Was Santa Good to you and your Smart Home?
29 December 2020
Debbie and I hope you all had a great Christmas — whether you celebrated it with family, remotely via Zoom or by yourself. As the gift giving season includes a lot of electronics, and specifically Smart Home technology, we’re curious what Santa had in his bag of goodies for you. I have friends and family that received Ring Doorbell cameras and Echo Dots and are pretty excited about those.
As for Debbie and I, we received an iRobot Roomba e5 robot vacuum. I was excited about getting this as it was Smart Home tech I wrote about previously in Alexa and Robot Vacuum Cleaners and finally had an opportunity to play with. I love the idea of automating the floor cleaning process and now get the chance to really test and see if they stack up. As for the Roomba e5, it has a number of attractive features:
· Control how and when you clean with the iRobot HOME app or your Google Home and Alexa voice assistant. The e5 will suggest extra cleaning when your area’s pollen count is high or during pet shedding season. There are scheduling capabilities and integrations with other Smart Home tech like:
Ecobee Thermostats- clean when your thermostat senses you are away.
MyQ Smart Garage- clean when you open or close your garage door.
· Pulls in dirt and messes with a 3-stage cleaning system and power-lifting suction. Dual multi-surface rubber brushes adjust and flex to stay in constant contact with carpets and hard floors. High-efficiency filter traps 99% of allergens.
· A full suite of sensors allow the e5 to navigate under and around furniture, and along edges. “Cliff Detect” keeps it from falling down stairs. Sensors alert the robot about dirtier areas of your home, like high-traffic spots, and cleans them more thoroughly.
I’ll circle back on the Roomba e5 as I get to play with it more but on its maiden voyage it was fun to watch it randomly scoot along the living room floor, bumping into everything. But it was great at picking up a variety of things I placed in its path.
I don’t know if this is cheating but I gifted myself the new Wyze Thermostat. I wrote about these earlier as well in Hot or Cold on Smart Home Thermostats? This was one Smart Home device I couldn’t pass up up with a pre-order price of $49.99 making it practically disposable. I was pleasantly surprised when I received it this week and am looking forward to tinkering with it as the thermostat in our current rental is analog.
I’m planning on installing a smart thermostat in our new home anyway so I get to test the Wyze Thermostat before committing to much more expensive options if I don’t end up liking it. I really like the company and their technology in general so I’m hopeful I won’t be disappointed. This is one of a variety of Wyze products that range from cameras to robot vacuums to smart sprinkler systems (another preorder I made).
As I’ve heard many friends/family received new gaming consoles, the issue of what to do with the old stuff. With the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S ushering in a new generation of console gaming, it’s possible you no longer have much use for your old console. So what do you do with an old console you no longer need?
· Consider Donating Your Old Consoles — Probably one of the most impactful things that you can do with your old console is to donate it to a charitable organization. This could be a children’s hospital or a domestic violence shelter in your area, or it could be an established charity like Gamer’s Outreach. Giving your old console to a thrift store or selling it online through eBay for Charity can also make a difference since you’ll be raising money for a good cause. Don’t forget to include any old games, controllers, and peripherals that you no longer need either.
· Use Your Old Console as a Media Center — Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 (as well as older consoles like the Xbox 360 and Wii U) have apps for accessing most major streaming services. This includes premium streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, free streaming services like YouTube, music from Spotify and Pandora, or live streaming platforms like Twitch. All you need is a TV or a monitor to plug your old console into. You can use an external USB drive to add storage, with both the Xbox One and PS4 supporting external hard drives.
· Game Streaming Is a Viable Option — Sony has a game streaming service called PS Now. This premium service lets you stream games from the internet directly to your console. The service is often touted for its emphasis on older PS2 and PS3 titles, but modern PS4 titles are also included. Microsoft has its own Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming service, but it can only stream to Android devices. You can’t stream games to an old console. If you’ve already bought a PS5, you can use your PS4 to stream games to your console over your local network. This allows you to play PS5 games on your PS4. Network performance will affect the viability of game streaming, both in terms of online streaming and local remote play. If you’re going for local play, a wired ethernet connection will give you a more consistent experience.
· Better Multiplayer and Co-op Gaming — Even though the next generation of games consoles is already here, your old consoles should work fine for a few more years at least. If you have multiple gamers in your house, two consoles can help keep the peace. One of the most compelling reasons to hold on to your old console is for multiplayer purposes. Two consoles mean that two players can play together, each with their own display. There are tons of multiplayer experiences that can benefit you, including co-op campaigns, competitive online play and survival sandbox games. With PS4 and Xbox One games now being considered last-generation, game prices will fall. You’ll find more used copies in thrift stores and online marketplaces. There are bargains to be found, but the games are still just as good as they always were.
· Dead or Dying Console? Try and Fix It Yourself — The most common problems will be disc drives that no longer read discs, and dead hard drives. These are relatively easy parts to swap out, and you can even upgrade components like the hard drive while you’re at it to increase the console’s overall capacity. You may have other problems, like a dying fan, poor thermal performance due to dust build-up or buttons that no longer work as expected. iFixit can help you find your way around the hardware and there’s YouTube, with endless video tutorials to help you along the way as well. Just be careful and make sure that you know what you’re doing before you open up the console. You can still give yourself a nasty shock, even if the console is off and unplugged. You’ll probably want a few basic tools, like an anti-static wristband or mat and a screwdriver set, before diving in.
There’s the quick rundown on our Smart Home Christmas. I’d love to hear about what Santa brought you and your Smart Home and what your plans are. Please share below or send us an email as we’d love to highlight other Smart Home technologies out there.
As for our floor plan work, that continues. As we had some time (maybe too much) last week we made some significant changes to our plans to maximize square footage, routing of power and fiber and to give us the elevation look we want. Our architect may not be happy — or ecstatic, based on what it will cost to make the edits. More updates to come on this but in the meantime, have a safe and happy New Year’s!
