that it can begin adjusting the temperature while you’re on your way.

• Logitech Harmony universal remotes can be programmed to control a Nest thermostat.

• A Nest thermostat can tell a Whirlpool washer and dryer that you’re not at home, allowing them to switch to slower, more energy-efficient cycles.

• When your Jawbone Up24 wristband knows you’ve woken up, it can tell a Nest thermostat so that it can tweak the temperature.

• LIFX light bulbs can flash if your Nest Protect smoke detector goes off, and fool prowlers by turning on and off randomly when your Nest thermostat tells them that you’re not around.

• The excellent IFTTT service for DIY automation works with the Nest thermostat and Nest Protect smoke detector, letting you write your own recipes, such as one which alerts the neighbors by text message if smoke is detected at your home.

• Starting this fall, the Google Now smartphone app will let the Nest thermostat know when you’re on the way home, and will allow you to set it through an “OK Google” spoken command.

IoT: Honeywell Lyric Thermostat

Forget the NSA, your thermostat is watching you.

"The Lyric has a motion sensor, too–one which it uses to put itself into an interactive mode when it notices you’ve approached. But for monitoring whether you’re at home at all, Honeywell’s thermostat leverages its iOS and Android apps. Your phone tracks your location via GPS and reports it back to the thermostat, so the Lyric knows if you’re around the house or at a distant location. And if it notices that you’re headed home, it can begin to adjust itself so that the temperature is ideal by the time you arrive."

Open Source Thermostat

Build an open-source thermostat. (Via Bunnie Studios)

Can I also get an open-source refrigerator?

Google's Business Plan

Google's Business Plan

Step 1: Control your thermostat
Step 2: Control the weather
Step 3: PROFIT

Internet of Things and Security

I've seen several articles about the Internet of Things (IoT) being big in 2014. I am, in general a fan of the advantages of connected devices and the cloud, but I'm not unaware of the problems.

Bruce talks about the security issues of the IoT and routers:

"And the Internet of Things will only make this problem worse, as the Internet -- as well as our homes and bodies -- becomes flooded with new embedded devices that will be equally poorly maintained and unpatchable. But routers and modems pose a particular problem, because they're: (1) between users and the Internet, so turning them off is increasingly not an option; (2) more powerful and more general in function than other embedded devices; (3) the one 24/7 computing device in the house, and are a natural place for lots of new features."

Hans pointed out an example of a security issue on my post about the WRT54G router.

Part of my hope is that companies will take this issues more seriously. Security should be planned just as any other requirement for the application or tool. The market should severely punish companies like SnapChat that approach security issues with arrogance. And Nest had a painful, confusing experience when some of their smart/connected thermostat users were left without heat. I'm sure it will get worse before it gets better, but like given time I expect these devices will mature... or we will quit using them. At least the ones we have a choice in.

And maybe I don't want my toothbrush connected after all.

WiFi Smoke Detectors

What's the next connected device in your house? How about your smoke detectors?

I can see all sorts of detectors... additional sensors for your thermostat, doors and locks (that I've mentioned before), garage doors, kitchen sensors for smells (is this milk still good?), lights being on/off, etc. Who knows, maybe your radio will be wireless someday.

Chromecast

Some have complained that the Chromecast is too limited, but I bought it to stream Netflix. If it does anything else, than that is just gravy.

I hooked it up this morning. It took about 10 minutes. Like my thermostat, it advertises a wireless network that you connect to from a laptop/phone/tablet. Once you've connected, you supply the information for your home network and the Chromecast will connect to it.

Once I got it on my network, I opened Netflix on my iPad and told it to send the stream to the TV. It worked like a champ!

The only thing that is a bit clunky is that you have to plug the dongle into a USB charger for power. That keeps it from being 100% wireless all the time, but that's a minor quibble in my book.

Networked Devices at Home

I have marveled at how many devices I have on my network at the house. Beyond the usual smartphones, tablets, printers, game consoles, and even laptops; I now have my thermostat on my wireless. I can control the HVAC from anywhere via a webpage or app. It was pretty cool (no pun intended) to be on vacation and remotely change the heating/cooling schedule to save a few pennies since we were out of town. (I ended up not getting a Nest even though I still think it is neat.)

I had to get a new controller for my irrigation system - it was only as I was checking the thermostats program that I realized I should have asked about one with network connectivity. It would have saved a lot of running around the house - start zone 1, walk to check it, walk back to start zone 2, etc.

If I ever have to replace the cipher lock on my front door, maybe I need to upgrade to an August lock.

Nest Thermostat

I posted back in October about the Nest Thermostat. I thought it looked to be a cool device. Given that Honeywell is suing Nest, it must be good. Nest responds and says they will fight the good fight.

Power Company Controlled Thermostat or Blackout

I was reading this article about a UT professor's work to gather data about the power grid in order to better manage demand. It talked about rolling blackouts as a method to prevent the total collapse of the system when it is overwhelmed by demand.

I've read other stories about the power company wanting to have the ability to reach in and change the settings on my thermostat to reduce energy usage during peak times. I usually get my feathers ruffled by the idea of the power company controlling the temperature in my house.

Then it occurred to me that a house that is a little too warm is better than one that has no power, so no air conditioning either - and no lights, internet, etc. Of course, this also reminds me of the Ben Franklin quote about the choice between liberty and security.

Which poison would you choose? Rolling blackouts or a remote controlled thermostat?

Nest - Learning WiFi Thermostat

How about a smart WiFi enabled thermostat? The Nest Learning Thermostat is just that. What makes it smart? Data from several sensors - Temperature (as you would expect), Humidity, Proximity, Far-field activity, Near-field activity, and Ambient light. It knows when you are home using the activity sensors. It lights up when you get close. You supply it with your zip code, so it knows what the weather is outside. It builds a history and develops a schedule for you based on the changes you make over time. It calculates how long it will take to reach a certain temperature. (In the summer that may be calculated in hours instead of minutes when we hit 100 and I want to get in the low 70's.) It has WiFi and you can control it remotely. I like where all this is going. I manually changed my thermostats, so I'm not sure if this would ever pay for itself, but I like gadgets.

Via Uncrate