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What do you guys think of the idea of smart homes? I could make a basic setup using https://home-assistant.io to control my home temperature and lighting; the tools for doing this are everywhere nowadays and implementation doesn't seem too horrific anymore.
But setting aside what I "can" do, is this something that I "should" do? How can a person implement this without connecting any devices to the internet?
What's your network infrastructure like? I have my network segregated across several VLANs, and IoT devices are on VLANs that are blocked from the internet at the firewall level.
I do similar. And keep some devices (like my kasa plugs) from hitting the internet altogether.
And others that need it go on its own DMZ with the roku TVs and like.
As a hobby, yeah, go for it.
To save time and money, not so much. You will spend much more time in setup and debugging than you will ever recoup due to the automation. Same goes for the money.
I'm not a fan. Any exploitable issue with the software, and my house can be viewed by anyone from anywhere.
I've got zero smart devices at home, to the point of even using my TV as a simple screen only.
I like mine. It has a lot of nice convenience features, and it feels good to have stuff happen automatically based on your presence. Scripting useful automations if a time-consuming hobby though, and if you're mostly just interested in doing voice control for lights it may not be worth it.
I'd recommend staying away from anything that connects directly to the wi-fi if possible. ZigBee lets you isolate the garbage hardware from the Internet so they can't be used as zombie devices in a botnet or worse, and have home assistant be the one point of contact.
It's a great and rewarding hobby! But having cloud connected devices on the same network as your sensitive information is an issue.
Use a vLAN and IoT devices capable of local control. Use a self hosted hub like Home Assistant. Keep devices that collect sensitive information (like a camera) out of sensitive areas (like the bedroom). Then you should be reasonably secure.
The only smart objects I have are some light bulbs. I think, some processes are good to automate and put software in control of, and some things I want to have explicit control over (I.E. Door locks, Safe locks, AC settings, Heating). Technology can break in fantastical ways, but a lock should just freaking work.
Using home assistant since 2017. As you add stuff there's more synergy, like a network effect. I have automations and services that:
Adjust the bathroom floor thermostat according to the prevailing hourly energy price
Adjust the colour temperature of lighting during the day so blue light is reduced in the evening, allowing natural melatonin production to function
Announce on a local speaker when our child gets to school in the morning using their phone location
Operates festive lighting in the winter with reference to sunset and sunrise
Turns off all lights when leaving; or sometimes if I'm feeling more paranoid
Replays lighting patterns from a previous week to simulate* occupation
Sends me an alert if motion is detected and nobody's home
Turns off the picture on the TV if nobody's in front of it for a while using a 60GHz radar sensor
as well as a few other things. I don't want a smart home that's just remote operation with a phone. I want to use capabilities to automate things so I don't need to be concerned about them.