Wasn't really till seeing this home assistant demo they have (<a href="https://www.loom.com/share/18c4dbcf8db546dfb2d7f2ef018e78e4" rel="nofollow">https://www.loom.com/share/18c4dbcf8db546dfb2d7f2ef018e78e4) that the value really clicked for me.
Side note - just like most people don't need an intelligent personal assistant to manage and respond their emails and book their flights, most people also don't need smart homes. Century old toggle switches are more than enough in a 3 room apartment or 5 room house unless you have a mention.
My primary beef with smart home (having tried it) is that every person that visits your home ends up confused about some element of it. A light switch that goes up and down is universally understood.
Zigbee, Zwave, and Bluetooth (although a bit to a lesser extent) are easy mode of you want local only. They're not IP-based networks so no Internet access to begin with.
Bluetooth--local only but setup can be a bit trickier since they don't automatically form a mesh. You may need to configure relays if your existing devices have that capability or buy dedicated relays
cfowles · · focus · HN ↗
Seems really cool.
wg0 · · focus · HN ↗
Side note - just like most people don't need an intelligent personal assistant to manage and respond their emails and book their flights, most people also don't need smart homes. Century old toggle switches are more than enough in a 3 room apartment or 5 room house unless you have a mention.
qingcharles · · focus · HN ↗
shifto · · focus · HN ↗
nijave · · focus · HN ↗
Bluetooth--local only but setup can be a bit trickier since they don't automatically form a mesh. You may need to configure relays if your existing devices have that capability or buy dedicated relays