Thank heavens it may soon be possible to switch the light on in my master bedroom when I enter, at the cost of only a measly iPhone, a new internet-enabled switch, an electrician's visit, a home hub, some get-your-head-around-it time, some programming time, additional always-on power usage adding to global warming and my bills, and the slight nuisance of repairing all the damage done when some hacker decides to abuse the inevitable security loopholes to virtually break into my home and wreak havok.
That's a little short sighted. Sure, I can push the button on my switch when I walk in the door to my bedroom. But it's very handy to have a reminder pop up on my watch that I have left lights on at home when I've gone to walk the dog and now I'm a quarter of a mile away. The Lutron app asks if I would like to have the lights turned off. Then, when I come back home, and it's now dark, the lights turn on as I approach.
The solution I have cost more than a regular light switch, sure. But I already have an iPhone and I find a lot of convenience in the current system.
Also, I'm a little unclear on how a hacker is going to break into my house by gaining control of my light switch.
I'm really excited about the possibilities with HomeKit, but I really hope Apple makes it possible to have a Mac control HomeKit. I have Philips Hue lights and I love being able to control them from my Mac rather than having to reach for my iPhone. Since I can control them on my Mac, it means I can create event-like Applescripts for them, and I'm hoping HomeKit expands those possibilities.
One piece of context that these types of things often miss is that MULTIPLE PEOPLE live in a house!
IFTTT is _terrible_ in this regard. If you set it to turn off your lights when you leave and turn them back on when you get home... then it will do that regardless of who else is home. So if I run out to the store at night... my wife is automatically plunged into darkness. If I go for a jog in the morning then my wife is blasted with all the lights in our house when I return.
The _only_ service that I've seen get this right so far is http://www.skylarkios.com . It sets the home/away status on your Nest... by using geofencing. What's different about it is that it actually keeps a home/away status _for every person in your house_.... only setting Away on your Nest if _everyone_ is gone.
These are the kinds of smarts we need built into the system!
I get the idea that many people that come up with home automation stuff (like IFTTT) are single dudes living in an apartment by themselves ;-)
I use IFTTT with my Hue bulbs. I really hope Homekit will include the sunset and sunrise triggers depending on location, it's a great way to control when lights turn on and off and means I don't have to change the times when it's summer or winter. I also like the weather triggers; when it's cold my lights have a more red/orange tone and when it's hot they change to bluer tones. One of my lamps lets me know whether there's rain in forecast by changing colour. Location awareness isn't so important; I don't want my family to be plunged into darkness if I leave the house!
Try the app "Hue Sunset". I use it and it works reliably for me.
Thank heavens it may soon be possible to switch the light on in my master bedroom when I enter, at the cost of only a measly iPhone, a new internet-enabled switch, an electrician's visit, a home hub, some get-your-head-around-it time, some programming time, additional always-on power usage adding to global warming and my bills, and the slight nuisance of repairing all the damage done when some hacker decides to abuse the inevitable security loopholes to virtually break into my home and wreak havok.
It's that exhausting stretch of my right arm as I enter currently that I just can't bear to have to put up with a moment longer. Roll on Brave New World.
Yes but not everyone has your massive biceps from all that rubbing two sticks together whenever you want that new fangled "fire" thingy the kids are all taking about.
I'm still surprised that HomeKit was not touted as a major feature during the keynote. A demo showing its capabilities off using some hardware would have been nice. I hope Apple will push this.
One thing these things need to get better about is MULTIPERSON contextual awareness.
I use IFTTT to turn my Hue lights on when I come home... But it doesn't take into account what my wife is up to. If I ran out to grab some donuts early in the morning then IFTTT will happily blast all the lights in my house when I return... A rather rude awakening for my wife!
Skylark ( http://www.skylarkios.com ) is the best smart home app I have seen in this regard. It uses the built-in geofencing capability of iOS to know whether each person in your house is still at home or away... and then only adjusts the thermostat if everyone has left. Really cool.
Going forward I hope to see more stuff like this... and hopefully Homekit will be a platform for innovative ideas like this. We'll see.
Skylark is a lifesaver for me! I linked my Nest account to my Hue account and my Logitech Barmony account so now when the Nest goes into Away mode all the lights in the house and my whole entertainment system automatically turn off. And thanks to Skylark this only happens when both my wife and I have left the house since it takes both of our phones into account.
I'm still surprised that HomeKit was not touted as a major feature during the keynote. A demo showing its capabilities off using some hardware would have been nice. I hope Apple will push this.
I think the majority still won't bother about it. What's wrong with turning the light off yourself?
I had the same concerns about multi-person control. With ?TV as the hub it has to be logged in with the same Apple ID as the iPhone. I supposed Apple wants you to buy a second ?TV for your spouse.
