Yet another great job, Brian. I look forward to these monthly videos. I have a couple of comments... First, I love my Aqara lock. I got one and replaced a Schlage Z-wave lock and couldn't be happier. Being able to unlock it with a key (I never use one), a keypad, a finger print (more than one finger allowed), a tap of an iPhone, and a tap of my Apple watch gives more options than almost any other lock. Furthermore, the price is right. That Eve Orb is interesting but quite expensive. For several years I've been using similar, but much less expensive Echo Glows. I use them for a bit of color in a room, but mostly for notifications. Blue for a leak, green for garage door open, red for smoke, etc. etc. I'd like to see an Eve that is half the size and half the price. I love the Lutron stuff and replaced all my Z-wave and wifi wall switches with Lutron and couldn't be happier. Their stuff is totally reliable and fully spouse-friendly! I've found using code compliant Wago lever connectors (look 'em up, try 'em and give a link) give just a little more space than wire nuts and have helped in situations where things are too tight. Do a full review of the Dreo and get some new followers!
I'm so glad you like these videos Hugh! I always wonder if it's the right way to spend my time. Oh and the Dreo...no kidding hey? Might be the best device I've had yet. Thanks sir!
This was such an awesome video Brian- your relatable, genuine, and quirky (in a very good way) personality coupled with your immense smarthome expertise truly shined this month! I started watching your videos only last month and I am definitely hooked (and set alerts for future videos)! This is the first TH-cam video I have seen where I finally had that “YAY! It’s about time someone figured this out!” feeling (I can only imagine what the beginning of Q4 will bring to the marketplace. ps - I can’t cook either and to have a system kid approved is DEFINITELY worth every penny! :-)
For the Dreo Chefmaker the recipes are in the app. In the app there is a weird icon that looks like a serving dome. That is where all the recipes are. Can’t verify how good they are as I’m waiting on the kickstarter. After you go through the step by step to prepare your food you can click a button and it will program the chefmaker so I knows how to cook that specific item
I’ve been waiting for SwitchBot or any other home kit compatible outdoor rated temperature sensor so I can get an idea of what the temperature is at my house not what the weather report is in town based on what Siri or Alexa says. I have indoor sensors with my ecobee that allows me to ask my Siri or Alexa what the temperature is in a specific room. Now maybe I can ask them what the temperature is outside and get a more accurate reading.
Yeah and honestly...that's a good sensor. It's been really effective and Google is giving me those reports. I just stick it in a room called Backyard and then ask for that from Google.
I have one of their 5.1 systems with wireless connectivity just plug them into an outlet for each one. I actually love their system but regretted buying it after I needed assistance. When one speaker quit working. It took me a year and a half to finally get my speaker back that I mailed into them at my cost. Worse than that though was their treatment of their customer namely me. I can provide you with a complete email list. Going back and forth between them and myself. The person that I dealt with constantly was rude, spoke down to me, and frankly acted holier than thou. It was horrible to do with their customer service. I will say when it's all working., It's good though and sounds amazing! I would say go with the other wireless systems out there using WESA standard I think it's called. Which is their own proprietary wireless signal which they use. The standard is not proprietary and you can't find other surround sounds that will use the wireless signal for their rear and surround speakers. I would go with someone whose customer service is better any day .
Brian, recently an incident came to light where a user had his amazon smart home become useless due to an arbitrary decision on part of Amazon. It has brought a lot of bad rap to the smart home industry. I will like to hear your perspective on the situation.
@@AutomateYourLife I understand your perspective. However, I don't think such events end up being detrimental to companies even half as large as Amazon. In my humble opinion, one needs to take steps to protect oneself. I do hope that this event gained enough attention inside the company for them to consider implementing a few safeguards, but if an argument of increased cost is made, they will likely not be implemented.
Hi everyone, QUESTION - I'm really interested in getting the Aqara U100 smart lock. Looking at it from this video the middle bar that goes between the 2 parts looks kind of flimsy. Is it strong enough to provide sufficient security for the front door? Is it a universal lock in that it can replace any door lock or is it just designed for a specific kind. Also, does anymore know if/when this will be released in UK/Europe. Would be really helpful if anyone has any advice for me. I know that's a lot of questions so thanks so much in advance 😂!
Hi Brian, I currently have other branded wifi temperature sensors that don't connect with wifi 6 routers? (It worked with my old router ) Was that sensor connected to your mesh set up?
It's odd to hear that a sensor won't connect to any router. As long as it broadcasts the right 802.11 standard, you should make connection fine. But yes, everything wifi connects to my mesh system. It's now up to wifi 6E capable
@@AutomateYourLife awesome to hear. This is what is posted from a company Tuya 'Please confirm that your router is a Wi-Fi 5 router, or turn off the Wi-Fi 6/802.11ax mode of the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi in the Wi-Fi 6 router. Our devices cannot connect to Wi-Fi 6 standard Wi-Fi'
What do you think about the fact that we will be able to power our smart locks and other devices soon, wirelessly from a device in the ceiling of say the ceiling in the living room.
