Smart Home Products

[Neonmoon 38129]

Nest Hello installed today. I really like it so far. Very easy to use. 

I think outdoor cameras are next. 

[dcbc 14465]

20 hours ago, Neonmoon said:

Nest Hello installed today. I really like it so far. Very easy to use. 

I think outdoor cameras are next. 

I'm getting one soon.  Need to figure out if our doorbell transformer is kaput though.  Not getting a spark at the button.

[Neonmoon 38129]

16 hours ago, dcbc said:

I'm getting one soon.  Need to figure out if our doorbell transformer is kaput though.  Not getting a spark at the button.

It’s pretty awesome. You can talk to people, give automatic responses. Very good video definition. 

[Neonmoon 38129]

I’ve never liked any of the smart lock offerings on the market.They all looked kind of first gen to me. But I just saw the Nest Yale lock, and that looks pretty sweet. Def on the want list now 

[OnAComputer 1405]

I wish I could link up my echo with my alarm system so I could turn the alarm on from bed. That'd be great.
 

I'm trying to figure out how machine learning could improve the smart housing experience. I was thinking about using it with setting tempurature on AC throughout the year.

[Neonmoon 38129]

11 hours ago, OnAComputer said:

I wish I could link up my echo with my alarm system so I could turn the alarm on from bed. That'd be great.
 

I'm trying to figure out how machine learning could improve the smart housing experience. I was thinking about using it with setting tempurature on AC throughout the year.

I dont' know what Alarm system you have but there products on the market that can be operated by your Echo. 

Same with your AC. 

[joe dirt 285]

anyone have a rachio or similar?  tryna decide on a smart sprinkler controller.

[Neonmoon 38129]

1 hour ago, joe dirt said:

anyone have a rachio or similar?  tryna decide on a smart sprinkler controller.

I have a rachio. Love it. I don’t even mess with it. It Just sends me updates on water used/saved by month. Seasonal adjustments. Rain adjustments. Etc

[Enchubben 5510]

Thought on ecobee vs Nest? Just about all my lights are on switches (either Wemo or TP2/Kasa) but thermostats are up next. 

I have two ac’s each on their own zone and will need to buy two.

[TKthunder2 4985]

The big question is how do you want to interact with it.   By now they are all so similar that they aren’t that different.  If you use the Wemo app Nest integrates with it a Google home but not Apple home kit.  I think ecobee works with home kit.  Honestly the biggest struggle with the smart home is getting everything accessible without having 10 different apps.

 

if you’re a set it and forget it kind of guy then it doesn’t matter that much but I have a nest and regret it because it doesn’t work with Apple HomeKit though there is nothing wrong with the product itself.

[Lat22 4010]

On 4/7/2018 at 5:17 PM, dcbc said:

I'm getting one soon.  Need to figure out if our doorbell transformer is kaput though.  Not getting a spark at the button.

Simple to replace. The hard thing for me was finding the damn thing. I also had to run new wire between the front door and my “upstairs next to the furnace” transformer. Hopefully you won’t have to do that. 

[Neonmoon 38129]

21 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

The big question is how do you want to interact with it.   By now they are all so similar that they aren’t that different.  If you use the Wemo app Nest integrates with it a Google home but not Apple home kit.  I think ecobee works with home kit.  Honestly the biggest struggle with the smart home is getting everything accessible without having 10 different apps.

 

if you’re a set it and forget it kind of guy then it doesn’t matter that much but I have a nest and regret it because it doesn’t work with Apple HomeKit though there is nothing wrong with the product itself.

I honestly don't mind having 10 different apps as I don't access them on a daily basis. I have Nest, Rachio, LifX, Garage, iRobot but I'm not trying to control them on a daily basis. Nest & Rachio are set & forget for me. I can control the LifX with my Google Home (Nest as well). If I do need to open my garage, or turn on the Roomba, or look at my front door, It takes 2 seconds to search for the App and open it. 