I think the majority still won't bother about it. What's wrong with turning the light off yourself?
I think people don't realize the potential. And Apple is not yet marketing it.
What people only start to understand is similar to the phone or Mac where eg you don't want to have to think about stuff like backups. Nobody explicitly wants to do this him-:herself. In the same way nobody really wants to have to take care of lights, locks, temperature etc. manually. Just they're used to like they were used to patch Tuesday or anti virus software
Ah, the Clapper. When those commercials came out, I imagined a scenario where someone puts their TV on a Clapper, then when the TV commercial comes on, it turns off your TV whether you liked it or not!
I like the Clapper. Used to live in an apartment with a bad cable modem that required frequent reboots. The solution: attach modem to Clapper. Problem solved (Well, problem mitigated...)
Comments
That's only four letters.
Besides, with 1.5 million apps in the store, it's hard to keep up. I remember when there were 500.
IF T T T
Thank heavens it may soon be possible to switch the light on in my master bedroom when I enter, at the cost of only a measly iPhone, a new internet-enabled switch, an electrician's visit, a home hub, some get-your-head-around-it time, some programming time, additional always-on power usage adding to global warming and my bills, and the slight nuisance of repairing all the damage done when some hacker decides to abuse the inevitable security loopholes to virtually break into my home and wreak havok.
That's a little short sighted. Sure, I can push the button on my switch when I walk in the door to my bedroom. But it's very handy to have a reminder pop up on my watch that I have left lights on at home when I've gone to walk the dog and now I'm a quarter of a mile away. The Lutron app asks if I would like to have the lights turned off. Then, when I come back home, and it's now dark, the lights turn on as I approach.
The solution I have cost more than a regular light switch, sure. But I already have an iPhone and I find a lot of convenience in the current system.
Also, I'm a little unclear on how a hacker is going to break into my house by gaining control of my light switch.
I can't wait until I can walk in and out of a room wearing an AppleWatch and the lights turn on / off, temperature set to my preference, etc.
One piece of context that these types of things often miss is that MULTIPLE PEOPLE live in a house!
IFTTT is _terrible_ in this regard. If you set it to turn off your lights when you leave and turn them back on when you get home... then it will do that regardless of who else is home. So if I run out to the store at night... my wife is automatically plunged into darkness. If I go for a jog in the morning then my wife is blasted with all the lights in our house when I return.
The _only_ service that I've seen get this right so far is http://www.skylarkios.com . It sets the home/away status on your Nest... by using geofencing. What's different about it is that it actually keeps a home/away status _for every person in your house_.... only setting Away on your Nest if _everyone_ is gone.
These are the kinds of smarts we need built into the system!
I get the idea that many people that come up with home automation stuff (like IFTTT) are single dudes living in an apartment by themselves ;-)
Try the app "Hue Sunset". I use it and it works reliably for me.
Iron Man
Why is AI recycling articles?
I wish someone would explain how, where and which app you actually use to create scenes. So far I have not seen this elusive HomeKit app.
No mention of how all this is already possible with SmartThings?
Skylark is a lifesaver for me! I linked my Nest account to my Hue account and my Logitech Barmony account so now when the Nest goes into Away mode all the lights in the house and my whole entertainment system automatically turn off. And thanks to Skylark this only happens when both my wife and I have left the house since it takes both of our phones into account.
I'm still surprised that HomeKit was not touted as a major feature during the keynote. A demo showing its capabilities off using some hardware would have been nice. I hope Apple will push this.
I think the majority still won't bother about it. What's wrong with turning the light off yourself?
That's only four letters.
Besides, with 1.5 million apps in the store, it's hard to keep up. I remember when there were 500.
Seriously? There is only one "app" you need to remember... https://www.google.com/#q=IFTTT
I hack into your light switch and keep flicking the lights on the porch on and off.
When you go outside to investigate, I jump out of the bushes and taze you bro.
I had the same concerns about multi-person control. With ?TV as the hub it has to be logged in with the same Apple ID as the iPhone. I supposed Apple wants you to buy a second ?TV for your spouse.
Does FamilySharing not solve this?
I think people don't realize the potential. And Apple is not yet marketing it.
What people only start to understand is similar to the phone or Mac where eg you don't want to have to think about stuff like backups. Nobody explicitly wants to do this him-:herself. In the same way nobody really wants to have to take care of lights, locks, temperature etc. manually. Just they're used to like they were used to patch Tuesday or anti virus software
Ah, the Clapper. When those commercials came out, I imagined a scenario where someone puts their TV on a Clapper, then when the TV commercial comes on, it turns off your TV whether you liked it or not!
I like the Clapper. Used to live in an apartment with a bad cable modem that required frequent reboots. The solution: attach modem to Clapper. Problem solved (Well, problem mitigated...)