@@AutomateYourLife Yes, I agree. We need to take steps to make sure it's safe, number one and number two to hopefully get a standardization so we don't have multiple competing standards causing people to have confusing shopping in regards to things like that. Also thinking Harkins back to a time when Tesla was trying to safely and then a way to transmit electricity or did successfully transplant electricity wirelessly. But that's a different genius that didn't get the credits he deserves until after he passed.
Since I have your ear I would love to ask, is there a way you could do some videos that would be helpful for people with handicaps. That is what has gotten me in this morning home more than ever now. Where before I had a hodgepodge mix of different items. I am trying to make things more seamless. I believe now that smart homes should be smart and do things without me having to tell them to, if it is all possible. Such as turning lights on in a room if it is dark. I have a disease called CMT and it is slowly taking away my ability to walk and now more so using my arms and hands. It affects both sensory parts of the nerve as well as Motory parts of the nerve. As a small example, I set it up so that when my mailbox is opened it turns on certain lights and my home tells me through Alexa that my mail has arrived. This prevents me from making multiple trips. Because you are as popular as you are I truly believe you have a stage too. Reach out and help those who are handicapped. It was through another TH-camr that I was able to learn about Google's smartwatch being able to notice if I fall and if I do not respond to anything, it will automatically make phone calls through the list that is pre-provided by myself. It seems like that that I think truly makes a smart home smart.
Yet another great job, Brian. I look forward to these monthly videos. I have a couple of comments... First, I love my Aqara lock. I got one and replaced a Schlage Z-wave lock and couldn't be happier. Being able to unlock it with a key (I never use one), a keypad, a finger print (more than one finger allowed), a tap of an iPhone, and a tap of my Apple watch gives more options than almost any other lock. Furthermore, the price is right. That Eve Orb is interesting but quite expensive. For several years I've been using similar, but much less expensive Echo Glows. I use them for a bit of color in a room, but mostly for notifications. Blue for a leak, green for garage door open, red for smoke, etc. etc. I'd like to see an Eve that is half the size and half the price. I love the Lutron stuff and replaced all my Z-wave and wifi wall switches with Lutron and couldn't be happier. Their stuff is totally reliable and fully spouse-friendly! I've found using code compliant Wago lever connectors (look 'em up, try 'em and give a link) give just a little more space than wire nuts and have helped in situations where things are too tight. Do a full review of the Dreo and get some new followers!
I'm so glad you like these videos Hugh! I always wonder if it's the right way to spend my time.
Oh and the Dreo...no kidding hey? Might be the best device I've had yet. Thanks sir!
This was such an awesome video Brian- your relatable, genuine, and quirky (in a very good way) personality coupled with your immense smarthome expertise truly shined this month! I started watching your videos only last month and I am definitely hooked (and set alerts for future videos)! This is the first TH-cam video I have seen where I finally had that “YAY! It’s about time someone figured this out!” feeling (I can only imagine what the beginning of Q4 will bring to the marketplace.
ps - I can’t cook either and to have a system kid approved is DEFINITELY worth every penny! :-)
Ohhhh thank you so much! We really feel like these are coming together. I hope to keep earning your views!
Another great vid, and excellent point about the Echo Pop - completely changes the way I look at it!
Great to hear! I tried!
Happy Canada Day!
Same to you!
Thank you for your reviews. On the Chefmaker, the fish looked good but those fries looked nasty.
Ahahahaha totally my fault. That's how I like em
For the Dreo Chefmaker the recipes are in the app. In the app there is a weird icon that looks like a serving dome. That is where all the recipes are. Can’t verify how good they are as I’m waiting on the kickstarter. After you go through the step by step to prepare your food you can click a button and it will program the chefmaker so I knows how to cook that specific item
Oh my goodness, you're absolutely right!
wow love the new opening!
Oh thanks! I like it too. I think that's the new style for these 😃
I’ve been wanting that smartthings station since it came out , please send it to me. Just liked and subscribed 🙂🙏
How about a giveaway next month? :D
I gotta know. Was the coffee cold by the end of the video? I couldn’t help notice you didn’t take a sip :)
It's always cold by the time I'm done, but I unbox this stuff over multiple days!
Am I missing something or did you forget to post the link for the sound bar? The one for the giveaway is there but not to buy 1?
Apologies! I missed that! Here it is: Enclave Eclipse 5.1.2 Soundbar and Woofer - geni.us/EnclaveEclipse512Sound (Amazon affiliate link)
I’ve been waiting for SwitchBot or any other home kit compatible outdoor rated temperature sensor so I can get an idea of what the temperature is at my house not what the weather report is in town based on what Siri or Alexa says. I have indoor sensors with my ecobee that allows me to ask my Siri or Alexa what the temperature is in a specific room. Now maybe I can ask them what the temperature is outside and get a more accurate reading.
Yeah and honestly...that's a good sensor. It's been really effective and Google is giving me those reports. I just stick it in a room called Backyard and then ask for that from Google.