Again, it's personal preferance. 

[Quagmire 2147]

Thought on ecobee vs Nest? Just about all my lights are on switches (either Wemo or TP2/Kasa) but thermostats are up next. 
I have two ac’s each on their own zone and will need to buy two.

I prefer the ecobee because it has remote temperature sensors .

[Neonmoon 38129]

Can we somehow merge the smart home threads? Or delete this one?

[dcbc 14465]

On 4/15/2018 at 9:22 PM, Lat22 said:

Simple to replace. The hard thing for me was finding the damn thing. I also had to run new wire between the front door and my “upstairs next to the furnace” transformer. Hopefully you won’t have to do that. 

Found it right behind the chime. New transformer and Nest Hello I got on sale are on the way.

Edited April 19, 2018 by dcbc

[BNB 100]

Yes, I looked into them a year ago for my sister.  I use a Nest for my condo.  I got her two.  

I talked with my mother about it, and she said just getting the nests would be great, but after...It seems like a couble of Ecobees would have been better for her with the ability to put sensors in every room and her not wanting to take the time to have it Auto learn, and being not tech savy.

 

 

[Neonmoon 38129]

Anyone else feel like it’s only a matter of time before Smart Switches become the major player and smart bulbs go bye bye. Yes, changing bulbs is easier, but switches are more permanent. 

I have a couple smart bulbs but kind of want to invest in redoing the whole house with smart switches. Although, I don’t think the technology, or more so the scope is there yet. I saw the Noon Switch, liked it, but it’s 400 for just the starter. The other switches seem pretty basic for now. I don’t know. 

I just want to pay someone to come replace all my switches with Noon looking switches and not have to pay 10 grand. Am I asking too much? 

[KYHorn 17011]

On 4/16/2018 at 10:10 PM, Quagmire said:

I prefer the ecobee because it has remote temperature sensors .

Agree. If you have a 2 story house or one section of your house that gets more sun, the multiple sensors is really helpful. They don't just get temp, they sense if the area is occupied and if it isn't, that temp isn't factored into the overall house temperature, so it can end up running the system less.

[thunderlounge 7813]

13 hours ago, Neonmoon said:

Anyone else feel like it’s only a matter of time before Smart Switches become the major player and smart bulbs go bye bye. Yes, changing bulbs is easier, but switches are more permanent. 

I have a couple smart bulbs but kind of want to invest in redoing the whole house with smart switches. Although, I don’t think the technology, or more so the scope is there yet. I saw the Noon Switch, liked it, but it’s 400 for just the starter. The other switches seem pretty basic for now. I don’t know. 

I just want to pay someone to come replace all my switches with Noon looking switches and not have to pay 10 grand. Am I asking too much? 

Yes and no. I think they both have their places to be honest. I love what I can do with my hue stuff, but I also find myself not wanting hue in certain fixtures. Not that it wouldn't work, but that a need in those areas is really overkill for hue. In those instances, a smart switch would be great. At least it could be.

One option hue has is the "tap", which acts like a switch to turn on hue lights. It has like 3 different options and each one can be set to a specific group of lights and settings. It also has an off switch to turn off whatever the tap activated IIRC. The good thing about that is not needing to wire it up, but you also have to have some type of hue lights.

The downside to a smart switch is if it goes out, you're kind of fucked until you replace it. With a combination of hue and a tap, if the tap goes out at least you can still turn on lights with the app. Also the lights still work even if the app/switch/bridge doesn't, so at least there is that.

I think both have their place though. As I said I have places where hue is really just overkill. But then again, right now at least, the $400/switch for a noon... you can get a good ways down the road using hue instead. Of course there are other switches out there, but I've yet to see one that is more than one gang. Most of the switches in my house are 2 or 3 gang, with a couple singles thrown in.

 

[KuЯdt 248]

On 4/15/2018 at 8:33 AM, Neonmoon said:

I have a rachio. Love it. I don’t even mess with it. It Just sends me updates on water used/saved by month. Seasonal adjustments. Rain adjustments. Etc

They have a $50 off  offer right now on the Rachio 3, thinking of grabbing one.

Rachio recently introduced an upgraded smart watering system, the Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller with automatic weather updates, customized schedules, and smartphone controls — plus, it works great with Applets! 

• Enter code EARTH50IFTTT at checkout
• Valid through April 22 at Rachio's online store
• Limit one controller per order
• Order by April 22 for free shipping

[KuЯdt 248]

On 4/6/2018 at 9:02 PM, Neonmoon said:

Nest Hello installed today. I really like it so far. Very easy to use. 

I think outdoor cameras are next. 

So my doorbell is on the wall adjacent to my door, and a doorbell camera would be looking "across the door".  I know the Ring comes with a wedge so you can have it pointing more directly toward whomever is walking up to the door.  Does the Nest Hello come with something similar?  Would like to go with the Nest since I already have the thermostats.

[thunderlounge 7813]

If they don’t have one, you could still possibly make one up yourself. Not sure of the hellos size, but if it’s close enough to a ring you could maybe use their wedge?

On another note, although about doorbells, seems my ring has taken to issuing a motion alert first thing in the morning when the sun comes up, the outside lights switch off and its own night vision turns off. Lovely. It’s not pointed at the sun, it faces south and is blocked to the east by the garage about 8ft away which extends south another 25ft or so. Motion sensitivity is set on the middle setting. 

Pretty weird to say the least. Unlike the dove that decided to perch on the door handle the other morning, which was actually pretty cool. 

[dcbc 14465]

I think it has a wedge.  Will know for sure in a few days.

[Neonmoon 38129]

4 hours ago, KuЯdt said:

So my doorbell is on the wall adjacent to my door, and a doorbell camera would be looking "across the door".  I know the Ring comes with a wedge so you can have it pointing more directly toward whomever is walking up to the door.  Does the Nest Hello come with something similar?  Would like to go with the Nest since I already have the thermostats.

Yes it comes with a wedge. (I don’t know what it’s called in their terminology)

We had to angle ours to the right. Works great. 

[KuЯdt 248]

Thanks, think I'll go ahead and order one.

[KuЯdt 248]

12 hours ago, thunderlounge said:

If they don’t have one, you could still possibly make one up yourself. Not sure of the hellos size, but if it’s close enough to a ring you could maybe use their wedge?

On another note, although about doorbells, seems my ring has taken to issuing a motion alert first thing in the morning when the sun comes up, the outside lights switch off and its own night vision turns off. Lovely. It’s not pointed at the sun, it faces south and is blocked to the east by the garage about 8ft away which extends south another 25ft or so. Motion sensitivity is set on the middle setting. 

Pretty weird to say the least. Unlike the dove that decided to perch on the door handle the other morning, which was actually pretty cool. 

I have a Blink camera above my front door right now.  Every now and then a bird will perch on it and its weight causes the camera to be pointed straight down at the ground.  Annoying, but it is pretty damn entertaining at the same time.

[dcbc 14465]

I swapped out the transformer on Monday night, and installed Nest Hello today.  Got it all linked up with the Google home so they all act as a chime and I can view the Camera video on one of our TVs that has an old Chromecast in it.  Going to see how often the face recognition comes in handy in the next month, but not planning to subscribe to aware unless/until I end up with a nest outdoor camera or two at some point. 

I ended up using the wedge, which was a good move.  Picture is perfect.

Edited April 27, 2018 by dcbc

[Neonmoon 38129]

I got the 5/month plan because I’m a dick. But the face recognition is cool, but maybe not really useful. Think how many times you have a visitor? It basically just recognizes the people who already live in my house. I guess it’s cool, but not worth it. 

I just like that I can review the video for 5 days. Which I basically only use to see what shitty neighbors are lettin their dogs shit in my fucking yard at night. (Old man yells at cloud) 

but the zoom feature is amazing and the video is really clear. Sound is great too

[dcbc 14465]

On 4/26/2018 at 10:41 PM, Neonmoon said:

I got the 5/month plan because I’m a dick. But the face recognition is cool, but maybe not really useful. Think how many times you have a visitor? It basically just recognizes the people who already live in my house. I guess it’s cool, but not worth it. 

I just like that I can review the video for 5 days. Which I basically only use to see what shitty neighbors are lettin their dogs shit in my fucking yard at night. (Old man yells at cloud) 

but the zoom feature is amazing and the video is really clear. Sound is great too

How much video review time do you get if you don't subscribe?

[Neonmoon 38129]

On 4/29/2018 at 4:09 PM, dcbc said:

How much video review time do you get if you don't subscribe?

I have no idea actually. If 5 dollars gets you 5 days, I’m guessing 1 day? 

Any gardeners here?

 

Edited May 1, 2018 by Neonmoon

[thunderlounge 7813]

That seems pretty cool. 

[Viper 12101]

What are the benefits you see from smart lights? I don't care much about changing colors, but the ability to change the white color/temperature from warm to cool to daylight seems intriguing. I could see a routine where the lights decrease the amount of blue light (daylight to cool to warm) as the sun goes down to make it easier to relax and fall asleep in the evening. 

[52-80 19145]

1 hour ago, Viper said:

What are the benefits you see from smart lights? I don't care much about changing colors, but the ability to change the white color/temperature from warm to cool to daylight seems intriguing. I could see a routine where the lights decrease the amount of blue light (daylight to cool to warm) as the sun goes down to make it easier to relax and fall asleep in the evening. 

Benefit is that Russians and Chinese can control your illumination

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

On 4/15/2018 at 8:33 AM, Neonmoon said:

I have a rachio. Love it. I don’t even mess with it. It Just sends me updates on water used/saved by month. Seasonal adjustments. Rain adjustments. Etc

Was it hard to install?  I want one, but I am an idiot.

[Neonmoon 38129]

36 minutes ago, Gardner Barnes said:

Was it hard to install?  I want one, but I am an idiot.

I have a co-worker that said it was easy to install. But I'm also an idiot, so I had a guy install it (& fix a couple broken sprinkler heads)

[thunderlounge 7813]

7 hours ago, Viper said:

What are the benefits you see from smart lights? I don't care much about changing colors, but the ability to change the white color/temperature from warm to cool to daylight seems intriguing. I could see a routine where the lights decrease the amount of blue light (daylight to cool to warm) as the sun goes down to make it easier to relax and fall asleep in the evening. 

 

I'll speak from the point of view of having a hue setup. I have all color bulbs/light strips. I also prefer the original app, not their V2 app. They had threatened to quit updating the v1 app 2 years ago, but I must be far from alone and it has a big following as they've updated it quite a few times since.

Currently I have:

• 3 lamps in the main living room
• 1 entry way (BR30)
• 1 entry way from garage (BR30)
• 1 lamp in the bedroom
• 1 light strip in the bedroom
• 1 porch light (BR30)
• 2 outside garage lights (BR30)

 

Here's an example of what I have set up. I have several main scenes set in the v1 app, and these are set on a timer. These timers are set to random, which is 30 minutes before or after the time entered. (Enter 8pm and the lights will turn on between 7:30 and 8:30, for example.) So the first timer comes on so the lights turn on close to sunset. Around the normal time you would start turning on lights. These scenes are for all lights, with the exception of the 3 outside lights.

Within an hour after sunset (so it's nice and dark) a timer turns on the 3 outside lights (porch, 2 garage.)

Around 8:30-9:00, I enable main scene 2, which dims the lights, and changes color from a standard bulb temp to something warmer. (Reading to Relax, if you're familiar with the v1 app and its presets.)

