Swapped my expensive smart thermostat for a basic $20 model last month

Everyone raves about those learning thermostats that adjust based on your habits. I had one for about a year and a half in my house outside Austin. It kept making decisions I didn't want, like cranking the AC when I was just passing through a room. Finally got fed up when it turned the heat on during a 50 degree day because it thought I was coming home early. I swapped it out for a simple programmable one from the hardware store that costs $20. Now I just set it and forget it based on my actual schedule, not some algorithm guessing wrong. No app, no wifi, no fuss. I actually save more on my electric bill now because I'm not fighting with the thing. Anyone else ditch their smart home stuff for basic gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

samw4718d ago

I set it and forget it" pretty much sums up why I threw my "smart" fridge's wifi feature out the window... guess my milk doesn't need to send me a text message.

sam_scott5918d ago

Buddy of mine got a smart fridge a couple years back. Set up the wifi so it could tell him when the milk was low. First week, it kept pinging him every time he opened the door too long, like "door open, close me." Then it started sending grocery lists to his phone based on what he took out, but it guessed wrong half the time. Last straw was when it ordered three gallons of milk on its own because the sensor thought the carton was empty. Came home to a porch full of dairy. He unplugged the wifi module the next day and just went back to looking inside the fridge like a normal person.