Smart Home

[Unorthodox]

On the TV front, there's mixed news. 

I did a test run for the weekend to suss out any problems before we drop the cable, signed up for the intended services. 

The good:  The PS4's and the bedroom 'smart tv' both have the search function I was looking for. 

The bad:  One service was Hulu+live, due to some shows hEt specifically wants only being available on the live.  The Smart TV won't allow that since it has an older app loaded on it (and for some reason wont let me upload the current, it has to be via a firmware update).  The PS4's refuse to allow Hulu+Live (only regular Hulu) since it competes with PS Vue service (which doesn't have the channels hEt needs). 

So, I'm back to needing at least one box for the main TV. 

Going through the options, it looks like Apple TV is the best option for us.  Not only is it the most familiar option for hEt, but we have a non trivial amount of content already on itunes it would make readily available. 

(for those playing at home, we're looking at over $100/month savings via this route.  Possibly up to $200, but I've heard they might strap us with data fees after dropping the bundle, so I'm erring on the side of caution.)

[Rusty Edge]

I'll also want to get a Roomba (or one of the other robovacs) once I've got my own place, which should work with google, too. And probably more lighting options, either via bulbs or plugs.

As for Robovacs, we got the Neato X-21 years ago, to help with pet hair and allergies. We were early adopters. I think we had a dog and 2 cats then, now we have a dog and 4 cats. At the time it was Neato or Roomba, and Neato was better for pet hair. We have laminate floors and not too many rugs & mats. Eventually the batteries and the gears in the final drives failed. We found replacement parts and fixed it. Didn't use it much for a few years on account of excessive clutter. Around Christmas I started using it again. It's working great, actually navigating better than before for whatever reason. I don't think it can upgrade software, so it must be the layout of the house, or it just continues to learn. Anyway...

In our house dust accumulates in the corners. It's easy to tell at a glance because of the pet hair, but other stuff is there underneath it, say feathers from washing a down garment, other laundry lint, crumbs, etc. Round vacuums just don't get into corners as well as the Neato, because it has a squared off front, much like a conventional vacuum. It also helps it follow baseboards better. From what I can read that hasn't changed much over the years.

My point isn't really that you should buy a Neato, it's that cleaning situations vary and that you should check things out and choose one that fits your situation. You may be able to buy one that was used a little and somebody decided that they bought the wrong one- too noisy, not enough power, not an aggressive enough brush, swallows too many usb cords OR find an older model that does what you want it to do- and get it much cheaper.


How are you feeling about the move this time?

[E_T]

Do the cats ever ride on it??

[Rusty Edge]

Do the cats ever ride on it??

No.

[Lorizael]

My point isn't really that you should buy a Neato, it's that cleaning situations vary and that you should check things out and choose one that fits your situation.

I had a Roomba about 10 years ago when I shared an apartment with friends. It was good, but not great and eventually died. While researching recently, I came across the Neato and found that it compares very favorably to the Roomba. Strongly considering it.

How are you feeling about the move this time?

Great. I'm gonna have 892 square feet to do with as I please.

[Rusty Edge]

Awesome! I had an 800 sq ft place to myself before I got married. It was plenty of space without feeling lonely. Enjoy!

[Unorthodox]

Well what do you know? 

Apparently whoever the builder hired (builder out of business now, no record of the sub in my stuff, so I cant go back after the idiots) to install the heater with the remodel did a total hack job, and hid it.  Exhaust run wrong, ductwork done incorrectly, filter too small, and other tech speak from the technician.  Essentially the thing isn't able to move the amount of air it was supposed to due to installation, and that's royally fubarred the furnace. 

So...I'm buying a new furnace. 

It happens to be cheaper to do a smart thermostat than hard wire a new dumb one. 

[Rusty Edge]

Well, hopefully the thermostat is smarter than your previous technician...

[Elok]

I had a Roomba about 10 years ago when I shared an apartment with friends. It was good, but not great and eventually died. While researching recently, I came across the Neato and found that it compares very favorably to the Roomba. Strongly considering it.

I'm trying to remember back to my bachelor days--I know that now, with kids, there's no way in hell I'd be able to keep the floor uncluttered enough for a Roomba to function without a little bottle of robot Xanax, but I can't recall if I was equally messy myself back when it did not, strictly speaking, matter if dirty clothes went in the hamper or on the floor.

[Lorizael]

I remember having to do a little vacuum prep before setting the Roomba loose, but I suspect at least at first I won't produce enough detritus to rankle the robot. I've spent the last 5 years basically living out of a bedroom, so my learned behavior is to stuff things in the closet where the vacuum will never venture anyway.

[Rusty Edge]

I'm not a dirty clothes on the floor guy, unless I'm sorting laundry, so I don't know. Might be an issue, because some throw rugs just get bulldozed around and bunched up. Mostly I'm picking up pet toys, and boxes/packing materials from recent deliveries.

[Unorthodox]

Oh my royal hell. 

So today is D-Day for the TVs.  New cycle supposed to start, only phone/internet. 

Feeling something was going to mess up, I log onto my account to see what's up:

Page overview:  I am showed my correct services!  GREAT! 

But it lists I'm still paying for local TV fees, sports package fees, and a couple other broadcast fees separate from the cable package.  Well, that aint right, I don't have TV, so I click over to billing to summon a chat person. 

The billing page lists I'm still paying for Cable.  WTF!  I get in the chat queue, and open the billing details PDF. 

The PDF lists the cable as cancelled but prorated for half of February.  I specifically cancelled the date at the end of the billing cycle, so the PDF is charging me double for half the month. 

I now have 4 different totals showing on my screen for my bill due in 7 days.    (we use autopay for this normally, I'm only looking because of a ton of shenanigans with the cable bill)

Chat offers me a 5th (and granted correct) total showing on HIS side.  Assures me only THAT will be charged through autopay.  No idea why my side is all fubar. 

Cable bill is going to be anywhere from $60-300...I hate this crap. 

Boxing up their box devices and delivering them tomorrow. 

[Geo]

Chat offers me a 5th (and granted correct) total showing on HIS side.  Assures me only THAT will be charged through autopay.  No idea why my side is all fubar. 

Did you clear your cache before checking on their site? Old data on your computer can do things like that.

[Rusty Edge]

I'm home again and really appreciating my motion sensor lights!

[Rusty Edge]

/www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/04/23/how-nest-designed-keep-intruders-out-peoples-homes-effectively-allowed-hackers-get/?utm_term=.8b1b946cfbff&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1

I'm kinda disappointed. I am a fan of the Nest doorbell. Generally, I don't have interior cameras. I don't trust them, I am famous for having a little bandaid  covering the cam on my laptop when I'm not using it. The key thing is that Nest was founded by an ex-Apple guy, so the business model was to protect user privacy by refraining from collecting data. Then it was bought by Google with the opposite model. Nest has been reluctant to adopt the Google methods of security. So, when something somewhere gets hacked, stolen passwords can be tried on other accounts with the same user.

This is a problem. Using two step verification makes the smart home stuff less convenient, which tends to defeat the whole purpose.

I didn't really want to go Alexa smart home, I just sort of backed into it because my wife is a deal hunter and does a lot of business with Amazon, so they gave her a discount she couldn't refuse.  At this point I expect to add more smart stuff in the next 12 months, due to security concerns with an attempted home invasion in my subdivision. Guess I'll go with Ring and not regret it.