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Originally Posted by White Out 403
Ecobee has a thing for frost control that I like. But nest is also a Google product now, which I really like too. Funny how thermostats are such an involved purchase now lol.
Side note. Maybe I'm not using my imagination enough, but why would people want smart plugs? It's not like a smart plug can tell your dishwasher what to do unless it's already a Wi-Fi dishwasher if that even exists.
I guess we could have things like floor lamps and such go off and on remotely but I just don't see a big reason why you'd want wifi-enabled plugs.
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IMO, the Ecobee and Nest are on par with one another. In regards to smart thermostats, I tell others that it essentially has the same features as a typical dumb thermostat. The energy savings aren't really noticeable. The price I paid for the smart thermostat to ensure I don't have to get out of bed to adjust temperatures is worth the price of admission into IOT.
Smart plugs have limited usages, but they're still useful. I personally use it on the Christmas tree, kettle, space heaters, lamps and vacation. Some of it is really habit. You have to have the habit of using it for it to be the most useful, otherwise, it's a solution looking for a problem. Personally, I started off using smart plugs for things that often times were often left on by accident.
For instance, at work, we use a smart plug to shut off the power to the vacuum water boiler and coffeemaker at a specific time each day so we don't accidentally leave it on over night. Most of the smart switches I get are generally pre-programmed to shut things off at certain intervals or at a specific time. It's rare I set a smart plug to turn on at a specific time.
I have a smart plug connected to a Zojirushi water boiler which means I can boil water from my bed and hop out of bed to hot water, but I rarely use that feature. The plug is more to ensure the water boiler is shut off by midnight every day if I turned it on to use.
A conversation I had with a friend really was that some of this home automation stuff is much more useful on seniors than some of us adults. I suggested that if he wanted to take the "plunge" so to speak, it made sense to buy and install a bunch of it for his grandparents and teach them to use them on specific things one at a time. Smart plugs and smart lights help greatly in some instances to reduce the need for a senior to bend or reach. A smart plug is also great in helping to ensure that certain electronics are not left on unattended for a duration that is too long (ie: Space heater). They are a bit less useful for the average able bodied individual except for bragging rights.
The echo dot and Google home are kinda pointless IMO. At least I'm not in the habit of changing my personal lifestyle to use it. However, I did find that using one of these devices for a baby was useful. An echo dot is around $40 and the average white noise machine is around $20-30. I bought an Echo dot and I use it for white noise, controlling smart lights in the nursery (useful if my hands are full due to changing diaper etc.) and it's also useful for streaming music on occasion while playing in the nursery.