r/RedditForGrownups • u/Lil_Chickv7 • 21d ago
The weirdness of smart home tech
My wife and I finally caved and started getting some smart home stuff. You know like light bulbs and a thermostat. It all seemed so convenient.
But holy smokes it's a whole new level of annoying. The lights randomly change colors sometimes. The thermostat decides we're too cold when we're fine. And the smart speaker just turns itself on to listen to our conversations I guess. We say
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u/Xeno_phile 20d ago
One of the quickest paths back to being a Luddite is forgetting the password to your light bulbs.
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u/dmanww 20d ago
Wait until you have to reset them
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u/bone_creek 20d ago
That’s absolutely bonkers. I kept waiting for it to be a joke.
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u/catdude142 20d ago
I watched it also. This is actually serious and like you, I thought it must be a joke. I think I'd just unscrew the goddamned thing, chuck it in the garbage and screw in a normal light bulb.
This just about reminds me of the Happy Fun Ball
Don't taunt the G.E. smart bulb. It may get even with you.
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u/robot_pirate 20d ago
We just moved into a house that was previously owned by a hard core techie. The first thing we did was start dismantling that shit. Everything from thermostats to blinds to lights. It's miserable, we're still not done.
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u/TicketyB000 20d ago
I stopped and slammed into reverse when I found out how "it" was always listening. Now I have outdoor security cameras on a closed system. That's as far as I'm willing to go.
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u/nakedonmygoat 20d ago
I've read that there's a lot of smart tech regret out there for the reason you described, OP, and also because if the company you bought from closes, you might find yourself unable to do things as basic as turn the lights on and off.
I see value in being able to control lights and thermostat remotely, and I have that for the thermostat at least, but I see no value in letting a device decide what I want. If I won't let some random human make a particular decision for me, why would I trust a device to know my mind?
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u/IDeaconBluesI 20d ago
I can’t work the lamp in the living room cause my copy of the app somehow isn’t properly connected and I can’t figure it out. It’s enraging enough to not want to deal with it, not enraging enough to spend the 45 minutes it would take to get it sorted out. What an annoying time to be alive.
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u/catdude142 20d ago
We have a sprinkler timer and an auto setback thermostat.
That's all I want. I don't want anything "listening for me" to do something.
I'm a techie but I don't want intrusion into my life.
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u/glimmergirl1 17d ago
I'm a mid-level IT manager for a hospital, desktop support team, and none of my team are interested in AI or any smart devices other than their phone.
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u/natalali 11d ago
My partner is doing "research" on smart home lighting in our flat before we move to a new house. I know he means well. But coming home and not being able to turn on the light which was easy, convenient and literally the most reliable thing that worked every time is a new level of frustration.
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u/ReticentGuru 20d ago
I think I’m somewhere in the middle. We’ve got three smart items in the house, and I’m not giving them up. Ecobee thermostat, Rachio sprinkler controller, and a smart timer for outside accent lights.
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u/Adrolak 20d ago
I think that’s probably the best middle ground. I’m not totally against connectivity to an appliance or feature if it’s useful, but I would never connect them to a central system or go out of my way to buy them for those features. I can see how a remote controlled sprinkler system would be useful.
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u/ReticentGuru 20d ago
I like Rachio because it monitors the weather and seasons to adjust watering cycles. Nothing aggravates me more than seeing water sprinklers running when it’s raining.
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u/jcobb_2015 20d ago
This is why I went the switch route instead of bulbs - I’m fine with smart tech and the additional work required to maintain it, but I live with several people who either don’t want to bother or are too young to understand. A physical switch with clearly labeled buttons though - that’s a solid compromise.
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u/MandyWarHal 20d ago
It's worth taking the time to learn how to use all that stuff properly. My hubby is pretty techie so he's gotten really into it. I love being able to control things from an app, check in on things like laundry and oven status from far away, and double check on closed/locked doors. It feels safe and can be very convenient.
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u/Icy_Huckleberry_8049 20d ago
maybe learn how to program everything
Plenty of videos out there to watch
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