How to Use Your iPhone With HomeKit-Enabled Devices

[ArtOfWarfare]

Okay this is a bit embarrassing but I kinda dont get this chart. Im trying lol. I think I need more sleep maybe.

Someone explain please?

Sure. It's a chart for deciding whether it's a good idea to make something automatic or not.

For example, lets say you want to decide whether it's a good idea to make your door automatically unlock itself. You need to first consider how often you do this per day. You probably do it about once a day, when you get home at the end of the day.

Next you need to consider how long it takes you to unlock a door. It takes about 5 seconds to do this.

Now check the intersection of daily and lasting 5 seconds - it says 30 minutes.

30 minutes is the maximum amount of time you should invest in getting a door that automatically unlocks itself. If you invest more than 30 minutes in it, you have spent more time automating the unlocking of your door than you will get back in the form of not needing to manually unlock your door anymore.

If you think about most ways you could make your home "smart" and refer to this chart, you'll realize that most things you could do are an utter waste of your time, not to mention money.

 

[amirite]

Sure. It's a chart for deciding whether it's a good idea to make something automatic or not.

For example, lets say you want to decide whether it's a good idea to make your door automatically unlock itself. You need to first consider how often you do this per day. You probably do it about once a day, when you get home at the end of the day.

Next you need to consider how long it takes you to unlock a door. It takes about 5 seconds to do this.

Now check the intersection of daily and lasting 5 seconds - it says 30 minutes.

30 minutes is the maximum amount of time you should invest in getting a door that automatically unlocks itself. If you invest more than 30 minutes in it, you have spent more time automating the unlocking of your door than you will get back in the form of not needing to manually unlock your door anymore.

If you think about most ways you could make your home "smart" and refer to this chart, you'll realize that most things you could do are an utter waste of your time, not to mention money.

What about the numerous benefits besides time saved?

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Okay this is a bit embarrassing but I kinda dont get this chart. Im trying lol. I think I need more sleep maybe.

Someone explain please?

It assumes a five year term, and on the vertical, it shows the time for the 'fix', and the horizontal, it shows the 'total' time based on how many times you do that 'fix', for the five years.

IE: The 'fix' takes an hour, and you do it once a year, you save five hours, 1 hour, done yearly for five years equals 5 hours saved...

It's a little strangely put up, but it makes sense. Mostly... Don't worry about it. All is good...

 

[SvP]

The thing is that there is a point at which everything is too connected. What about when the power goes out or your phone runs out of battery power? There's just too much to go wrong with these connected devices. To me, and others, the risks far outweigh the rewards.

Silly me, I posted my conservative view of how I see the application of technology in the world on MacRumors the internet, where your opinion is wrong. You can quantify the use cases of these devices all you want, but you will never change my mind on them.

Your opinion is fine. You just keep ginving nonsense examples. Your fear is what drives your opinion, and that's fine. "i don't like it" is perfectly fine.

But when you start saying its insecure because you have no idea how it would work you start saying things that are simply untrue, over-simplistic or plain dumb. That's what i'm replying to. Having a key will not go away.

My mom got locked out of my brothers home last week: her granddaughter (2 years old) closed the door.
She couldn't break the window because of the baby being there. It would have been a HUGE lifesaver if she could just call her son and he would unlock the door remotely.

It all comes down to this tho: You can quantify the use cases of these devices all you want, but you will never change my mind on them.

So it doesn't matter. And even that is ok. What i don't get is why try changing the minds of people who do see the benefits? Why not try and fix the issues with the devices? It's like the people on my facebook, announcing the terrible things facebook does with your data, being against google, and buying intoo android because of the "apple tax". Close minded ******** is what it is, and they're not contributing anything.

EDIT: it seems i can't say cow maneur on this forum. Might offend some cows?

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

What about the numerous benefits besides time saved?

Such as...? Most of smart products I've seen just save you a bit of time. Smart lights that let you turn them on/off without going to the light switch. Smart windows that open and shut without you going to them. Smart coffee pots that start up without you.

