LMSC We are talking about convenience, ease of access and so on than significant gains. It would be perfect if these systems addressed the potential single point of failure, which is like buying an insurance. I think is a fair ask. It is also fair if the recommendations are spare servers and relays! 😊
Absolutely. The target, for me at least and you too by the sound of it, is convenience. It’s not like the supposed benefit (a different debate) of smart meters, but about convenience. For instance, my mobibility is a bit impaired, and on a bad day, getting out of bed is a pain, literaly, so lights, radio, etc is a pain-reduction technique. Mostly, that’s not an issue ut it’s a deteriorating situation and that is largely why I’ve automated anything. It’s what, for me, is the real value. All I need now is a way to automate dealing with needing a pee at silly-o’clock, in the middle of the night. And yeah, there probably is a way but I’m not there yet- I’ll put up with the pain. :D
Yeah, I too think a lot of this will be standard in future, just like electric lights and mains was the future when thebestwe had was gas wall-lights. And,for that matter, outside loos. Oh hell, thank goodness we got past that, but I just about remember them.
As for the spare servers, relays, etc yeah, fair point. That’s party what I was getting at when I mentioned the degree of convenience gained versus the cost. I have much of my media collection on a NAS, and that represents a LOT of time stting it up. I have a backup server, and a couple of other backups, because the effort involved in doing it all again …. well, I probably wouldn’t bother. I’d just hook the CD deck and turntable back up. So, it’s worth a fair bit of money to me to ensure that, along with other data, I don’t lose it all.
But there’s a limit to what level of cost I’m prepared to indulge in to cover spare server, relays, etc for home automation and, essentially, I’m not. Any system that requires that level of system ‘infrstucture’ is too fancy for my needs or wants. Hence, the same approach as Dave …. the old finger-controlled switch is my backup.
This is very definitely one of those things, though, where how far to go and how much to spend is a personal choice. Some of my friends think I’m a nut for sending what I have on coffee and camera gear, despite one of them having spent similar (or, thinking about it, a lot more) on fancy fish, and even fancier watches. Whatever floats your boat. Though, I gather floating fish aren’t so good.
