smart home opinions

[redneck joe]

Wife has taken to turning off the TV when we get in bed, thank god. She has been using alexa to turn on white noise things like thunderstorms and ocean and such.

Well on the ocean one she plays something after an ad for music unlimited and at midnight when she wakes up and asks to play again to go back to sleep a 15 second commercial is NOT fun.

Does google do this? Wink? I'd even consider switching to apple god help me.

I've got about 30 devices and will be a major move but don't want freaking ads, or 'helpful suggestions' when asking what the temp is in Denmark...

 

[JASinIL2006]

Simplest solution I have found is a Spotify playlist (I like peaceful classical music as background noise, but they have white noise playlists also) over my iPhone. No commercials, no interruptions, no asking if I’m still there… I can’t even set my iPhone to turn off the music at some predetermined number of hours, if I want. Works perfectly.

 

[redneck joe]

yeah, on a whim i installed a ocean sound skill and that fixed the prob and its one I dont have to ask the skill name to start. I hate having to do that.

 

[KJM]

yeah, on a whim i installed a ocean sound skill and that fixed the prob and its one I dont have to ask the skill name to start. I hate having to do that.

You can play spotify thru alexa as well. The coolest smart feature i have installed are potlights and a lamp post that the bulbs are hooked thru wifi to alexa and the bulbs can be any color. Christmas time I can have red and green lights on the house and white all the rest of the year with no ladder involved. Gotta love it.

 

[Scott Danforth]

i dont like the fact that Alexa is constantly monitoring everything

could be that I have watched too many spy movies, read George Orwell's book, or the fact that everyone I know in the programming world says smart devices are easily hacked. I keep it old-school.

play lists or CD's made the mistake once on putting in Tchaikovsky..... about 10 minutes later, woke to cannon fire.

 

[redneck joe]

well, I was wrong. It gave us a commercial last night. Tested in the morning, no commercial.

 

[bassman284]

Best thing would be to take Alexa to the middle of the highest bridge in your area and drop her over the side.

 

[64osby]

Amazon devices will soon automatically share your Internet with neighbors

Amazon’s experimental wireless mesh networking turns users into guinea pigs.

arstechnica.com

Just leaving this here.

 

[BWR1953]

Amazon devices will soon automatically share your Internet with neighbors

Amazon’s experimental wireless mesh networking turns users into guinea pigs.

arstechnica.com

Just leaving this here.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Thanks for the heads up on Sidewalk. I shut the ‘feature’ off.

 

[redneck joe]

1. Opening the Alexa app
2. Opening More and selecting Settings
3. Selecting Account Settings
4. Selecting Amazon Sidewalk
5. Turning Amazon Sidewalk Off

 

[briangcc]

Got a $4.99 subscription to Pandora? Search ocean sounds. It'll play ad free and you can build the play list as you want.

Not tied to any specific platform that way. Keeps Alexa and Sirrii at bay.

 

[64osby]

1. Opening the Alexa app
2. Opening More and selecting Settings
3. Selecting Account Settings
4. Selecting Amazon Sidewalk
5. Turning Amazon Sidewalk Off

Are they to be trusted to actually abide by your selection?

 

[JASinIL2006]

If they provide an opt-out for Sidewalk but then enable it anyway, that would be a huge PR nightmare for them. I'm sure CNET or one of the tech review sites will be testing that the opt-out works.

 

[redneck joe]

Are they to be trusted to actually abide by your selection?

the option does not show up on my phone. I'm watching but I think I killed it a few months ago when I first heard about it.

 

[redneck joe]

Got a $4.99 subscription to Pandora? Search ocean sounds. It'll play ad free and you can build the play list as you want.

Not tied to any specific platform that way. Keeps Alexa and Sirrii at bay.

i may buy into the smart home 'surveillance', but 100% do not do monthly subscriptions. i do use the free pandora on my phone, with ads.

I worked for a major TV player. Now cord cutting is happening however the average monthly subscriptions are about 60% of an aggregate player. Monthlies will eventually add up to legacy costs and from one who has spent the weekend with no legacy carrier, it has been hell trying to find content that I want to wath.

as I type this, I realize I should start a different thread.

 

[JASinIL2006]

the option does not show up on my phone. I'm watching but I think I killed it a few months ago when I first heard about it.

It was in the Alexa app on my iPad. What kind of phone do you have?

 

[bruceb58]

Love Alexa. We have 3 in this house 2 in another and another 2 in another. My life isn't that interesting that I am worried about being spied on.

 

[redneck joe]

It was in the Alexa app on my iPad. What kind of phone do you have?

android S8. When I get into settings, there is no account settings.

 

[redneck joe]

Love Alexa. We have 3 in this house 2 in another and another 2 in another. My life isn't that interesting that I am worried about being spied on.

agreed. The only thing I will never do is have inside or back yard cameras. Doorbell, above the garage and when I find where i put my spare one will go towards the barns.

we have prob 35 plus devices set up, routines, etc and alexas in each rooms but a couple - including garage so I can music, NPR, news, the Economist, whatever while I'm putzing around out there.

My favorite routine, which thankfully we have not had to use, is 'emergency' or 'red alert' or 'intruder alert'. I set up all because in a true emergency I may forget the one but they turn on all lights and all devices play the star trek red alert sound. In a fire - gets everyone up and lights to get out. If intruder, hope to slow him down thru confusion for the time I need to put one in the chamber and the lights will ensure I do not shoot someone I'm not supposed to shoot - but anyone allowed in our house knows i sleep with a weapon behind my head so they wouldn't be stupid enough to walk in.