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Featured Replies

  • 2 weeks later...

I have the Schlage Encode, which has been reliable and convenient:

https://www.schlage.com/en/home/smart-locks/encode.html

You can still use the key, but the keypad is awesome with my kids. Those fuckers would lose a key every week with how forgetful they are, so having a keypad that lets them in is super helpful. Reviews on it are good across the board.

I have the Schlage Encode, which has been reliable and convenient:

https://www.schlage.com/en/home/smart-locks/encode.html

You can still use the key, but the keypad is awesome with my kids. Those fuckers would lose a key every week with how forgetful they are, so having a keypad that lets them in is super helpful. Reviews on it are good across the board.

I have the Encode awaiting my new front door install. Fuck keys right in the ass. I have keypad entry already from the garage and the back door.

In addendum for clarity...

 

Quote

On Amazon devices such as the Echo or Ring security camera, a new feature called “Sidewalk” is being turned on. This extends the internet between neighbors who have the same devices. NBC News’ Vicky Nguyen explains the potential dangers, and how you can turn off the new feature.

 

On 5/18/2021 at 10:50 AM, NoName said:

bumping this to see if anyone has specific recs for smart locks...either that they do recommend or they think someone should stay the hell away from

I am now in the market for both smart lock and doorbell and potentially even thermostat…. Any recommendations 

20 hours ago, Laxtonto said:

I am now in the market for both smart lock and doorbell and potentially even thermostat…. Any recommendations 

Nest thermostat 

Google home doorbell 

August smart look

23 hours ago, Laxtonto said:

I am now in the market for both smart lock and doorbell and potentially even thermostat…. Any recommendations 

i can't recommend nest enough. if you poke around you can get some good deals on ebay for "used" nest E's (which let you connect to the pucks to do temp at places that aren't the thermostat)

shoot me an email if you want more - or a PM.

doorbell: i have a eufy one that works great. here are wirecutter reviews: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-smart-doorbell-camera/

smart lock: i got the u bolt pro wifi (pre ordered) - https://store.u-tec.com/products/ubolt-pro-wifi-smartlock

but you can't go wrong with anything depending on HOW smart you want it to be.

  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/13/2019 at 9:30 PM, Tailgate said:

Control 4

Same here. Bought a house that had it and the seller left it all behind for me.  Just changed over registration to my name. 
 

Have you done any of the programming on it?  I’ve yet to get into that part of the functionality as it seems sort of daunting. Right now it’s set up with whatever the previous owner programmed. Some of them are fine, but I’d like to get more into it.  I’m lost at how to do it.  
 

Also have:

Blue Iris surveillance system with 6 IP cameras.  
Rachio irrigation
Schlage door locks

Honeywell t-stat

Still rocking Hue for lighting. Not all the lights, but enough. I would expand more if I added some of the programable light switches, but haven’t jumped yet. I do like the lights overall though, 4+ years later.

 

Ring doorbell added Jan of ‘18, and it’s fine for what it is. I don’t really use it for the 2-way interaction, but do on occasion. Main thing is having a good wifi signal at the doorbell  and plenty of speed/bandwidth.

 

Yale lock on the front door added last fall. It’s not bad, does what I was after. 
 

Chamberlain myQ garage opener, 4th year having it. It’s fine, works, nothing fancy. Handy when you come from the back to the front, then need something from the garage. Alerts on open, etc.

 

Have a few wyze cams that I’m playing with  not bad at all for the price. 
 

Won’t add any alexa/siri/google “listening” devices. Just don’t trust them enough, and don’t really need one. That Amazon Sidewalk stuff is scary. Not from what it is intended to do, but the whole turning it on by default, trying to rollout under the radar, etc. I don’t care if it is a private guest network and “isolated” from my main network. It’s an exploitable practice and no thanks.

 

 

1 hour ago, thunderlounge said:

Still rocking Hue for lighting. Not all the lights, but enough. I would expand more if I added some of the programable light switches, but haven’t jumped yet. I do like the lights overall though, 4+ years later.

 

Ring doorbell added Jan of ‘18, and it’s fine for what it is. I don’t really use it for the 2-way interaction, but do on occasion. Main thing is having a good wifi signal at the doorbell  and plenty of speed/bandwidth.

 

Yale lock on the front door added last fall. It’s not bad, does what I was after. 
 

Chamberlain myQ garage opener, 4th year having it. It’s fine, works, nothing fancy. Handy when you come from the back to the front, then need something from the garage. Alerts on open, etc.

 

Have a few wyze cams that I’m playing with  not bad at all for the price. 
 

Won’t add any alexa/siri/google “listening” devices. Just don’t trust them enough, and don’t really need one. That Amazon Sidewalk stuff is scary. Not from what it is intended to do, but the whole turning it on by default, trying to rollout under the radar, etc. I don’t care if it is a private guest network and “isolated” from my main network. It’s an exploitable practice and no thanks.

 

 

Lol, watching Snowden on Netflix will do that to you.

7 minutes ago, TexasEd said:

Lol, watching Snowden on Netflix will do that to you.


And then some. 

  • 1 year later...

I recently mounted a framed Android tablet to a wall to use as a Spotify frontend, bluetoothed to a receiver that feeds a whole-house speaker distribution switcher. Works fine but neither Spotify nor the tablet itself have a screensaver (which would be killer displaying album art or, be still my heart, Pop-Up Video-style factoids about the artist) and Spotify's interface doesn't make for the most attractive or functional kiosk. Do any of you nerdz know a good Android frontend/kiosk app that can clean up Spotify and maybe even use the camera for motion detection? It seems that in 2022 with cheap tablets and cheap streaming services we'd be trippiong over solutions for this...

Edited by BoomMF

Picture slideshow?

Screensaver app?

 

I don’t android, so no idea on specific options. 

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