Smart operating things are handy, but I don't have that many and most I could live without. Music streaming and online TV, likewise, albeit music streaming is a big part of my life
It struck me this morning how much my Ring doorbell has been a godsend. Had it a couple of years now, but have been working from home a lot lately and the office is in the garden. We get quite a lot of deliveries - have one due shortly that I don't want to miss. I guess most people now have them and take them for granted.
What's your favourite bit of home tech?
I don't even have a door bell and somehow manage to get by. In fact I can't remember when I last had a doorbell, 1995 maybe. Surely theres a circle of hell with a vacancy for the guy who came up with the idea of two-part pricing for doorbells 🙂
I have an issue with a lot of smart devices as theres no requirement for manufacturers to maintain support for them and many are obsolescing in the shop let alone when you buy them (Samsungs commitment to maintaining support is 2 years - not two years from when you buy, not two years from when production ends, but 2 years from launch).
If a smart device reverts to a dumb device when that support expires so be it - but many just become a brick.
I think the item that benefits me most on a day to day basis is a kettle that I can set to 90c (or 65c for lemsip when I've got the lurgy)
I have a Ring doorbell. Conceptually it's fantastic, but the implementation is poor. I'd have another, but I doubt I'd have another Ring.
Plus despite it being large and illuminated, people still hammer on the $%^&ing door rather than press it. 🤷♂️
The cooker.
Washing machine.
Had to buy a new one recently. Some of them seem to have touch screens and Bluetooth for god knows why, avoided them like the plague! I need on, off, and maybe a temperature thing, although I use thirty for everything so even that wouldn't be required if that was the default.
The water closet
£15 radio doorbell with 2 ringers, one for the house, one for the shedifice.
Like Ring, but cheaper, no issues with support running out or wifi security. And it has 5 volume levels and thirty nine (39) chimes to choose from.
Egg steamer. Thought that is a waste of money and will only ever be used once and clog up a cupboard for eternity, but it gets used most days and uses very little water and energy.
£15 radio doorbell with 2 ringers, one for the house, one for the shedifice.
Only two?
I'm quite fond of Bluetooth speakers for being able to wander around and still have the same thing on, or being able to pause/mute from my phone when the real world intrudes.
Either that or a cheap 4 slice toaster.
The bicycle
You must have some long corridors
Robohoover, Hoovers and mops the floors every night/morning at 1:30am. Living with a labrador and two young kinds ensures there is ming EVERYWHERE and this just keeps on top of it all.
Music streaming and my pizza oven.
Electricity for sure. Came up in a recent The Rest is Science ep.
Sure it would be a pain, but if the cooker or washing machine spacked then I'd survive. TV there's nothing on worth watching, and mine is just a living room ornament/decoration that breaks up the vast expanse of bare white wall. Anything requiring an account that would be e-waste if the supplier went bust certainly won't feature.
If electricity doesn't count as home tech, then Fridge or Kettle. If moving in to a completely new empty place, then one of those would be the very first thing to get sorted, so has to be that. Even before getting landline/broadband, now that 5G is a thing.
Central Heating. Broadband.
The bicycle
You must have some long corridors
I don't know where you found the photo of our door bell panel from the smallest wing 😉
If we're ignoring the obvious ones of electricity and internet, then air fryer.
So quick, easy and cheap compared to firing up the oven / grill.
Yeah, would have to say fibre broadband. I have no central heating and managed with just a 20L water errrrr dunk (translation please google) for a long while, but having crappy broadband would make it impossible to be at the house.
Having endured ice on the inside of my bedroom window each and every winter, and freezing baths until well into my 20's, I would say central heating... I need any form of heating.
A fridge with chilled water and an ice maker. Just a wonderful thing and amazing in the summer. Drinks just taste better
Goblin Teasmade - a perfect way to start the day!
The water closet
I think flushing toilets are one of civilisations biggest mistakes. Two valuable resources just down the drain and made a problem that needs to be dealt with rather than something useful.
I'm going to say washing machine, its probably wrong but I still remember washing clothes by hand in the bath in cold water then wringing them out by hand. A miserable job.
