The PROBLEM with Smart Home Tech
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- Smart home tech, such as the Amazon Alexa or the Google Home, has been around for quite some time now - and there always seems to be more gadgets to buy and features to try out. Today we get into if these items worth the investment, if they're listening to our every move and plotting against us, and more!
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For further reading, check out the sources for this video here:
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Script: Holly Maley
Editor: Kim Su + Kirsten Stanley
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand
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My wife was blind and physically disabled and we had the entire home set up with smart devices. It really helped make her life normal she could control the entire home with her voice from the microwave, air fryer, washing machine, thermostat, lights, find out who's at the door and so much more. She loved to shop with Alexa and it's very important that these devices keep improving because the effect they have on disabled people and their families is night and day.
While I do agree on this, we can't overlook the bad just because some aspects are good. Especially in this case where the bad is spread out to such an insane level.
thank you Google marketing team. Good try
100% I got sick and tired of having all of these subscriptions for things that really didn’t need to have subscriptions in the first place.
@@shapurzamani6127 You understand that smart homes don't have to have any cloud access or data harvesting in them at all, right? There are so many ways to protect your privacy and still use smart devices, but none of them were touched on here
Using devices that don't connect via WiFi or Bluetooth, avoiding cloud-connected devices, focusing on locally-controlled standards and protocols like Matter over Thread or Z-wave, and using localized control platforms like HomeAssistant and HomeKit are easy ways to make a smart home more secure
Other security measures have less to do with smart home tech specifically and more to do with general issues that can also involve smart homes. For instance, people who want to protect their privacy (as distinct from security) shouldn't use Amazon or Google services. Therefore, they shouldn't use Amazon Echo or Google Home products. A good general practice is to avoid installing internal security cameras or microphones that monitor places like the living room or bedroom, as these can be used by other members of your household to spy on you. This policy also applies to smart homes
@@Gilamath. To have a smart home requires the use of internet, cloud and IoT services… to omit one or any of these, essentially removes the “smart” from the home.
Whilst systems such as home assistant can be set up to manage smart home operations on a localised private network design, doing so will omit many of the possible smart integrations… not to mention Home Assistant is outside the understanding or capabilities of most people.
However as you pointed out, no one should install security cameras inside their home. Outside of cameras built into devices like Echo, Roborock etc… the risk of unsecured access or hacking is far to risky.
I have ADHD and struggle with time management. The thing that made me go through all the effort of swapping all my lights over to smart lights (controlled by my google home), was when someone in an ADHD group said they set their lights to dim 1 hour before bedtime to remind them to start their evening routine.
Absolute game changer
And slowly turn on in the morning instead of an instant flash could mitigate a lot of suffering for people with migraines 😊
It's really important to remember that sometimes "convenience", aka "nice but optional", should really be replaced by "accessibility" aka "life-changing". Smart lighting, outlets, and HVAC alone have freed up critical energy for me to do things like feed myself and get myself more water, because when you're disabled, every trip across the room counts. The smart vacuum, which actually makes me more nervous, keeps the air cleaner to keep my disabled lungs safe and frees up a ton of energy. In the absence of the communal living we've been robbed of that might rely on human labor to assist the disabled, I think we should put energy into protecting the privacy and well-being of people whose lives are so improved by these devices, rather than condemning them.
In my experience and reading, there's nothing my current smart devices can collect that my phone isn't already doing. To mitigate my risk, I keep my tech in the same company's ecosystem to limit the number of parties with my data, and never use devices that can't be controlled in an analog way. I'm not letting smart devices control my front door lock (though I am looking for more accessible keys, because my hands do not like keys), so no company can ever keep me out of my house or let someone else in.
I think that's a really important perspective. Smart devices on a closed system that is relatively secure are absolutely possible, and the fact that they aren't widely available is a shame.
Hey there, we 100% agree - it's important to note that a lot of this technology can be used for widely positive and beneficial purposes for a large portion of our society. Thanks for sharing, Arraine, and for joining us here! ✨
As a disabled person, thank you for writing this comment, so I don’t have too. I consider myself a fan of Levi, but his perspective/attitude in this video really shook me.
Chiming in to say that I agree that IOT can be a huge help for those of us with Disabilities. Thank you!
I know there was a fabulous video by Molly Burke about looking for appliances that would be accessible for her, as she is blind. One of the major options was smart appliances, and there was a TON going into which ones she picked/recommended, and it was super enlightening in terms of what accessibility means in day to day life for different disabilities.
