I'm interested in how SmartThings can be used. Do you do lights, monitors, cameras?
Do you use it all the time or only when you're gone RVing?
I think this doorbell looks cool - you can even talk to people at your door whether you are home or not. Ring Video Doorbell Pro
You can apparently use this with SmartThings or stand alone with its own app.
Do you use it all the time or only when you're gone RVing?
I think this doorbell looks cool - you can even talk to people at your door whether you are home or not. Ring Video Doorbell Pro
You can apparently use this with SmartThings or stand alone with its own app.
SmartThings is a Samsung brand name. More generically, a "smart home" refers to interconnected devices in your home like cameras, lights, door locks, etc.
There is zero evidence that "smart homes" increase the chance of a break-in. It's quite the opposite, actually. Thieves typically avoid homes that are occupied. So one of the most important deterrents is to make sure your house looks occupied. Smart lighting helps with that. Lighting that can be controlled remotely - either in response to something you see on a camera or just randomly timed are great deterrents.
Most of the risks demonstrated at trade shows and by hackers are impractical in the real world - and get fixed by manufacturers pretty quickly. Someone disables a camera? Guess what - it tells me by sending a push notification to my phone. My Nest cams tell me when they go out and send a picture of the last thing they saw. A camera itself is not going to prevent a break-in, but as a crook which house would you choose to break into? One with obvious surveillance or one without? Someone tampers with my smart locks? It tells me that, too.
So the answer to the question "how do I use smart things?" is: mostly with lighting and video surveillance. I have a hodge podge of brands: Philip's Hue for light bulbs, TP-Link for smart switches (mainly for outdoor lighting) and Nest cameras and thermostats. My home security system has its own integrated cameras and sensors (glass break, contact, motion, smoke, CO and water).
I have 360 degree coverage on the cameras - every camera can see another camera. If one goes out, I can see if it was tampered with.
Everything is controlled via a cell phone app or a browser-based app.
Why? I don't know. I'm more of a gadget freak than paranoid. The cameras catch all sorts of wildlife, and tell me when I've accidentally left a light on outside (which I can shut off remotely). The Nest cams distinguish between generic motion and people so I know when a package has arrived or if someone is at the house.
The Nest thermostats help with utility bills by learning our patterns and automatically adjusting to them. They know when we're not here and know what temperature we like when we are here.
The Hue lights have infinite colors and each one is adjusted to provide the right kind of mood for a particular room. And I can turn them all on at once, remotely, if need be.
With a bigger budget I'd have more smart switches and remote control for my garage doors.
There is zero evidence that "smart homes" increase the chance of a break-in. It's quite the opposite, actually. Thieves typically avoid homes that are occupied. So one of the most important deterrents is to make sure your house looks occupied. Smart lighting helps with that. Lighting that can be controlled remotely - either in response to something you see on a camera or just randomly timed are great deterrents.
Most of the risks demonstrated at trade shows and by hackers are impractical in the real world - and get fixed by manufacturers pretty quickly. Someone disables a camera? Guess what - it tells me by sending a push notification to my phone. My Nest cams tell me when they go out and send a picture of the last thing they saw. A camera itself is not going to prevent a break-in, but as a crook which house would you choose to break into? One with obvious surveillance or one without? Someone tampers with my smart locks? It tells me that, too.
So the answer to the question "how do I use smart things?" is: mostly with lighting and video surveillance. I have a hodge podge of brands: Philip's Hue for light bulbs, TP-Link for smart switches (mainly for outdoor lighting) and Nest cameras and thermostats. My home security system has its own integrated cameras and sensors (glass break, contact, motion, smoke, CO and water).
I have 360 degree coverage on the cameras - every camera can see another camera. If one goes out, I can see if it was tampered with.
Everything is controlled via a cell phone app or a browser-based app.
Why? I don't know. I'm more of a gadget freak than paranoid. The cameras catch all sorts of wildlife, and tell me when I've accidentally left a light on outside (which I can shut off remotely). The Nest cams distinguish between generic motion and people so I know when a package has arrived or if someone is at the house.
The Nest thermostats help with utility bills by learning our patterns and automatically adjusting to them. They know when we're not here and know what temperature we like when we are here.
The Hue lights have infinite colors and each one is adjusted to provide the right kind of mood for a particular room. And I can turn them all on at once, remotely, if need be.
With a bigger budget I'd have more smart switches and remote control for my garage doors.
