Issues and Goals for my Smart Home

 

As I started to acquire more and more "smart" devices and bring them into the home, a number of problems, issues and concerns arose.

Too many apps!

First, as I mentioned in my prior post, each of these devices would require that I install an app on my phone for setup and control of that device, including setting up an account with the manufacturer and providing my email, phone number, address or sometimes all three.  It was also another user ID and password that needed to be remembered.  It wasn't long before any convenience of a smart device was eliminated by the need to have my phone on me, unlock the phone, find the right app, and launch it (hoping that I didn't have to look up a password) just to do something that could be done easier and quicker through the original "dumb" method.

Adding to this, each of these apps also had to be installed on my wife's phone.  And since I am Android and she is Apple, many of these apps functioned differently on her phone.  No strike against her, but she isn't as excited about technology as I am, so there was no way she was going to use an app on her phone to turn on the kitchen lights.  If I was going to develop a true interactive smart home, I needed her as a partner in the endeavor... and convenience needed to be added and not removed nor complexity added.

Finally, other visiting family or guests would be out in the cold in interacting with the devices in the house.

This issue led to the first set of goals:

One app to 'rule them all'

I wanted a single application that would integrate all of my various (and future) devices into a single interface and allow them to interact with each other for automations.

Accessible from multiple devices

The application should be available on phone, tablets, computers or smart displays/touch screens that might be displayed throughout the house.

Easy to use, intuitive and understandable - even by guests

Controls should be easy to understand and straightforward.  Everyone understands how to flip a light switch to turn on a light.  The automation system should be just as intuitive... if there is a button that is labeled "Kitchen Lights" on a touch panel, most people will be able to understand that touching this button will toggle the lights off and on.  And if done right, it could make things even more intuitive.  Have you ever visited someone with a home theater system and tried to manage it yourself?  There are likely multiple remotes to locate, figuring out the proper power buttons, inputs, etc.  But what if a touch panel had clearly labeled buttons with the basic features, such as Watch TV or Watch Netflix, and a simple touch of that button took care of the rest?  The goal is for the smart home to simplify and not complicate every day tasks.

Privacy and Security

I don't consider myself as an overly paranoid, tin foil hat-wearing kind of individual and I use cloud services like Google and Amazon as much as the next person.  But as an IT professional, I also understand the need to limit exposure wherever possible.  These devices would be living with us in the sanctum of our home every day.  Those devices, if cloud-based or relying on a manufacturer's servers, might be collecting copious amounts of data and possibly by an off-shore company where U.S. laws may not even apply.  Add to this the fact that each account created is another opportunity for a data breach by a bad guy, potentially exposing even more of our data.

Reliability and Availability

There's another issue and potential problem with cloud-based systems or devices that rely on someone else's servers and an Internet connection.  What happens to those devices when the cloud server becomes unavailable... either on the manufacturer's end or via and Internet outage?  Odds are, these devices become unusable on their own and portions of your house simply cease to function until services are restored.  Worse yet, what if the manufacturer goes out of business or simply shuts down the service?  This this is unlikely?  Ask those folks that owned Iris smart devices by Lowes... or Insignia smart devices by Best Buy.  Both of these companies shut down their smart home services, leaving those that owned the devices with useless pieces of plastic and circuits... often loosing hundreds of dollars in investments.

And even if a company remains in business, the service side may be too costly or not generating enough revenue and the company may decide to start charging a monthly subscription fee for a service that was previously free.  Won't happen?  Think again!  This has happened in the recent past with both Wink and IFTTT services.  This brings me to the last goal:

The Home Automation System should function locally

A cloud server outage or a local Internet outage should not bring your smart home to its knees.  Most, if not all automations and devices should continue to function without any Internet connectivity required.

So, to summarize, here at the goals I had in mind when selecting a home automation platform:

• One application to interface and control all smart devices in the home
• Accessible from multiple devices and platforms... with the same experience on each.
• Intuitive and easy-to-use
• Locally operated and controlled

In my next post, I'll take a look at the various platforms available, both hardware and software based, and why I made the decision to build my smart home automation system on Home Assistant.