If you want to automate your house, but dont trust big companies (as you shouldn't) you can make an Alexa replacement yourself with open source software and a Raspberry pi. Its a little involved but there are plenty of guides and options for your experience or needs. And its a new hobby if you need another one of those.
*writting in note book* “get better hobbies”
the open souce idea is a universal hobby that will brighten your day and make your plants grow faster. Your kids will be better and your wife will bring you coffee on the bed every morning.
The truth is that these technologies SHOULD be exciting. The reason these progressions are so creepy is because of the companies behind them. And you know, people can tell me that my phone isn’t listening to me, but I have merely talked about things in front of it (things I’ve never looked up and it would have no reason to think I would be interested in), only for it to pop up something in my Google feed or RUclips suggested a day later.
When gas prices were really low i joked with a friend that i should buy a barrel of oil to sell later. I get an ad for a barrel of oil the next week. I didn't even google the price of gas
The whole doing mundane things to ground yourself really speaks to me, personally. I don't own a smart watch, nor am I going to because I feel the temptation would be there to mess around with my smart devices in work or if I go out on a walk. Disconnecting yourself when you're doing other things serves a really nice mental break from the life we lead today. Great video!
It's SO important to take time away from the busy technology-driven tasks we find ourselves doing daily. Thanks so much for joining us here!
I do have a smart watch. I keep it very simple, I keep my phone and watch notification settings VERY strict, and I will never put a smart speaker in my house. The watch does have a benefit to me by keeping me active. I think that doing household chores yourself is a good way to ground yourself, I agree. I've been using iPods for music so no one can reach into my phone and turn my music off. I AM THE ONE who presses pause.
I’m glad you brought up the potential abuse of this technology that can happen in abusive relationships because an old roommate of mine used our simplisafe system to listen to conversations his gf was having while he was out of town. 😬
Unfortunately, being the IT Security person in my family and friend group, I've had to help out with people in these abusive relationships. It's hard to see a loved one being essentially STALKED. And have to walk them through all the ways to get around it.
Maybe he suspected his gf was cheating
Whoever decided to put the Emperor’s New Groove scene in, I appreciate you.
We love that movie 🤩💃
I will tell you as a current technician at Apple and having had worked with software engineering - Siri does not listen to you nor collect much information. It’s why it’s the worse of all of the AI systems.
Well that's good to know 😅
🤣🤣🤣
It's not stupid, it's Advanced.
Thank you.
That’s good to hear.
That’s exactly why I switched to Apple home kit with Siri. And I actually prefer Seri now
One thing you can do, and this is what so do, is run a server in your own. I have a raspberry pi and it’s through that I can retain the functionality I want while revoking the data. Things like pi hole, home assistant, writing your own code to do something, here are even voice assistants you can run and be in control of your own data.
I don’t think we are just thinking that our smart phones listen to us. My partner and I have tested it on multiple occasions where we say we are looking to buy something and seconds later, ads for said thing appear on our social media. And it can’t be based on anything else because we’ve literally said items we would never have actually looked up because we don’t really want them at all. The contrary.
It happened to me too. I was chatting face to face (in person, not on the phone) with a co-worker about a product and soon after we both got advertising for that product on our social media on both our phones that happened to be on our desks.
Yep, it happens a lot. One thing I DID notice on my old smart watch was that Google Assistant would trigger randomly all the time, even in a dead silent room. I did see a reduction in this kind of thing after disabling Google Assistant completely.
It's listening to you watch this video right now!
My wife bought a skin care product, showed it to me and told me to use it. I've been using it for a week, really enjoying it, but I never ever said it's name out loud, cause I don't even know it. It's just the green bottle for me lol My wife also didn't say it's name when she showed it to me. I had some frieds over for Thanksgiving and showed one of them the bottle, said it's working miracles for my skin, she said "I know, this is really good!" Also didn't pronounce the name.
I'm getting hit with ads for it since the TG dinner.
My Android phone absolutely must do this. How do you stop it? And often what I'm saying will appear on my wife's phone!
Don't forget that smart homes add accessibility for disabled people. Imagine being able to turn off the lights with your voice when previously you relied on someone's help. These things can be the difference between independence and dependence for some people
As an avid smart home nerd I use two different platforms: Apple’s HomeKit and Home Assistant. HomeKit claims to be run locally and not use the cloud (although there are products that do still talk with a cloud, just no apple cloud). Home assistant is great because they bring together products that dont normally work and is much easier to get local products that dont use a cloud. Still in the process of migrating away from cloud options but some of the products that I love are nanoleaf, eve, Philips hue all come to mind. With Matter (new smart home standard) released we should see much more locally controlled devices roll out.
