Are Smart Home Gadgets worth it & What do you love

All I have now is ALEXA - seems good to me but I don't want to miss out

Ha - didn't even think of the TECH board - Let's you know my mindset

With a new build I say go all out with the cat6. A couple drops to each room plus a couple where TVs will go. Run it out to strategic points around the eaves where you might want to add cameras. I would also run it to lights in the ceiling (PoE smart lights are just getting started IMO), but that's easier to add later since you're not going down walls. I would also run cat6 to every door and window. The doors for doorbell cams (or maybe future devices that need more than just battery), and the windows for PoE-powered window blinds.

You might never want powered blinds, but if you do the wire is already run. Personally I think they would be pretty sweet, especially once you think past the standard manual vs. scheduled operation, and get into truly smart systems. Imagine your blinds, lights, and hvac system all working together to reach maximum efficiency. Think about going into the kitchen in the morning and turning the lights on (or maybe they're automatic). They start at your regular set brightness, but if your settings/scene allow then the blinds can open and your lights dim to conserve power while maintaining overall brightness. Or maybe in the winter your blinds can open to let in some sunlight to help with the heating. Or maybe all that's not worth it and it would just be cool to show people.

I would probably also run cat6 on the opposite side of the stud from light switches, then 90 over through the stud. Then you are all set to add some neat control panels that will be invented in the next 5 years ( ). They would be wired PoE, so if equipped with wifi they would function as an AP. They can also have bluetooth so your phone can tap in and play music throughout the house (or maybe just to help with presence detection with identity so your lighting preferences follow you around the house). They can also have your choice of voice assistant built in, and of course a touchscreen interface to your home's devices.


Just some things to think about before all the sheetrock goes up.

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I've been waiting for years for cheap smart blinds.

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Have you seen PowerShades?

They don't list the price on the website, which makes me think they ain't cheap. Maybe I'll call a dealer tomorrow for pricing.

GE smart switch (fits in regular gang box) works great and I use them for front porch lights I also have a few plugs so that lamps go on and off automatically. Smart thermostat And garage door opener is also a must.

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garage door opener is also a must.

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I was looking at a wifi adapter homebridge thing that integrated with apple home/siri type stuff for our garage door opener but saw some seriously negative reviews. MyQ homebridge I think it was called. Passed on it for now.

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but saw some seriously negative reviews. MyQ homebridge I think it was called. Passed on it for now.

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smart man. myq is shite. used to have one then they started their 'monthly fee' bullshite for IFTTT integration and they don't play nice with all garage door openers (my openers are from a german company).

get the nexx instead.

personally i have 2 linear/zwave controllers which are nice because they work locally without requiring wifi but if i want to use voice to control them i still have to go through alexa or google. i recommend the nexx over these for non-enthusiasts because setting up a zwave system requires additional components and there's a decent learning curve for people who dont plan to jump into this with both feet.

nexx is plug and play and works with alexa w/ no bullshite.

Go with nexx

I have the delta intuition but mine is not voice activated. The link below are the voice activated ones.

LINK