A drip coffee machine. I just fill it with grounds and water the night before, and in the morning press a button, and it makes coffee. I don't need to turn the stove on, or need to watch it, buy expensive pods, **** about with filling a teeny basket, or turn steam handles to get steam 'just so', or any of that shit, when it's oh dark thirty and I can't be trusted to operate anything it's the best thing in the world.
Solar panels have been the greatest financial benefit. The robo vacuum has been the greatest time saver. Whereas the blink doorbell/security camera set up has been the greatest entertainment, usually used to spy on the dog sun bathing in the garden, the foxes mooching around at night (and playing with the dogs toys) hedgehogs and various birds.
I agree! Bring back the privvy! I do actually have an old bucket privvy in the garden along with the remnants of a pigsty.The water closetI think flushing toilets are one of civilisations biggest mistakes. Two valuable resources just down the drain and made a problem that needs to be dealt with rather than something useful.
I'm going to say washing machine, its probably wrong but I still remember washing clothes by hand in the bath in cold water then wringing them out by hand. A miserable job.
Chainsaw.
Up until November last year we spent six months in a house with no mobile signal nor Internet connection, being connected to the Internet makes rural life so much easier.
Having endured ice on the inside of my bedroom window each and every winter, and freezing baths until well into my 20's, I would say central heating... I need any form of heating.
"Well of course we 'ad it tough".
No really I agree. The toilet whilst not exactly outside at the end of the garden, was in the porch with a paraffin stove to prevent it freezing up in the winter. So yes, central heating is great though I do sometimes miss staring at the flames of a coal fire.
Oh and we kept the milk bottles in a sink of cold water in the wash-house due to not having a fridge.
So heat and cold on demand are great tech.
Kudos for spelling it correctly, mind you.
I always thought it was "Teasmaid" until a mate of mine bought one recently (which is a much longer story in itself, last I heard he was trying to get it to run Doom). A notoriously bad speller, I corrected him over Teasmade and it turned out that no, that's actually what they're called.
Keeping to stuff introduced this millennium I'd say smart radiator valves, retro fit onto an old central heating system and now I have control over individual rooms and better temperature regulation than it ever had with house thermostat.
I've never really considered toilets as 'tech' tbh, but...
I've never really considered toilets as 'tech' tbh
you should visit Japan 🙂
Toastie maker.
A fridge with chilled water and an ice maker. Just a wonderful thing and amazing in the summer. Drinks just taste better
+1 on this. I'd wanted one my whole life since seeing them on American shows when I was a kid, but I was still thought it was one of those things that might actually be a big disappointment. K was also dubious. But it's such a luxury having chilled, filtered water on tap (the ice is great but the water gets used multiple times every single day).
A fridge with chilled water and an ice maker. Just a wonderful thing and amazing in the summer. Drinks just taste better
+1 on this. I'd wanted one my whole life since seeing them on American shows when I was a kid, but I was still thought it was one of those things that might actually be a big disappointment. K was also dubious. But it's such a luxury having chilled, filtered water on tap (the ice is great but the water gets used multiple times every single day).
Just watch out for them going mouldy - we've had some issues with our fridge water storage tank. Which then in turn gives me concerns about the pipes
Which then in turn gives me concerns about the pipes
Is that a euphemism? You'll be glad you've got that newfangled toilet!
Robohoover, Hoovers and mops the floors every night/morning at 1:30am. Living with a labrador and two young kinds ensures there is ming EVERYWHERE and this just keeps on top of it all.
Really dumb question, but I assume only the ground floor, and you have to bring upstairs every few days and set it off there as well. I know all app based, so i assume you let it learn each floor separately and then does it know which floor it's on, or do you have to tell it?
I had never considered one but now I'm interested....
Being able to tell Siri (via a Homepod) to add something to the shopping list while I have my hands full cooking, and that shopping list being a synced Note amongst all family members, always feels like a little tech/smart thing that makes my life much easier.
Robo-vac also a winner.
I've never had an interest in smart doorbells, everyone who has one tells me that by the time they've alerted you, the person ringing the bell is long gone. Maybe they've improved.