For remote access of HomeKit you need a HomePod or Apple TV because it works as the middle man for all requests rather than every product being exposed to the internet. With Google and Alexa you don’t need a hub to setup so they can see your devices directly where as for HomeKit all Apple sees is that you are communicating with the HomePod, they don’t know what data your sending so it could be thermostat changes or turning on lights or sending an intercom message. The data is end to end encrypted and apple’s servers just act as a tunnel for the devices to talk. Now the accessories are a different story however for privacy and security there you’d want a HomeKit router and enabling restrict to home(sadly it doesn’t work with matter products)
I have rejected "assistants" and "smart devices" since their inception when I was in high school, I don't even have them enabled in my phone, I can do everything perfectly fine and would rather buy "dumb" appliances that last for many more years and aren't prone obsolescence or hacking, etc.
My father’s cousin’s college age daughter is named Alexa, being in a house with an Amazon smart device gets very confusing for her and it.
That would be the worst...... imagine a kid named Google 😅
You can change the key word from Alexa to something else
@@azamean it's a great comedic opportunity why would you change it.
BRO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE VIDEO YOU TRIGGERED A RANDOM SMART DEVICE IN MY HOUSE THAT I DIDNT KNOW WE HAD. I STILL DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT IT WAS???
I work in IT... and have for over 20 years. I keep my home very simple, and my appliances very basic. Simple is usually more reliable.
Offline server smart home. That’s perfect, and that’s why those companies hate it.
When I lived with my cousin, all the lights in the house were connected to a Google home device, and honestly that was the best thing for me. The bulbs we used had options for different colors and adjustable brightness, and I fully took advantage of those features. I'm pretty sensitive to light, so I always kept the lights in my room on the lowest setting when they were on, which was plenty of light to see, but not enough to be overwhelming, so I was always comfortable. I also disdain artificial warm lighting, so I loved having the flexibility to change the hue to a color I found pleasant.
My roommate also had his air conditioner set up to the Google home device so he could turn it off when he went to work and use Google home to turn it back on about half an hour before he got home so his room would always be comfortable for him while he was there but wouldn't drain power when he was away.
The only annoying part about having all the lights controlled through the internet was that any time the power went out, when it came back on, all of the lights in the house would turn on because you have to leave the switch on for the device to control it, and until the internet connection is restored, you just have to deal with being blinded. It's a very strange feeling when the lights suddenly turn ON in the middle of the night and that's how you find out the power went out.
You guys are really amazing at picking topics. Ever since I've subbed there hasn't been a video that hasn't caught my interest
So glad you enjoy them!! Thanks for being a part of the team 💖
The thing is that all these tools are designed to replace people's jobs, but does allow people to experience how a rich person in the past would live. So there are pros and cons to having smart home.
Roomba - Cleaner
Alexa - DJ + Receptionist
Nest - Butler
Ring - Security guard + concierge
Coffee maker - Barista
Hue - Butler
For my room though I only use hue lights for dimmer mood lighting and do everything else manually, but there's always the temptation to get more. But I do like my smart watch for tracking steps/reps (personal trainer) and getting notifications (receptionist) without using my phone and also finding my phone (dog).
I understand the advantages of having smart tech to a degree. I've always been hesitant and don't want to depend on technology to do certain things for me. Even my phone listens/knows where I am even after disabling as many settings as I can to not have certain information given back to companies. It's ridiculous! The movie WALL-E is a great example of where our future is heading.
We LOVE the movie WALL-E, it's actually held up so well over time and the messaging still rings true 🤘
No one got Wall-E. But, Boy is it coming true.
As I read this I am sitting back sipping on a soda ….yikes
one of my goals as a mechanical engineering student is to get one of my comp sci buddies to work with me if i have a house in a decade to homebrew some of this stuff. being able to yell at the roof to make coffee in the morning sounds great, but only if it's a closed loop with just me and my wife accessing the data.
That's actually a really cool plan, thanks for sharing with us! And thanks for tuning in 🤙
Smart home tech is too sketchy and scary for my taste in terms of privacy. You’re right, literally every sci fi movie ever warned us of this level of automation and scary monitoring. Even an episode of mickey mouse back then has his whole smart home turn on him, and that was a kids show.
