Take a Look Inside HGTV's $1.5 Million Smart Home

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WisdomLost

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May 31, 2017
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For this to be a smart home, shouldn't the home be smart? We need to start building homes that are smart, rather than simply plugging a bunch of smart things into a dumb house.

Sure, if you want to keep track of food, you will need the fridge to be smart, but the head-long Sprint toward $50 light bulbs is the perfect way to freeze the consumer out of the market.

A smart home should be built with the central hub/control system and direct control over electrical devices pre-installed. Light switches, light sockets, and outlets should be monitored/controlled by the hub. Any other smart device that cannot be pre-installed should work with that hub to integrate into the existing system. Your smartphone app should be all-in-one, with no need for additional apps for additional devices.

THAT'S the future. That's also possible today. I'm currently upgrading my home to meet these ideas. Alex's voice control to a Raspberry Pi, which in turn communicates to several Arduinos for the actual IO. Inserting relay boards and input modules into the wiring at the top plate allows me to monitor switch position and separately switch output to the lights. Future phases of the project will integrate security, HVAC, and sprinklers (all without expensive and proprietary third-party equipment). I could add other controls, like blinds, and bath water, but it's simply not worth the effort (or money) to me.

Once my house is smart, I will add the smart major appliances to finish out the function. There's no way to avoid individual smart devices, but you cannot call a dumb house with smart devices a "smart home". We need to make the distinction between "smart things" and a "smart house".
 
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