Finally, around 9:30-10:00 I enable scene 3 which cuts off the 2 entry lights and further dims the remaining lights.

 

Around midnight +/-, I turn off the lights during the week. Weekends it's 1am +/-.

Around 5:30am +/-, I turn off the outside lights.

I also have a "catch all" that turns off all the inside lights around 3am just in case one was turned on or missed the first off signal.

 

For a couple months in the winter when daylight doesn't break until closer to 8am, I also run a "wake up" sequence during the week with the main lights. They fade on to simulate a sun rise shortly after 6am. Both in intensity and color. They fade in over a 30 minute period. I then have a timer to turn them off at 8:30 on the nose as by then it's bright enough outside that nobody would notice lights on/off anyway.

 

Now, for what that allows me to do? One it give a fairly constant light schedule, and I don't have to fuck with anything for the most part. The exception to that is I do go in and update times on the initial time the lights come on about every 3-4 weeks. This obviously because of sunset changing by a couple minutes a day.

It also provides for just enough randomness that if I'm not home, it's not nearly as obvious. Also if I'm going to be gone, I'll randomize a lamp or two now and then just enough to again make it appear that someone is home. Paired with a smart doorbell, it works pretty well.

 

In addition to that, some of the more rare uses can be fun now and then. Like for halloween I'll change the 3 outside lights and front entry light to a dark red, or some other weird halloween color. Or how about the time the kiddo showed up before I got home and was parked in the driveway on my side of the garage? Call? Text? Fuck no, make all the lights in the house start flickering until they got the hint.

Maybe I'm away, but storms are coming and it's getting dark. I can flip on a couple lights so people would think I was home.

 

These are just some basic uses. You could combine it with IFTTT and do some pretty cool stuff. Got an email? Make a light change color. Storm watch/warning? Make the lights change color. I haven't (and probably won't) get into all that kind of shit, but there are tons of options available. What if someone were deaf? Lights could change color or to a specific pattern for various events like doorbell, phone, etc.

 

The big advantage is convenience. Of course there is the energy saving benefit as they're all LED, plus you can dim them regardless of switch type.

Some believe a downside is that you need the app to control the lights. While true, that is not the whole truth. You can always turn a switch off and back on, and the light(s) will come on to their default state (which is about the temp of an incandescent bulb.) You can also get a "tap", which is a wireless switch that can be programmed with several "scenes". So if you had say, 6 kitchen lights, you could put a tap in the kitchen that would turn on a scene for just those lights, and one that turns them off.

 

Myself, I'll be adding more lights as time goes on. I find the hue system to be very good for what I do with it. One of those things you don't know you're missing out on until you get one. Then you wonder what took so long.

 

[Neonmoon 38129]

Wife got me a Nightingale for my birthday. I didn’t know what it was either. It’s a smart sound machine & night light. Now I’m not a child so I don’t need the night light, but I like a little noise while I sleep. 

Pretty much the only reason this beats my previous sound machine is really easy to set a schedule., and it’s not bulky either. So you just plug it into the wall out of sight and good to go. 

Probably cool if anyone has kids. Could set a nightlight schedule or a white noise schedule. 

Edited May 19, 2018 by Neonmoon

[dcbc 14465]

18 hours ago, Neonmoon said:

Wife got me a Nightingale for my birthday. I didn’t know what it was either. It’s a smart sound machine & night light. Now I’m not a child so I don’t need the night light, but I like a little noise while I sleep. 

Pretty much the only reason this beats my previous sound machine is really easy to set a schedule., and it’s not bulky either. So you just plug it into the wall out of sight and good to go. 

Probably cool if anyone has kids. Could set a nightlight schedule or a white noise schedule. 

Each of my kids has a Marpac mechanical white noise machine and love it.  I don't really care for most of the digital ones, but on weekends, when I want to sleep late and everyone's making a bit too much noise in the house, I figured out that if you have a Google home or mini, you have a pretty decent machine.