I have one of their 5.1 systems with wireless connectivity just plug them into an outlet for each one. I actually love their system but regretted buying it after I needed assistance. When one speaker quit working. It took me a year and a half to finally get my speaker back that I mailed into them at my cost. Worse than that though was their treatment of their customer namely me. I can provide you with a complete email list. Going back and forth between them and myself. The person that I dealt with constantly was rude, spoke down to me, and frankly acted holier than thou. It was horrible to do with their customer service. I will say when it's all working., It's good though and sounds amazing! I would say go with the other wireless systems out there using WESA standard I think it's called. Which is their own proprietary wireless signal which they use. The standard is not proprietary and you can't find other surround sounds that will use the wireless signal for their rear and surround speakers. I would go with someone whose customer service is better any day .
Bad employees ruin everything...
@@AutomateYourLifeYep I can deal with a lot of things. Just not bad customer service.
Brian, recently an incident came to light where a user had his amazon smart home become useless due to an arbitrary decision on part of Amazon. It has brought a lot of bad rap to the smart home industry. I will like to hear your perspective on the situation.
I've been asked a few times about this but my only perspective is that Amazon better not do it again. It will be far too detrimental to them
@@AutomateYourLife I understand your perspective. However, I don't think such events end up being detrimental to companies even half as large as Amazon. In my humble opinion, one needs to take steps to protect oneself. I do hope that this event gained enough attention inside the company for them to consider implementing a few safeguards, but if an argument of increased cost is made, they will likely not be implemented.
@@AutomateYourLife i bet they will
Hi everyone, QUESTION - I'm really interested in getting the Aqara U100 smart lock. Looking at it from this video the middle bar that goes between the 2 parts looks kind of flimsy. Is it strong enough to provide sufficient security for the front door? Is it a universal lock in that it can replace any door lock or is it just designed for a specific kind. Also, does anymore know if/when this will be released in UK/Europe. Would be really helpful if anyone has any advice for me. I know that's a lot of questions so thanks so much in advance 😂!
Watch tomorrow! You should see a UK/EU version though :)
Have you tried home assistant as a thread router yet? I know I've been able to connect a couple of things using matter with it as well.
I haven't used it as a Thread router. Been watching a few folks with it and there's been some issues. So just waiting :)
Hi Brian,
I currently have other branded wifi temperature sensors that don't connect with wifi 6 routers? (It worked with my old router ) Was that sensor connected to your mesh set up?
It's odd to hear that a sensor won't connect to any router. As long as it broadcasts the right 802.11 standard, you should make connection fine.
But yes, everything wifi connects to my mesh system. It's now up to wifi 6E capable
@@AutomateYourLife awesome to hear.
This is what is posted from a company Tuya
'Please confirm that your router is a Wi-Fi 5 router, or turn off the Wi-Fi 6/802.11ax mode of the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi in the Wi-Fi 6 router. Our devices cannot connect to Wi-Fi 6 standard Wi-Fi'
@@grant26 turn off 5 GHz wifi if they have the same name (SSID). That's what they're saying. Your sensor can only connect to 2.4 GHz wifi
@@AutomateYourLife thank you, I literally tried all of that even disabling the AX element. Will keep giving it a go.
Subscriber for life
What do you think about the fact that we will be able to power our smart locks and other devices soon, wirelessly from a device in the ceiling of say the ceiling in the living room.
I think we'll need to be very careful with that so as not to injure humans. But it's neat!
@@AutomateYourLife Yes, I agree. We need to take steps to make sure it's safe, number one and number two to hopefully get a standardization so we don't have multiple competing standards causing people to have confusing shopping in regards to things like that. Also thinking Harkins back to a time when Tesla was trying to safely and then a way to transmit electricity or did successfully transplant electricity wirelessly. But that's a different genius that didn't get the credits he deserves until after he passed.
Since I have your ear I would love to ask, is there a way you could do some videos that would be helpful for people with handicaps. That is what has gotten me in this morning home more than ever now. Where before I had a hodgepodge mix of different items. I am trying to make things more seamless. I believe now that smart homes should be smart and do things without me having to tell them to, if it is all possible. Such as turning lights on in a room if it is dark. I have a disease called CMT and it is slowly taking away my ability to walk and now more so using my arms and hands. It affects both sensory parts of the nerve as well as Motory parts of the nerve. As a small example, I set it up so that when my mailbox is opened it turns on certain lights and my home tells me through Alexa that my mail has arrived. This prevents me from making multiple trips. Because you are as popular as you are I truly believe you have a stage too. Reach out and help those who are handicapped. It was through another TH-camr that I was able to learn about Google's smartwatch being able to notice if I fall and if I do not respond to anything, it will automatically make phone calls through the list that is pre-provided by myself. It seems like that that I think truly makes a smart home smart.
If you send me that Aqara smart lock, then I'll make a video of me picking the lock open in less than 30 seconds.
The question is...could you do that with any lock!?
@@AutomateYourLifeI've been studying locksmithing for the past 9 years. Though my channel isn't that old. But yes, I can pick all kinds.
@@AutomateYourLife We always frown upon seeing low security mechanical locks used in smart locks. *see Lock Picking Lawyer.
@@thelockpickinglebowski633 Why dont they just break the window on the door? It looks easier lol
@@kinseycreategoods Destructive entry is typical.
Please don't do the annoying cutaways to unrelated content clips. Please.
What are you referring to?
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