Why I will NEVER have a smart house

[grsthegreat]

i open the house door to the garage to check the doors.....who need to check an app.

and i know how to adjust a thermostat, who needs an app

my outside lights are on an astronomic time clock, who needs an app

 

[Diggin It]

I can't see my garage door from the house due to the angles involved. Wired up a couple of low voltage micro switches and LEDs so I can tell if the doors are open.

Lights are on various timers and/or photocells.

Some power companies used to offer interruptable meters for AC, pools/spas, etc so they could be turned off in peak periods. Either on or off, no in between.

 

[zzvyb6]

I have a radio controlled meter for the A/C compressor that DTE can shut off for 20 minutes. I get a reduced rate for that meter. You never even notice it's off. I've also stuffed a few other high current devices on it as an extra cost savings. I feel its not ever a problem. The key is to start the A/C cooldown early in the day so that at crunch times (late afternoons) the house is very comfortable and can survive a 20 minute break. Not so much a low temp setting, just low humidity in the house makes us comfortable.

 

[Sigarms]

My AC will kick on for around 10 minutes each hour when it's 95 degrees out and the sun is beating down. It will kick on once every 40 to 50 minutes when the Temps are over 100° out. Run time average is around 10 minutes a cycle.

Sounds like your HVAC system may be oversized. That said, if you added the insulation AFTER the HVAC system was installed, probably is.

Insulation factors as well as window and doors can have a huge impact on the actual cooling and heating load.

If by chance that did happen (updated the isulation factors) and you ever get your old HVAC system replaced and the contractor doesn't do a load calc and just replaces tonnage for tonnage, find another contractor ASAP.

 

[MoKelly]

Sounds like your HVAC system may be oversized. That said, if you added the insulation AFTER the HVAC system was installed, probably is.

Insulation factors as well as window and doors can have a huge impact on the actual cooling and heating load.

If by chance that did happen (updated the isulation factors) and you ever get your old HVAC system replaced and the contractor doesn't do a load calc and just replaces tonnage for tonnage, find another contractor ASAP.

Good points.

An oversized a/c is not good as it will wear our faster, increase costs and not dehumidify very well.

MoKelly

 

[ericm979]

Most of those devices have integrated servers...exactly what type of data needs to be stored ?...there is really no need to go through a third party to monitor/control a "smart" device from a mobile device etc...with the right firewall a user should be able to tunnel directly into the "smart" device across the Internet...with encrypted access...

Most of them send data out to the company's servers. (see The Privacy Risks of Your Smart Thermostat | VPNoverview.com). That is where the analysis and AI are done. Not in the unit itself.

If you can run an app on your phone when it's not on your wifi and access or change settings on your device, that's how they're doing it. People want that, and the company wants all that data. The data is why Google bought Nest for $3.2B.

Most ISPs these days do NAT and block incoming connections. To connect from anywhere to a server on a device in your network, you'd have to find an ISP that allows that, program the firewall correctly, set up the appropriate DNS entries with DynDNS or similar, and set up a TLS cert. I can do that but 99% of regular people can't. No device manufacturer would depend on the customers having access to someone like me. If it's not easy it won't sell. And most people don't know what the privacy risk is.

More links:

The Privacy Risks of Your Smart Thermostat

A smart thermostat allows you to remotely control the temperature of your home. But are there any privacy risks with a smart thermostat? Read on to find out!

vpnoverview.com

(note that contrary to the article a VPN does nothing for this problem, but other than that it's a good explanation)

Here's All The Data Your Google Smart Home Devices Are Recording

Google smart home speakers and other devices are recording a staggering amount of user data. That's no secret. The extent of that isn't always apparent

www.androidheadlines.com

Code that downloads your Nest data: Nest Thermostat Data Collection in Google Sheets for Upstairs/Downstairs Setups
If you read it you see that it's going directly to Nest's servers not the device itself.

 

[/pine]

With all the video conferencing etc. and work from home platforms...allowing incoming data is more important than ever...on any number of different ports...

AFAIK...most of the "IP Cameras" that people use to monitor locations connect directly to the server built into the camera...most ISPs let you set up the port and permissions within the modem/router...it's not that difficult...
most ISP modem/routers have intuitive interfaces and are not that difficult to set up...

 

[Dftodd]

Sounds like your HVAC system may be oversized. That said, if you added the insulation AFTER the HVAC system was installed, probably is.

