I'm very new to the area of home automation. My son bought me Google Home for Christmas. For me right now it has limited functionality. It will tell me the time, or start a TV series on Netflix, or begin a series of TED videos.
I have heard that it can be connected to other home automation devices, e.g. smart lightbulbs. Personally, my money would be on Google. I doubt seriously that they have the best technology. But Google is a monster in the market. Betamax was much better than VHS, but as VHS took over, the market followed. Right now I have Google home connected to a Samsung Smart TV via ChromeCast. I have been pleasantly surprised so far. I just did a quick Google search, and I saw some complaints that Google home does not do basic home automation things right now. But what does the future hold? If I knew, I'd be at the racetrack. By the way, the system is constantly listening in case you give it some sort of a command. In other words, it is spying on you. I have no idea how much information is collected, or who is collecting it, or why, so I don't recommend planning any nefarious activities in your new media room. Good luck, and take care, Dave Krehbiel From: William Lang [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, January 9, 2017 1:38 PM To: quad-list Subject: [QUAD-L] Room Automation Guys and Ladies, I’m taking the plunge and building a new room. Call the man cave but by any other name it’s a place where I can isolate myself. My daughter and her husband along with four children have been with me for a year. The kids are 11, 6, 4 and 2. The middle two are serial killers in the making and the baby is showing signs of psychotic behavior. I don’t see them leaving any time soon (Free Rent and Food). I grew up the oldest of 12 children, when I was 12 years old there were six of us, all boys. By the time I was 17 my mother stop having children. I finally got my own bed by joining USAF. (Couldn’t sleep for two weeks because I was not used to sleeping alone.) So you see I am use to living with children, We were pcrobably were as bad as my grandchildren. There seems to be a circle in life. You know, what goes around comes around. This will be my 28th year in the chair. My body is breaking down more quickly now. Stress sores, pressure sores, toe amputations and all the things that quads live with are making Billy cantankerous. I don’t want my grandchildren to remember me as an unloving curmudgeon who does nothing but growl and yell. So, back to the new room. I want to take time and automate some functions sensibly. I have enough money set aside for a conversion of the garage 20’ x 12’ into a multimedia room. I’m trying to decide which automation protocol to use. Here is where I need help. I would love to automate lighting, power on devices such as stereo receivers, TV and associated control boxes (Verizon). This seems to me a good place to start and it is imperative that the system allow me to expand to other devices (heat, air conditioning security devices etc.The system must be voice controlled. I eliminated X10 protocol because of costs and I believe it to be a closed proprietary system. (Only IR communications and no API). So, I would like to stay with devices that connect via my Wi-Fi. Phillips Hue bulbs and its associated controller seems like a good way to start. Their starter kit comes with three bulbs and integrate seamlessly with Alexa, IOS And Siri. Automating the power to a 65 inch OLED LG TV and a smart receiver Onkyo 7.2 will be done via smart Plugs, again by voice. Connection achieved by Bluetooth or Wi-Fi via IP addresses. So, I would appreciate any and all comments, help, tips and the like . Thank you quad buddies . Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do! -John Wooden Billy Lang [email protected] --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus
