02-10-2014, 11:54 AM
Apps/gadgets related to this...
Belkin Wemo stuff:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=wemo">http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_ ... words=wemo</a><!-- m -->
Nest thermostat:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Nest-Learning-Thermostat-Generation-T200577/dp/B009GDHYPQ">http://www.amazon.com/Nest-Learning-The ... B009GDHYPQ</a><!-- m -->
Nest smoke detector:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Nest-Protect-Monoxide-Battery-S1001BW/dp/B00FN4EWAM">http://www.amazon.com/Nest-Protect-Mono ... B00FN4EWAM</a><!-- m -->
Anywhere Weather:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Oregon-Scientific-LW301-Anywhere-Weather/dp/B00AJWS63C">http://www.amazon.com/Oregon-Scientific ... B00AJWS63C</a><!-- m -->
Chromecast:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Google-Chromecast-Streaming-Media-Player/dp/B00DR0PDNE">http://www.amazon.com/Google-Chromecast ... B00DR0PDNE</a><!-- m -->
What else we got for controlling or monitoring your home from your phone?
The Wemo thing is kind of cool, actually. I got a unit for free to review it and I keep a room heater plugged into it. If I forget to turn it off before I leave the house, I can turn it off remotely. But I also have it scheduled (via phone app) to automatically turn on 15 minutes before I get up because my room is pretty much the coldest part of the house and I need all the encouragement I can get to actually get up in the morning. It automatically turns it off after 30 minutes or roughly the number of times I hit snooze.
The Chromecast is pretty cool in that it can cast from a browser in addition to the Netflix phone app. So like I was watching Dr. Who with a friend, her friend put a missing episode in her Dropbox and I was able to get that in the browser and then cast it to the TV so we could watch it on the big screen. Also since my Tivo has been on the fritz I've taken to just casting Netflix to the TV via the phone app, so I can select episodes and pause/play from my phone.
A lot of this stuff is still pretty clumsy. The Wemo setup required some reading between the lines and the Anywhere Weather took magic and luck to get it working. I've not tried or seen the Nest stuff. The Chromecast was easy enough, assuming you know your wifi stuff. But overall, "phone app control" is definitely not polished.
Still, I want more.
I think I would plug my entire house through those Wemos if they weren't so expensive. $50 for a single plug? $60 if you want to see the wattage in use.
I like where things are going, anyway.
Belkin Wemo stuff:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=wemo">http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_ ... words=wemo</a><!-- m -->
Nest thermostat:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Nest-Learning-Thermostat-Generation-T200577/dp/B009GDHYPQ">http://www.amazon.com/Nest-Learning-The ... B009GDHYPQ</a><!-- m -->
Nest smoke detector:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Nest-Protect-Monoxide-Battery-S1001BW/dp/B00FN4EWAM">http://www.amazon.com/Nest-Protect-Mono ... B00FN4EWAM</a><!-- m -->
Anywhere Weather:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Oregon-Scientific-LW301-Anywhere-Weather/dp/B00AJWS63C">http://www.amazon.com/Oregon-Scientific ... B00AJWS63C</a><!-- m -->
Chromecast:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Google-Chromecast-Streaming-Media-Player/dp/B00DR0PDNE">http://www.amazon.com/Google-Chromecast ... B00DR0PDNE</a><!-- m -->
What else we got for controlling or monitoring your home from your phone?
The Wemo thing is kind of cool, actually. I got a unit for free to review it and I keep a room heater plugged into it. If I forget to turn it off before I leave the house, I can turn it off remotely. But I also have it scheduled (via phone app) to automatically turn on 15 minutes before I get up because my room is pretty much the coldest part of the house and I need all the encouragement I can get to actually get up in the morning. It automatically turns it off after 30 minutes or roughly the number of times I hit snooze.
The Chromecast is pretty cool in that it can cast from a browser in addition to the Netflix phone app. So like I was watching Dr. Who with a friend, her friend put a missing episode in her Dropbox and I was able to get that in the browser and then cast it to the TV so we could watch it on the big screen. Also since my Tivo has been on the fritz I've taken to just casting Netflix to the TV via the phone app, so I can select episodes and pause/play from my phone.
A lot of this stuff is still pretty clumsy. The Wemo setup required some reading between the lines and the Anywhere Weather took magic and luck to get it working. I've not tried or seen the Nest stuff. The Chromecast was easy enough, assuming you know your wifi stuff. But overall, "phone app control" is definitely not polished.
Still, I want more.
I think I would plug my entire house through those Wemos if they weren't so expensive. $50 for a single plug? $60 if you want to see the wattage in use.
I like where things are going, anyway.