I’ve viewed some apartments where all this tech crap was built in to the apartment. I would never move in to a place like this. I’m not so lazy that I can’t get up and turn on the lights, turn on the heat, etc.
@@Maki-00 I would never move into a place like that as well. I’ll admit smart home tech does have its uses and advantages for some people, but the privacy cons just heavily outweigh the pros.
This kind of tech really fuels over consumption and people who have disabilities who'd benefit most from this kind of tech are priced out of it.
Very true! The tech should be targeted at those who need it most, but that's unfortunately not where the money is 🤷♂️
You’re god damm right!
My siri was triggered and called emergency services due to this video. Thanks
Still can’t unsee the plant growing out the toilet roll on the table behind you Levi 😂😂, but yeah, as a tech person still only see the major benefits from virtual PAs for accessibility reasons, can’t imagine how helpful they can be for someone that needs help with vision or mobility. Otherwise it’s just easier to do whatever manually.
Very true about accessibility! Thanks for bringing that to our attention. And yeah, it definitely looks like a toilet roll 😅😂
There was a great article I read once about the technological diet or something like that. Where at some point we're getting so drowned in technology, we're starting to crave something analog, something palpable. The CDs and vinyls are making a comeback for example, and it seems that part of it is owed to having a "special" music section of yours, rather than streaming through millions of songs.
Furthermore, look on the market for RPis :D Everybody was so excited to build something, the smart mirror was a hit years back, but after a while people realized that a mirror is a mirror. There's only so much excitement you can get from turning your lights on from your phone/RPi. I know I lost my excitement, because I went through the same thing, and now my RPi is waiting to find a new owner.
And if we're talking about the data... that's a horror movie on its own.
PS: There are also so many possibilities for it to actually make life easier for some people. Look at the system that Stephen Hawking was using. And so many other people with disabilities. Or older people even.
There are two sides on this knife, we just need a balance.
Yes! The pendulum swings both ways and we might see a reversal of the trend at some point in the future!
I think I've only used Siri like less than five times in my entire life. I don't see the appeal of talking to my phone, and the rational and skeptical side of my brain cannot let go of the privacy conerns.
The saddest thing is how this tech can be used to take over parenting. When I was a kid my mom reminded me to do my chores and homework, and read me stories and sang me lullabies at bedtime. Now the Alexa in the kitchen has scheduled daily reminders for chores and homework, and my sibling have Alexa's in their bedrooms, which they ask to tell them stories and play music before bed.
Thank you for this. Often I feel like I'm alone in my very strong resistance to these home "assistants" - all my friends have them and from what I've experienced often they're so laughably bad at actually following commands that I have 0 FOMO. But more so, the network security risks and flat out surveillance risks they pose (for the very little they actually can do right now) are just not worth it for me. I'm already leaking enough data left and right by using a smart phone. Lack of solid regulation of companies that collect all that data just makes everything even worse. Companies, especially big ones, never have our best interests at heart, if our interests happen to coincide with theirs that's just happenstance. It is *not* tin-foil-hat-conspiracy-think to be concerned about this.
Right on... use technology, but don't become a slave to it. There is still great pleasure to be had in doing simple things simply.
Thanks again and regards,
I have a fully integrated Home energy solution, battery, EV charger and water heater solar diverter. It is unbeatable in its functionally, and I couldn't be happier. What worries me is what happens if the company that runs this system is the subject of a hostile takeover, and the new company stops supporting the product. I end up with an expensive paperweight.
every time when I was speaking about some issues Google send adds . I stopped to talk about private things and if so I switch phone off and leave it in other room- it definitely helped.
I rather carry a torch through my house and live with no electricity until I let google in.
I have a smart speaker, fryer and lights. I think it is important to note how many times these devices (except the fryer) have saved me from oversleeping, disconnected from my personal devices and motivated me for the day. When I am temporarily paralysed in my bed but my lights automatically come on it's like a "you can do this moment for me", or when I'm trying to fall asleep after hours of unproductivity and all I have to say is a hey google it's all worth it. The speaker has played old music, podcasts, and sometimes even a fan noise in efforts to get me to sleep. I love it because i don't have to control it on my phone which is another distraction. Setting those impromptu 30-minute timers for naps as well has been really helpful. For me, I don't want to go back to life without it. Save the sad violins but, i (most likely, going through testing) have adhd and things like productivity, remembering tasks and consistency has always been a struggle for me. So once i move into my own place, you can expect a fully automated house to help me stay as productive as possible.
