We recently moved to a new home and as a result, we went through the regular process of minimizing our stuff. One of the key areas that has been dominating my thinking is the tools, systems, and devices that we use in and out of our home.

Home Automation is automating the control of your home so it works for you. The hope is that you add convenience and make your life easier without annoying others in your home. Home automation is the adoption of a system to control lighting, atmospheric conditions, entertainment systems, surveillance systems, and home appliances. It may also include home security such as access control and alarm systems. This hopefully makes life easier for the user and saves energy by utilizing devices with the most priority and importance. When connected with the Internet, home devices are considered an important constituent of the Internet of Things (“IoT”).

IoT allows for devices in the home to be connected to a remotely controllable network. Controls can be made as easy as turning off lights with a remote or as complex as setting up a network of items that can program a controller via smartphones from everywhere in the world. It allows for devices in the home to be connected to a remotely controllable network.

In our previous home, we’ve quickly developed quite a network of devices to make our lives “easier.” This included a plethora of screens and speakers that connected to the Google Cloud. The benefit was that we could quickly give a verbal command (OK Google!) and the devices would respond.

There were three use cases that got us started as we considered the benefits of home automation.

Music

The first use case involved controlling music via voice from the dinner table. We love to listen to music as we cook and eat dinner together. Screens are usually off, or on the side.

With little kids in the house, there is always the instance that a song is inappropriate, too loud, or just annoying. Voice assist allows us to quickly skip through, or change the volume.

The negatives in this solution involve my children talking to a virtual device to offer commands. Another negative in this solution is the fact that the devices are always powered on, always listening, and always connecting to the cloud through WIFI.

The annoying part came when family or friends would come over and become enthralled, or perhaps intimidated by the smart home. Moments became cringe-worthy when a friend would lean in and speak very loudly to the device….only to have the speaker indicate that it did not understand the computational thinking lingo the devices most require.

Kid’s Night Lights

I installed some cheap WIFI-controlled LED light strips under their beds to turn on when the sun goes down, and turn off when the sun comes up. The WIFI LED strips also have the added benefit of changing colors to specifically suit the vibe the kids are looking for in their room.

The negative in this solution is another device that is connected to the WIFI in the house. Most of these devices are cheap, easy to set up, and hard to keep track of the data that is shared.

Outdoor Courtesy Lights

I installed a series of WIFI-controlled floodlights outside of the house as well. The benefit is that lights can turn on when the sun goes down, and turn off the next morning. Yes, I could use motion detection lights, but having areas that are always lit is a benefit as my partner would come home late from work. The intent was to think about safety, but also saving electricity by not leaving devices on all day.

The specific floodlights I installed were able to change colors as well. This was fun for the family during the holiday seasons.

The negative is again that relatively cheap WIFI-connected devices are pinging the Internet and not being clear about the data that is being exchanged.

Home automation goals

The problem with the system came when I reviewed the devices connected to my WIFI network and didn’t understand most of the names or devices listed. Yes, having a WIFI-enabled device makes it very easy to connect equipment that is often very cheap. My WIFI was quickly becoming bloated.

As I build up a new system and connect devices, I’ll focus on the following goals:

Keep It Local. Cloud/Local. As much as possible, I want to keep this system running locally. That means automating devices as much as possible. That also means that communication between devices should happen locally. We don’t need everything connected to the Internet and looking for guidance.

Privacy & security. As I connect devices in my home, I’ll also be more selective about what permissions, data, and info I share. The first step in this process is identifying the devices I allow to sign on to the network, as well as thinking more about the devices that are allowed to talk to Google, Facebook, or other services.

Sustainability. Lastly, I’ll be more thoughtful about the tools, products, and services I utilize. I will think first about energy consumption as well as e-waste in these decisions. When possible, I’ll buy used, or repurpose old materials when possible. I’ll also think about the long term usage of these products in our home.

Photo by Brian Babb on Unsplash