Insulation factors as well as window and doors can have a huge impact on the actual cooling and heating load.

If by chance that did happen (updated the isulation factors) and you ever get your old HVAC system replaced and the contractor doesn't do a load calc and just replaces tonnage for tonnage, find another contractor ASAP.

It was sized and installed by the previous owner. House had 3.5" of insulation in the attic, 30yo windows that let the heat in, in the summer, and wicked the cold in the winter. And a powered attic vent fan with a smoked motor.

When we first moved in, it was a heat wave (120° during the day). Ac would kick on around 9am and shut off around 11pm. And lose ground in between.

You could feel the heat radiating through the ceilings.

We had a new roof installed with ridge vents. House already had plenty of soffit vents. I added 10" of insulation that year as well as burying the uninsulated main duct work in insulation as well.

That improved it considerably. It would kick on, run for a half hour in the summer and maintain a constant temperature.

But the blasted windows still wicked the cold in during the winter, so it kept losing ground and kicking on the heat strips in the winter. So we would have pretty high electric bill in the winter.

The next year we updated the windows to some super premium, life time warranty with 3/4" pains of glass.

You don't hear squat outside now, and the house stays pretty comfortable.

He pump will run about 20 minutes an hour during the winter depending on the outside Temps. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter depending. Of course if its gonna get extremely cold, I drop the thermostat down some and run the fireplace insert (nicknamed Satan) which will have you stripped down to your skibbies with the doors and windows open when it's 10° outside

Unit is a 5 ton Trane. Probably 17yo now. House is 1800sqft.

 

[Oaktree]

AFAIK...most of the "IP Cameras" that people use to monitor locations connect directly to the server built into the camera...most ISPs let you set up the port and permissions within the modem/router...it's not that difficult...
most ISP modem/routers have intuitive interfaces and are not that difficult to set up...

Maybe for someone with computer skills could relatively easily set up something like that, but I doubt most non-tech people could. As far as "intuitive" interfaces on modem/routers, uhhhh, maybe maybe not. Even something as basic as setting up port forwarding varies a lot from one router to another, and it's not always easy to find.

 

[Sigarms]

It was sized and installed by the previous owner. House had 3.5" of insulation in the attic, 30yo windows that let the heat in, in the summer, and wicked the cold in the winter. And a powered attic vent fan with a smoked motor.

When we first moved in, it was a heat wave (120° during the day). Ac would kick on around 9am and shut off around 11pm. And lose ground in between.

You could feel the heat radiating through the ceilings.

We had a new roof installed with ridge vents. House already had plenty of soffit vents. I added 10" of insulation that year as well as burying the uninsulated main duct work in insulation as well.

That improved it considerably. It would kick on, run for a half hour in the summer and maintain a constant temperature.

But the blasted windows still wicked the cold in during the winter, so it kept losing ground and kicking on the heat strips in the winter. So we would have pretty high electric bill in the winter.

The next year we updated the windows to some super premium, life time warranty with 3/4" pains of glass.

You don't hear squat outside now, and the house stays pretty comfortable.

He pump will run about 20 minutes an hour during the winter depending on the outside Temps. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter depending. Of course if its gonna get extremely cold, I drop the thermostat down some and run the fireplace insert (nicknamed Satan) which will have you stripped down to your skibbies with the doors and windows open when it's 10° outside

Unit is a 5 ton Trane. Probably 17yo now. House is 1800sqft.

Unit is WAY oversized if the house has good insulation. Also consider the system is probably 10 seer if average, 13 SEER if it was a higher SEER system at the time (SEER what everyone seems to understand as EER is more imporant IMO).

I've got 3,500 square feet, but a buttload of glass around the home. Home built in '88 with a total 7 ton. I ended up knowing the installing contractor who sized the home himself, and it was done right.

When your system finally dies, if no one does a load calculation, run. Your home is a prime example of 50% of the contractors who will replace the system with the same size without even asking questions. Just answer their questions and if they come back even with a 4 ton system, do not use them unless they show and explain their load calc.

On a plus note, when you do finally get a new system, you should see considerable savings even to a 14 SEER system. That said, 2023, 15 SEER will be the minimum on AC and heat pump systems.

At the end of the day, your system probably uses more power by short cycling than running continuous.