Side note: The fryer was a recent buy and so far haven't used its smart capabilities too much. I love it still but I think I will really love it when I go back to working fulltime in the summer and food prep time will become more scarce.
We, non native english speakers, are blessed to not be using personal assistants :D Our language is a bit too complicated (yet) for a digital assistant.
Thats why I use home assistant, eveything is local. and The most important devices still have physical control
There are some local options, but they require a bit of technical knowledge to fully use or leverage. Doing so though, they can be way more powerful than the options for general consumer which also tend to be less private.
One of my favorite automations I've done with Hubitat and Hue is to have my lights slowly fade from bright and cool to dim and warm throughout the evening, and back up to bright and cool throughout the morning. This helps with maintaining a healthier circadian rhythm. But I think an easier cheaper alternative could be produced with bulbs that simply warm as they're dimmed and dimmers that automatically dim depending on time of day.
Ironically, even with this advanced smart lighting setup, I use the light switch most of the time. I have a button by my bed to turn everything off. And I'll occasionally use Google Home on my phone. (I do not have a standalone Google Home or any voice assistant) But usually I just use the light switch.
I have noticed that even without any kind of search, people that talk about things I don't generally know anything about or do, RUclips puts stuff on my Playlist like THE SAME DAY.
Alexa, get me a girlfriend.
-Can't.
Alexa, do my dishes.
-Can't.
Alexa, do my taxes.
- Sorry, I can only play Despacito, tell you a wrong weather forecast and put toilet paper on your Amazon shopping list while secretly recording everything in your home.
... Alexa
- Yes?
Play Despacito.
I will admit that if I could, I would get technology to do basically everything around my house.
Hahahha conveeenience 😅
I'm happy with a normal house. I don't trust any of the big tech corpos with my data any more than I'd trust my own government. Which is to say, not at all.
I just started reading About Time, and it begins with the controversial introduction of the Sundial - initially a wonder, but quickly became a tool (and symbol) of controlling people, and removing their agency. Just imagine a world with no punch clocks?
11:40 why is it futile? We still have a choice, therefore its possible
I'd be very curious though how smart technology could assist disabled folks with tasks that are geared towards ablebodied folks
That's a great point! There's so much of this technology that can be used in innovative and positive ways as well 😀
idk if it's just me, but someone using more than even a little bit of smart home tech just feels like a red flag to me. they're either not concerned with privacy, are lazy, or hype/futurism obsessed. all kinda weird to me.
I'm simply putting it this way. Old school is sometimes better than new school
The fact I can safe my back and time doing vacuum and mopping is a thumbs up for me. And a simple security cameras.
Just to summarise what you are saying, there are two sets of potentially interconnected problems here.
The first is that you can potentially lose control of some basic function of your house such as heating, lights or doorlocks with potentially serious if not fatal results.
The second is that nobody trusts those companies and yet we don't know what they are doing with data that should not leave the device and are, instead, transmitted outside.
At this point the scenario of a hacker or an assassin meddling with our home devices to hurt or kill someone is not science fiction anymore.
Much as I love the idea of a house that self-maintains, the idea of being unable to override the devices scares me.
That HAL reference is real!
The larger problem imo is that most people don't have any clue about how the technology behind all this works, and that prevents them from making informed decisions about how to use or control it.
This
Even back in the 90s our baby monitor would pick up phone conversations, random transmissions & somehow even conversations being held inside what we were able to determine was one of the houses behind us; it would be absurd to think the reverse was not also true, with strangers listening to us inadvertently or not.My now grown children grew up with tech, understand it, love it & own & use many of these devices while laughing at their "dinosaur" mother who won't allow most of them into the house & goes around covering the lenses & turning off the location finder on things I do own. I won't even own a robotic vacuum & will at times leave my phone at home, although that causes its own problems.
Me: frantically pauses the video before devices start dialing 911
Oops 😬
The part about wanting a self adjusting bed that reads and lulls be back to sleep might become something I want say when I’m 102 yrs old …😆
Yes it is a careful balance of some practical convenience but I still want to enable myself to do many tactile tasks in my home for myself.