All of it is just time saved.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Such as...? Most of smart products I've seen just save you a bit of time. Smart lights that let you turn them on/off without going to the light switch. Smart windows that open and shut without you going to them. Smart coffee pots that start up without you.

All of it is just time saved.

It's not just time though. You can also save a bit of effort too.

Lights that turn on by themselves are not so much about saving time as they are about you not having to think about it. It just happens.

If I'm walking by the light switch, I could easily turn it on by hand. But if my arms are full, it will happen automatically.

It's not necessarily time saved... just less effort. (or no effort really)

Flipping a light switch doesn't take much time. But it turning on by itself or you being able to turn it on remotely while your at work or on vacation is a whole other thing.

Remember that garage door that you could control from your phone? That's more about convenience and security rather than saving time.

Or Nest vs an old fashioned thermostat. Both do the same thing... but the selling point of the Nest is the remote control and its learning capability.

You're not necessarily "saving time" with the Nest or that garage door. You're getting other benefits.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

It's not just time though. You can also save a bit of effort too.


Flipping a light switch doesn't take much time. But it turning on by itself or you being able to turn it on remotely while your at work or on vacation is a whole other thing.

Remember that garage door that you could control from your phone? That's more about convenience and security rather than saving time.

Or Nest vs an old fashioned thermostat. Both do the same thing... but the selling point of the Nest is the remote control and its learning capability.

You're not necessarily "saving time" with the Nest or that garage door. You're getting other benefits.

I'm like the Queen of the British Empire.

I turn the lights on when I enter a room, and turn them off when I leave. I find that this is more efficient than leaving them on for an extra two hours, then turning them off remotely when I'm at work.

 

[Michael Scrip]

I turn the lights on when I enter a room, and turn them off when I leave. I find that this is more efficient than leaving them on for an extra two hours, then turning them off remotely when I'm at work.

Smart lights are not for simply moving the lightswitch from the wall to your phone... it's for doing all sorts of additional things that a wall-mounted switch cannot do.

You can program lights to turn on at certain times for security.

Or you can turn lights on when you are on your way home from work so you don't enter a dark house. Or whatever.

And that's just lighting.

There are remote deadbolts that you can monitor when your kids come home from school... or give a temporary access codes for visitors.

Plus dozens of other smart versions of traditional things.

Sure... no one needs this stuff... but it can be nice to have.

The good news is... no one will force you to upgrade your lights, deadbolts, thermostats and garage doors. Your existing ones will still work.

 

[tennisproha]

Sure. It's a chart for deciding whether it's a good idea to make something automatic or not.

For example, lets say you want to decide whether it's a good idea to make your door automatically unlock itself. You need to first consider how often you do this per day. You probably do it about once a day, when you get home at the end of the day.

Next you need to consider how long it takes you to unlock a door. It takes about 5 seconds to do this.

Now check the intersection of daily and lasting 5 seconds - it says 30 minutes.

30 minutes is the maximum amount of time you should invest in getting a door that automatically unlocks itself. If you invest more than 30 minutes in it, you have spent more time automating the unlocking of your door than you will get back in the form of not needing to manually unlock your door anymore.

If you think about most ways you could make your home "smart" and refer to this chart, you'll realize that most things you could do are an utter waste of your time, not to mention money.

Got it. Thanks. I just couldn't figure out what the intersecting value signified. (Btw, just a correction, the intersecting value between Daily and 5 secs is 2 hours, not 30 minutes. But I got the analogy.)

It assumes a five year term, and on the vertical, it shows the time for the 'fix', and the horizontal, it shows the 'total' time based on how many times you do that 'fix', for the five years.

IE: The 'fix' takes an hour, and you do it once a year, you save five hours, 1 hour, done yearly for five years equals 5 hours saved...

It's a little strangely put up, but it makes sense. Mostly... Don't worry about it. All is good...

Wouldn't it make more sense to reference this for 1 year instead of 5 years? Since it really would vary on the life of the task.