What are your practical use cases for automation, no "fun" things?

Initial reason for me was to monitor “things”. Lights left on, garage door left up, outbuildings with a door open. I set up a RGB bulb as an alert.

I rather easily achieved those. Secondary was eliminating all my X10 stuff. I have several times devices scattered throughout the house that operate off timers. These were on the to-do eventually list, but the recent close out of items at Lowe’s let me complete all those.

I have an outdoor heated birdbath, but do not rely on it’s thermostat, now using IFTT to control an outdoor receptacle. (GFCI is upstream), changed my landscape lighting to NOT use it’s sensor, but use sunset on, of at midnight. Outdoor spotlights using a switch and minimote and part of the RGB alert light if I leave it on.

What I do not use:
Presence sensor - no need, unreliable.
Security - though may add some push notifications eventually.
Multiple smart bulbs - at present, just no need,most everything already has smart switches.
RGB / Hue / etc - again no need

As I get more familiar with rule machine I plan to tweek more.

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Most people have automatic garage door openers that have keypads and wireless controllers that would allow someone access to at least your garage and possibly your home. That is a potential security risk most people are willing to accept and don’t think twice about.

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Kind of, but not the same. Picture this, either from someone who works at ST or a hacker who gains access.

Pull a list of everyone with a ST setup and who has a smart lock. Then query those user’s other devices to get their schedule, see what lights they turn on, what sensors go off etc. I now know when they are home and how to get in their house very easily and it’s safe to assume that if they’re spending $$ on cool light switches they’re not poor. I use the GPS data (or the data they provide) to find their address, wait for them to leave and unlock their door, disable the ST cloud (or their Internet) for 15 minutes and take what I want.

Yes you can pop locks or break windows but the visibility of knowing everything about a house just by hitting one server is what scares me.

You’re absolutely right. Again, you need to assess your own risk factors. You could make the same argument about any of your neighbors or friends who live in the neighborhood. I don’t rely on ST for security I have a separate security system. Keep in mind most burglaries happen during the day and they start by the burglar knocking on the door to see if anyone is home. You argument is valid but if someone wants to break in your house they will. ST also has a liability issue if if can be tracked back to them. Same thing for any monitored security company they also know when you are home or away.

Unlocking a door doesn’t mean no security system is on. Many people have separate security systems monitoring the same house where SmartThings is installed. Plus you still have to physically go to the house to get the stuff.

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This is my project report from my first phase of home automation. My emphasis was always on practical. :sunglasses:

A lock is an deterrent. I’m going to set my system up to automatically call 911 when it detects my gun shots and the sounds of a body hitting the floor.
That home automation right.

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Locks are merely a deterrent. I think my 3 (big) dogs barking are probably even more of a deterrent. We used to live in the country and not even lock the doors. If someone wants in, they are coming. However, in a more populated area it’s good to at least slow people down. If someone at ST wants to go to the trouble of finding my house and getting in because they can hack the system, they want my stuff way more than I do. It is meant to keep out the average “criminal” and that’s about it. The benefit of a smart lock is it makes sure it is locked and unlocks for me when I get there.

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Using a TV remote control is all about convenience and yet, who can live without one now? I think you have to look at the big picture because ultimately, it’s not really about being able to turn something on with your smartphone or even voice but it’s the automatons that one can achieve and once set up, you shouldn’t have to give it much thought any more. I just wish that things were more reliable.

My mother-in-law is the biggest deterrent! Don’t need no guns or ST! :wink: She can hear unwanted visitors miles away!

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My biggest use cases at the moment are:

Turning on and off power sockets for lamps & power strips where the switch or socket is very awkward to get to.

Being able to have lights come on automagically if we come home and it’s dark (because the light switch for the lounge is a pain to get to as it’s partly obscured by the display unit that houses the TV)

Being able to turn off lights that we may have forgotten to do so when going to bed at night without having to go all the way down to the kitchen (as it’s usually the kitchen light).

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I have water and smoke/carbon sensors pretty much everywhere in the house. It’s probably one of the biggest reason why I have ST in the first place. Also automatic outdoor lighting for safety is a big go for the wife as well.

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In stream of consciousness format the best xAF in my house:
Laundry Finished Monitor
Notification of kids arriving and leaving home
Bumping temps up when home, cool when away, especially during vacation.
Motion lights avoid tripping
Saving electricity by turning off lights
Showing how much electricity is being used in house
Random vacation lights.
Linking sets of lights so turning one on turns on another and off.
Leak detectors.

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Brian,
What are you using to do this?

Some type our energy monitor http://www.buydig.com/mobile/product.aspx?sku=aeondsb09104&ref=pla&omid=103&utm_source=googlepla&utm_medium=cse&utm_item=aeondsb09104&cawelaid=230005120000836436&catargetid=230005120000971083&cadevice=m&gclid=cj0keqia2b20brdj4buduig-y9ebeiqahgmgfaoycuhucqs5czjfcrcjnvb8piyu-mqv0wjsd1kyrt0aav1l8p8haq

Aeon HEM V2

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How does that help though, knowing the washer uses that much power is cool but unless you want dirty clothes there isn’t much you can do about it, no?

Push notification when watts go less than four (laundry notification). Can also tell when its washing versus drying (its a combo unit). Can also tell what’s contributing to high load in house.

Thats my power dashboard. I have others. I mainly glance at the solar and house power. Girlfriend just uses the notification.

How difficult is it to install the HEM? Looks like it would be simple, but maybe I’m missing something?

I think it’s easy. But you have to open your panel. It’s dangerous if you are not careful. There are some threads showing various installs with a search.