"Hey Google, play white noise."

[The University 851]

we've had a nest thermostat since they were first introduced. temperature gauge on it was totally out of whack and it's an older model that doesn't support additional sensors. so, out with the nest and in with the ecobee 4. it's taking some time to get comfortable with the new interface, but so far, the ecobee is a great replacement.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13508]

Not that its smart, but one of better buys in the last year was a motion sensor night light in the bathroom.   Its not bright enough to ruin your night vision when walking back to the bedroom but enough to see around the bathroom.  All in all, a good buy for <$10.

and as for controlling other lights, I have a Hue system connected to Alexa.  Its more convenient telling Alexa to turn on/off the lights.

[Lobwedgephil 1139]

On 5/20/2018 at 11:26 AM, The University said:

we've had a nest thermostat since they were first introduced. temperature gauge on it was totally out of whack and it's an older model that doesn't support additional sensors. so, out with the nest and in with the ecobee 4. it's taking some time to get comfortable with the new interface, but so far, the ecobee is a great replacement.

New Nest can also use temperature sensors. 

This is not a good look for Amazon here. 

 

A Portland family contacted Amazon to investigate after they say a private conversation in their home was recorded by Amazon's Alexa -- the voice-controlled smart speaker -- and that the recorded audio was sent to the phone of a random person in Seattle, who was in the family’s contact list.

"My husband and I would joke and say I'd bet these devices are listening to what we're saying," said Danielle, who did not want us to use her last name.

Every room in her family home was wired with the Amazon devices to control her home's heat, lights and security system.

 

But Danielle said two weeks ago their love for Alexa changed with an alarming phone call. "The person on the other line said, 'unplug your Alexa devices right now,'" she said. "'You're being hacked.'"

That person was one of her husband's employees, calling from Seattle.

"We unplugged all of them and he proceeded to tell us that he had received audio files of recordings from inside our house," she said. "At first, my husband was, like, 'no you didn't!' And the (recipient of the message) said 'You sat there talking about hardwood floors.' And we said, 'oh gosh, you really did hear us.'"

Danielle listened to the conversation when it was sent back to her, and she couldn't believe someone 176 miles away heard it too.

"I felt invaded," she said. "A total privacy invasion. Immediately I said, 'I'm never plugging that device in again, because I can't trust it.'"

Danielle says she unplugged all the devices, and she repeatedly called Amazon. She says an Alexa engineer investigated.

"They said 'our engineers went through your logs, and they saw exactly what you told us, they saw exactly what you said happened, and we're sorry.' He apologized like 15 times in a matter of 30 minutes and he said we really appreciate you bringing this to our attention, this is something we need to fix!"

But Danielle says the engineer did not provide specifics about why it happened, or if it's a widespread issue.

"He told us that the device just guessed what we were saying," she said. Danielle said the device did not audibly advise her it was preparing to send the recording, something it’s programmed to do.

When KIRO 7 asked Amazon questions, they sent this response:

“Amazon takes privacy very seriously. We investigated what happened and determined this was an extremely rare occurrence. We are taking steps to avoid this from happening in the future."

Amazon offered to “de-provision” Danielle’s Alexa communications so she could keep using its Smart Home Features. But Danielle is hoping Amazon gives her a refund for her devices, which she said their representatives have been unwilling to do. She says she’s curious to find out if anyone else has experienced the same issue.

"A husband and wife in the privacy of their home have conversations that they're not expecting to be sent to someone (in) their address book," she said.

---

 

Edited May 24, 2018 by Lobwedgephil

[The University 851]

i'm shocked..utterly shocked that alexa (and google) listening devices are being used for nefarious purposes!

[The University 851]

btw, the ecobee has been a solid replacement thermostat. it also has alexa built into it, but that service has not been enabled (as far as I can tell). according to the wife, the nest is nicer aesthetically, but that's about the only difference. 