We are going heavily down the smart home automation path. But trying to be selective and use caution, it is weighting up the risk/reward factors. Our lights can be manually overridden with the switches, the heatpump is automated by an add on that can be unplugged, the door has a manual physical key override. We have security cameras/floodlights outside and don't plan to have them inside (except we need to figure out a baby monitor but we are considering one that doesn't connect to the internet)
The catdoor only opens for our cats microchip which is a godsend as there are so many cats around here, but they can't come in through the door, but it cant stop anything going out the door unless we physically stopper it so if it faulted he wouldnt get stuck inside, only outside which would be ok.
Our ventilation system is not smart and works only from the control panel.
Next week are looking into smart blinds / curtain tracks, so we can get them to close up in Winter when it gets to dark before we get home to retain heat.
I feel like you're listening in now too. I was JUST telling my coworker about this as a joke and now all I get are recommended products that sort of are like what I happened to be saying
Maybe we are 👀👂
I kind of missed the point here of locally run smarthome systems. In addition to major brands such as Google and Amazon, there are several alternatives to running a smart home system locally without an internet connection and only allowing the owner access to the data. Sure, Google and Amazon are big players in the market, but Homeassistant as a local open source platform is gaining huge popularity.
At least some one listening
I didn't realise I had a 'hey google good morning' routine, now I do after it was set off 😂
Was talking to my dad one night about a random topic (i forgot) and google home literally interrupted our convo and started to beat box randomly without us even asking or giving it a promt. It was funny but also scary lol
I watched your video on my PS5; it's amusing to me enjoy not being surrounded by tech. when folding laundry; I fold laundry as an excuse to catch up on streaming shows.
Glad you can make the most of it!! Thanks for sharing, Kathryn ✨
i googled for phone cases and now my facebook and instagram is full of ads for them. I still can't find one that fit my phone, that isn't a scam or ugly.
Love your vids so much, started with Dyson and now I'm hooked
When a company wants to automate they usually have to standardize processes. Most people do not want to live a standardized life. For smart devices to be more useful it needs to be safe, reliable and flexible. Also, it would help if people learned how to use smart devices.
That last line was savy AF and sadly so true at the same time 😅
As a disabled person, having something which helps me with my ADL's is a good thing. I also think that the tech is good for seniors who wish to age in place without having to move into an assisted living facility.
There are open source voice assistants, that which you can choose if you want to, or just can't, submit voice samples.
The Texas power company made a deal with customers to lower their bill if they could spread load remotely.
Smart Home Tech devices can have their own disadvantages. As stated, they may be spying on you in a more discreet manner. We can never be too certain that we’re often safe at home. Things could go wrong and it may even be difficult to seek a reliable solution to that specific problem or issue. Thanks for this video, Future Proof. Continue to work hard the best you can. We will all be here to support.
The only time I use my "Ok Google", is when I'm driving. I think it's the safest way to put some music, calling someone, etc.
Love the what we do in the shadows little bit 🤣
Those devices creep me out, they can get hacked so easily, it's horrifying! As long as I'm able-bodied, nothing of that garbage will enter my house.
It's useful when you're old and living by yourself. My dad's friend fell down and couldn't get back up. Stayed on the same spot for 3 days before someone came in and checked on him. He was drinking his own piss to stay alive.
If he has Alexa/Siri/etc he could have just said "hi Alexa, call Mark" and get rescued in 30min or so.
