OK, everybody’s right, everybody’s wrong. Including me. Can we get back to the thread topic?
I agree with the basic principle that unless it would be safe for a device to be on at anytime or off at any time for a long time it should not be connected to the SmartThings network.
Personally, for example, I would never put an electric blanket on SmartThings unless it has an automatic shut off. And even then I would be nervous.
But as many community members know, fire safety is a big issue for me personally since I’m quadriparetic.
No electrical devices 100% safe, but I feel better about the ones which are designed to be safe when left in the ready position 24 hours a day.
@JDRoberts, I finally collected the hardware to hook up my gas fireplace to the cloud. Should I reconsider?
I’m planning to use zfm-80, which has the auto shut off feature, and associated z-wave switch.
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tgauchat
(ActionTiles.com co-founder Terry @ActionTiles; GitHub: @cosmicpuppy)
23
That’s partially why in many countries (like Australia), every outlet has to have a manual switch on it. Seems so weird at first, but it’s also convenient. Sure must drive up costs a bit.
Hmmm… I wonder what that means for “smart outlets”? I guess most people use a plug-in module to avoid the issue.
quite a few US jurisdictions have codes that require that remotes for gas fireplaces only be line of sight. You’re not even allowed to have a switch in an upstairs bedroom that turns on a gas fireplace the next floor down. You could have a remote for when you’re sitting on the couch in the same room, but that’s a different thing. So you need to check your local codes. If you violate this, not only is it a violation of the building code, it may void your homeowners insurance if there is a fire. Plus many gas fire mechanisms include in their warranty a statement that only the approved remote can be used. All of this is for safety reasons. So you just want to check and make sure that you can legally do what you want to do.
Two) assuming that checks out, I’m not sure how the auto cut off works on the specific device. So I don’t really have a comment on that specifically.
Three) me, personally, I wouldn’t do it. But again, fire is a bigger deal for me than it is for somebody who could run out of the house. So feel free to discount this one.
No comparison. Let me know when your toaster interoperates with hundreds of other devices, has four radios, and can sense when you are home or not.
What ST is doing cost tens of thousands of dollars as an industrial grade product. That’s my bar.
Of course it should be more reliable, but I still wouldn’t put it in charge of my family’s safety. I wouldn’t drive them in a $99 car either. I wouldn’t trust my TiVo to turn off a griddle either and those are much more expensive.
We happily pay $250 per thermostat, and then a $99 hub to tell it what to do. It’s kind of backwards if you think about it.
I cringe when I see people talking about baby monitors and co2 detectors and water shut off valves. I always suggest they keep original connectivity and control and only use ST for ease of use. When I came home from vacation and found my heater running at 95 degrees for days I decided that ST was a novelty and not something to be trusted.
My pool, both HVACs, alarm system, door locks, and baby monitors are all online and have their own monitoring app’s and they never let me down. This is strictly a ST issue by far.
We are also happily paying 750 for a Galaxy s7 when it costs them 250 to make it. If it wasn’t for the brand name, I bet the phone would have a 259.99 price tag. If a hub would be something people appreciate, I am sure you’d see a bigger price tag. But we are not there yet. Likewise, if you buy a 10 bucks toaster that keeps burning your bread, either you quit toasting your bread, or buy one that’s more reliable. It’s all about perceptions and set expectations.
It’s not just about cost. In the United States, you can walk in to any pharmacy and buy a $15 smoke alarm and it will be extremely reliable. Because no one would buy one that wasn’t.
Similarly when Staples decided to sell a branded home automation line, they thought first about their target audience. It’s small businesses. So they made reliability top priority, and they did hit the mark, at a price that was typically somewhat lower than SmartThings. But they did that by leaving out pretty much anything that could introduce unreliability, including Geopresence, IFTTT, voice control, custom code, etc. so they ended up with a system that works very well for scheduling lights and smart door locks, but is pretty boring. And gets very little media attention.
The techmedia is so excited by shiny new things that they give press releases from kickstarter projects the same amount of coverage as stuff you can actually buy. Which leaves everyone competing against an impossible standard of pure puffery.
Someday home automation will give us a reliable low cost plug-and-play system that integrates sensors, lights, HVAC, cameras, A/v, Voice control, and micro location. And once a competitive standard is set, SmartThings will have to decide how much reliability it needs to compete. But until then, they keep selling and we keep buying. Shiny.
The on-wall switch will remain, but I was looking into Echo integration, mostly for the “wow” factor, but also to ensure it doesn’t stay operational when unattended.
Echo integration would probably violate the “line of sight” code. Although now, that the winter is over, operating fireplace with voice commands is not that exciting.
I have someone who could not run out in case of fire, but he’s about to start crawling any day now. So safety is #1 priority for me.
The price of the system is not a factor when alleging a breach of contract, tortious breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, negligence and consumer fraud. Defense lawyers will file a motion for partial summary judgment attempting to throw out the exculpatory and liability limitation provisions in the implied contract or product’s TOU. The judge can rule that these respective clauses are void because it could not be understood by the reasonably intelligent customer and it violated the customer’s reasonable expectation.
Let me know when your thermostat can run all the different devices in your house that ST can. The features matter here.
The best closest example is the Staples hub, and it doesn’t seem to be very popular even though it’s clearly reliable. Rocks are reliable too.
Again, this is not a device you should use for safety. It is not robust enough for that. Even the wireless protocols and endpoint devices aren’t robust enough. It probably even says that on the tins. I bet your thermostat is wired to your furnace. It’s a simple switch, not a computer. Dedicated devices like smoke alarms are the way to go for safety.
Wow guys, what’s with all these arguments? Almost every threads on this forum are like that. Keep it on topic and there is nothing to gain by pointing people out.
Including me. Can we get back to the thread topic?
