Home automation options other than Alexa or Google

[wild_turkey 3182]

Are there good options for smart home automation without having an Alexa or Google Home in my house? I have privacy concerns with those services and I don't need to ask the device for the weather or sports scores or play games. I realize my devices may already be "listening" but I don't want to voluntarily give Amazon carte blanche access to my life.

I want to be able to control lights, electric window shades, a thermostat, and maybe add a doorbell cam or a couple of outdoor security cams. Voice control would be nice but not completely necessary. If no voice control, then I guess the next best options are phone apps or wall-mounted tablets?

I know there are other things out there like Apple Homekit, Z-wave, Harmony, etc. Anyone have experience with these or other setups?

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

 

[Lobwedgephil 1139]

Lutron for lights, Eccobee for thermostat, lutron for window shades. Hard to get a non amazon or google doorbell, may as well toss your phone out as well. 

[Gene Parmesan 4015]

How about you run your own house like a damn man.

 

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4977]

It's called children. Instill enough discipline and they can take care of pretty much all that stuff without you having to sell your soul to Amazoogle.

[RDCanecutter 26474]

10 minutes ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

It's called children. Instill enough discipline and they can take care of pretty much all that stuff without you having to sell your soul to Amazoogle.

Hell, man, just get a little spidermonkey. It'll run around doing everything, and when it gets old and starts biting, you just donate it to a petting zoo.

[RDCanecutter 26474]

I remember when the Upwardly Mobile would install these. Usually about one year before they'd go back to yelling down the hall:

[Quagmire 2147]

Unless your slicing and dicing hookers In your house I doubt amazon and google would think your life was worth recording

 

[Js1 85585]

[dcbc 14511]

Use a smart phone and skip the voice controls.

[wild_turkey 3182]

It looks like the AppleTV 4K (which we already have) can serve as the hub for HomeKit enabled devices. I can then take the suggestions posted here of Lutron shades and switches and the Ecobee thermostat and I’ll have exactly what I need.

If that doesn’t work I’ll train the dogs. Kids were a good suggestion but too expensive and take a long time to grow and train.

[General Specific 3271]

Yeah, that could do it. Or

I had moved over to the Wink Hub several years ago after trying others with little success. I previously was rolling my own with raspberry pi (webpage and basic commands to control the house). Awesome party tricks, but the downside was no one outside of me could use it.

Wink and the world of amazing IOTs without Amazagoogle is all good. Control with phone and or bots, boom! So simple wife and kids can do it as well. Check their site for some of the products that they sell as well for ideas.

[Guest Lobo]

Somewhat related question---what was the up and coming competitor to NEST (home automated 'smart' thermostats, etc.) that was at Home Depot and blowing up...and then they sold out?  It was based out of here in Austin?  Thanks.

[Stunns38 3559]

I remember when the Upwardly Mobile would install these. Usually about one year before they'd go back to yelling down the hall:

Christina Applegate’s grandma was 50s hot. I bet Brat hit that.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4977]

13 hours ago, General Specific said:

Yeah, that could do it. Or

I had moved over to the Wink Hub several years ago after trying others with little success. I previously was rolling my own with raspberry pi (webpage and basic commands to control the house). Awesome party tricks, but the downside was no one outside of me could use it.

Wink and the world of amazing IOTs without Amazagoogle is all good. Control with phone and or bots, boom! So simple wife and kids can do it as well. Check their site for some of the products that they sell as well for ideas.

So you have a basically unknown company without much accountability spying on you in addition to all the other major companies spying on you without much accountability?

[Handcruser 2805]

Eggzactly


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