That's the only legitimate reason I would install smart home systems imo
My partner keeps adding connected devices all around the house and it drives me crazy. Sometimes it can be convenient and I completely understand how useful it can be for people with disabilities, but I like my privacy and my autonomy, and don’t really need them in the background. Also, is it true that hackers can use smart devices to spread viruses (and we can’t even add anti viruses to those devices)? We have Google in many parts of the house, smart lights (also switches for the fans), smart blinds, smart thermostats, robot vacuum, robot lawnmower, smart washing machine, etc. Yes we can set up routines to automate things but I personally like doing things such as opening the blinds myself as I also check the weather and look at the landscape before work. Smart switches don’t work compared to traditional ones when you can’t use the fingertip and try to use other parts of your fingers or other body parts, instead you have to do it many times til it works (e.g. your carrying a sleepy baby and also carry things in your hands, and you can’t talk to Google without waking up your little one). Sometimes, Google also starts music and videos on the wrong devices in different rooms, does the opposite of what you want (e.g. switching on the lights when the kids are falling asleep instead of turning off), it start all the fans when you want one specific light to turn on, young children can turn on the tv and watch what they want without your consent, they can also switch on and off the tv and lights non stop to trigger you, your baby playing with the smart switches can create a latency and then you won’t be able to turn it on again without recalibrating the whole thing, thermostat need recalibrating and batteries constantly have to be changed/monitored around the house, smart blind need to be plugged in as solar panels keep peeling off from windows, adding yet more cables, some lights resist and you have to turn them off a few times to make them work. Google does listen and adds comments and replies without us saying the trigger words - so creepy. It also tells us jokes and asks us for feedback to improve its sense of humour 😂 it starts playlists without being prompted too. Some things we speak about and don’t type on a device start appearing on ads. It doesn’t work well with some accents (e.g. multilingual family). Changing your Wi-Fi password becomes such a hassle. So yes, it’s nice to turn off the lights from our bed, open the blinds with the sunrise, set up alarms with our voice, save energy by setting up routines for the thermostats, answering the door when you’re out, but it can make us lazy, more addicted to screens and technology for things that don’t take up so much time, and you can actually add up stress having to maintain all of them, keeping them charged, fixing them when they behave erratically. It also pushes people to consume more and has more of an ecological footprint: yes you can save energy, but you have to upgrade your devices as technology evolves when a traditional light switch or thermostat would have lasted a lifetime, so it uses precious natural resources that are limited on Earth (especially at a large scale), creates pollution at the production stage and when we get rid of them. Is it really worth it? (Not speaking about people with disabilities of course as I think that it can make such a difference for them)
Respectfully, I feel that this video has fallen short in a few ways
The video mischaracterized smart tech consumers as seeking to "stop thinking about their lives" and opt for "convenience" instead. Not only is this an uncharitable view of consumers, it's flatly inaccurate. People buy smart home tech to *gain* control, not lose it
People don't want to forget about their lives, they want to be able to put their energy towards the things they care about. People with disabilities or accessibility needs are not disconnecting from our lives, we're trying to reconnect to them. And accessibility functionality helps everyone. You don't need to have a limb difference to find voice-activated thermostats useful, and you don't need to have ADHD to be well-served by lights that turn off when you leave the house or doors that lock themselves
The irony is that the video talks about how nice it is to spend time on dishes or the laundry to get away from technology like the smartphone, while failing to acknowledge that smart tech is fundamentally more like dishwashers or washing machines than smartphones. Rather than informing viewers of the options they have to make more informed smart home decisions such as avoiding cloud connections or making sure security devices such as smart locks aren't operating on WiFi or Bluetooth, the video chooses to spend the majority of its time speaking in hypotheticals and fear-mongering without any actual receipts
Future Proof works because it leaves viewers better-informed about how to make better, more thoughtful choices. As a networking student as well as a person with accessibility needs whose has benefitted tremendously from smart devices, I was really excited to see a Future Proof video on smart homes. I wish it had delivered what I've come to expect from this channel, and I hope the next video is better
Can confirm I’m dependent.
In 2019 I lived, temporarily, in the middle of nowhere with cruddy internet. It sucked.
I feel much better about hating tech that talks back. Ive disabled all my smart features. Even at work! My phone is a smart phone, but like not intrusively smart.
I also love escaping to rural places, and i dont mean small town America. I mean rural mountain villages with few indoor toilets and next to no internet connection
Really, this just makes me feel better about buying appliances from the 40s and 50s. This just makes my distrust of these companies worse, and I can't finish this one....
Your frustration level is at next level...
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who enjoys washing dishes and doing chores 😅
I largely got into automated google lights, for my mother, to make it easer for her to turn the lights off and on, especially so she didn't trip over anything after turning the lights off. although she never used it that way, prefering instead to turn lights on, after getting up and going to the location in the house she wanted to be.
these days, I find it partially convenient to turn on my bathroom lights, before I struggle out of bed.
I don’t know why you have a tattoo that says ‘gezellig’, but I like it. Had to look twice because I was so surprised 😆 Greetings from a Dutchie!
We love the Netherlands! 😅🙏🏼
I was skeptical of smart tech but when I got into cyber security and realized that the state of privacy is worse than people think, I invested heavily into all the smart devices because if they're going to steal my data at least make my life easier. Super glad I made the jump because I save SO much time being able to control every device from my phone and voice lol.
Lol. You choose the Brave New World dystopia over the 1984 dystopia. Ease and convenience at the price of privacy rather than just... No privacy with no perks.