Edited May 24, 2018 by The University

[Viper 12101]

Yeah I was weighing an ecobee vs a nest, and I really liked that the ecobee had additional temperature sensors you could set up in different rooms. I'm interested to hear how Nest's new temperature sensors compare.

[Lobwedgephil 1139]

14 minutes ago, Viper said:

Yeah I was weighing an ecobee vs a nest, and I really liked that the ecobee had additional temperature sensors you could set up in different rooms. I'm interested to hear how Nest's new temperature sensors compare.

I don't have an ecobee, but I have the three nest sensors, which work great. You can view the temperatures in the various rooms, and select which one, the sensors or the thermostat, you want to use to set the temperature. I am sure the ecobee does the same, but it was really the only thing the nest was missing, besides HomeKit support if you care about that. 

[SMUlawUTgrad 81]

I just added a nest room sensor. It’s great.

[XYZ 2154]

9 hours ago, Lobwedgephil said:

A Portland family contacted Amazon to investigate after they say a private conversation in their home was recorded by Amazon's Alexa -- the voice-controlled smart speaker -- and that the recorded audio was sent to the phone of a random person in Seattle, who was in the family’s contact list.

"My husband and I would joke and say I'd bet these devices are listening to what we're saying," said Danielle, who did not want us to use her last name.

Every room in her family home was wired with the Amazon devices to control her home's heat, lights and security system.

 

But Danielle said two weeks ago their love for Alexa changed with an alarming phone call. "The person on the other line said, 'unplug your Alexa devices right now,'" she said. "'You're being hacked.'"

That person was one of her husband's employees, calling from Seattle.

"We unplugged all of them and he proceeded to tell us that he had received audio files of recordings from inside our house," she said. "At first, my husband was, like, 'no you didn't!' And the (recipient of the message) said 'You sat there talking about hardwood floors.' And we said, 'oh gosh, you really did hear us.'"

Danielle listened to the conversation when it was sent back to her, and she couldn't believe someone 176 miles away heard it too.

"I felt invaded," she said. "A total privacy invasion. Immediately I said, 'I'm never plugging that device in again, because I can't trust it.'"

Danielle says she unplugged all the devices, and she repeatedly called Amazon. She says an Alexa engineer investigated.

"They said 'our engineers went through your logs, and they saw exactly what you told us, they saw exactly what you said happened, and we're sorry.' He apologized like 15 times in a matter of 30 minutes and he said we really appreciate you bringing this to our attention, this is something we need to fix!"

But Danielle says the engineer did not provide specifics about why it happened, or if it's a widespread issue.

"He told us that the device just guessed what we were saying," she said. Danielle said the device did not audibly advise her it was preparing to send the recording, something it’s programmed to do.

When KIRO 7 asked Amazon questions, they sent this response:

“Amazon takes privacy very seriously. We investigated what happened and determined this was an extremely rare occurrence. We are taking steps to avoid this from happening in the future."

Amazon offered to “de-provision” Danielle’s Alexa communications so she could keep using its Smart Home Features. But Danielle is hoping Amazon gives her a refund for her devices, which she said their representatives have been unwilling to do. She says she’s curious to find out if anyone else has experienced the same issue.

"A husband and wife in the privacy of their home have conversations that they're not expecting to be sent to someone (in) their address book," she said.

---

 

Hahahaha. Dumb people.

[Neonmoon 38129]

Just installed 3 Nest Protects in the House. Mainly because if my house is burning down while I’m away I would like to know. 

Love how everything easily integrates in the Nest App

[Quagmire 2147]

Was it hard to install?  I want one, but I am an idiot.

Installed one this weekend in about 20 minutes. Just take a pic of existing controller wires and replicate. Each zone will have a different color wire , then you will probably have a common wire.

It’s pretty similar to swapping a thermostat