…and all they will hear is me snoring, family chewing me out, and noise from Netflix and Disney+
The thing is, many security issues of many devices could be fixed by just not connecting them to the internet. I can see the use and appeal of many smart devices, but connecting them to the internet is a big mistake imho. Of course, it might be necessary depending on what you want it to do, but a thermostat for example doesn't need to be connected to the internet at all, same for voice assistants (like alexa, although it is important to mention that that just works for controlling other smart devices. If you want to use it for looking up things, or shopping, or whatever, then it obviously has to be connected to the internet. But it doesn't if you just want to control your lights and blinds and whatever through voice commands). IP cameras don't need to be connected the internet directly either.
While I can see the reasons for doing it, it is the cause of many of the security concerns of smart devices.
Also not everything has to be smart. It's not difficult to just use a toothbrush like normal people do.
Sometimes I put a thermos of coffee beside my bed for when I wake up. I know flipping a light switch and turning a shower tap are hard things but do we really need to sacrifice control and independence for that level of convenience?
The Circle and The Every by Dave Eggers are the most important dystopian novels to read of this generation. Life changing and terrifying with how smart technology is already so ingrained in our society and community
Most people don't understand that they aren't always listening there's 2 states the key word state where it's listening for the keyword locally then when it's actually sending which is everything after the keyword so in short it only actually listens after the keyword
I am reminded of an "X Files" episode where Mulder and Scully stapped at a fully automated diner for a meal. No humans were involved. Only robots. Mulder refused to pay the tip on the check. As the AI staff raised. the pressure to collect the tip. Finally, Mulder paid the tip. and the computer system thanked him and unlocked the door.
The Internet of Things has me particularly worried. I trust Apple to make sure my $1000 phone is secure. But do you trust Hamilton Beach to worry about software security on a $20 smart toaster? And the risk isn’t just turning the toaster on, it’s access to your home network and everything on it.
I like my Google Nest. I use it as an alarm clock that I can talk to and it can play music for me and dim my smart lightbulbs. That’s about all I use it for. Sometimes I watch streaming on it if my phone is charging. It can also turn my robot vacuum and window AC unit on. But I use my phone or their remotes for that. Sometimes it’s just easier to get up and do it myself, because settings can get lost or there are network connectivity issues. And that’s annoying. So as long as it can play music and wake me up in the morning, I’m happy. Otherwise it’s a nonessential. My phone can do all of these things too.
These devices are life-changing for people with disabilities, and I hope we will continue to develop tech that supports people and helps them live more independently.
Matter is the future for Smart home devices 💯
The conversation about tech and software really needs more FOSS into it.
Free Software literally has the answer to get both the convenience and also the privacy, security and avoid the planned obsolescence...
My apartment already comes with a nest but I would not personally buy any of this. I am fine doing household chores and I like staying busy. I can see the pros of something like a ring doorbell because many suspicious activity has been caught on them so I’m kind of torn on that one.
Also, geez it took you 8 min and 4 sec to get to what this video is about??? Everyone, just go to 8:05 and save yourself “smart” time. SMH
i think that people are forgetting that these devices are made on the premise that you're supposed to free up more of your time, so you can WORK more. Not do hobbies or maintenance tasks around your own life.
These things are so creepy. I've been in the home of someone I really suspect was recording conversations in his home without telling his visitors.
You don't say "Hey Google" when you wake up. That's a horrible integration. You have your lights automatically turn on slowly over a period of time prior to your alarm going off (Sunset Alarm), and deactivating your alarm is the trigger for whatever you want to turn on in the morning (run routine on dismissing the alarm).
As a disabled person smart devices are really helpful, but I get what you’re saying.
We can become overly dependent on our devices. For example, smart phones contain all the phone numbers we call, but what do you do if you lose the phone or it dies? Practically nobody remembers all those phone numbers. I live in a rural area where power failures are common. How easily can people manually operate all the devices that their smart home controls? How can easily can you cope if the internet is down for a prolonged period?
I just find personalized ads weird and funny at same time. Best example was me working in firm that makes billboards, 3D logos and ads for everything, and so one time we got to do a car dealership/mechanic shop that also sells things for cars, including tires: just a design of 3D tire for roof with name of the dealership, few smaller billboards and logos for tire brands on window panes. Didnt tell anyone on phone or message yet, nor net, the bill for paying the job wasnt yet made or even printed, absolutely nothing was mentioned by me. Next thing i get personalizied ads for tire brands that are meant to be put on windows and car fluids and antifreeze on billboards.
And i dont even own a car, which makes it hilarious since i dont even need any of it, but get ads anyway