A number of people have asked me about the automation in my house. I think a lot of people beliece I live in some kind of unobtainable future house but 95% of what you saw was installed by me and purchased off Amazon. In fact, the most expensive individual piece of tech (besides my car) is the Roomba, which isn’t an outlandish piece of tech.
The whole purpose of that section of the Vlog was to show that really futuristic seeming tech is available right now. And some things that are really useful automated tools like programmable coffee makers and garage door openers have been around for decades.
I’ll try to go shot by shot here and break it down.
In bed
Amazon Echo $39-115
Spotify account $10/month
Kitchen
Lutron Caseta light switch $55
Cuisinart Coffee Maker w/ timer— $70
Roomba 960 — $650
Living Room
9 Phillips Hue Bulbs — $540*
Logitech Harmony Remote Hub — $300
Library
Phillips Hue Lamp bulb — $25
Phillips Hue bulb (Joe The Cat Painting) — $40
Bookshelf
Caseta light switch — $55
Nest Thermostat — $230
Bathroom
My Smart Blind motors — $99 each
Echo Dot — $39
Garage
2015 Tesla P85D — a lot
Using the Summon feature
Controlled via third party app which communicates with Alexa
Hamilton Garage Door Opener — est $250 (came with the house)
*I really dislike Hue bulbs and wish I had never bought them. That room was the first I did and I quickly switched to the Caseta light switches after that. Could have done that room for 1/10 the cost and it’s a far more reliable solution.
So besides the car (and the blinds which are cool to see but not really worth the time and money) you could replicate that whole set up for about the cost of a mid-level gaming PC and a weekend of work. It’s not cheap, but also not an impossible leap to have a “house of the future”
Comments (42)
DanGodwin The REAL Dan Godwin
1 year ago
Very informative, Burnie.
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markamaro Gold Star
1 year ago
I really like the Lifx bulbs over Hue they're about the same price but don't need a hub and provide better light/more vibrant colors. It's also nice to get bulbs that just do whites from daylight to warm color for evening/daytime moods.
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StryfeRyder
1 year ago
It looks like all of the lighting and automation is tied to the voice commands, which is rad. I ended up switching some of mine from voice to motion sensors just because it's even less effort. For areas like the entryway, stairs, closets, etc having automatic on/off with no input is pretty nice. rooms where I might be still (bedroom, living room) smart switches are the thing. Ive been looking for good blinds controllers so def going to check that one out
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rchris48 "Burgertime" Chef
1 year ago
My DH is a tech head; most of our lights are on switches controlled by a phone app; canary home security (phone app); thermostat is a Bryant (phone app); Chamberlain garage door (phone app) all on schedules so it's nice. Just need a washing machine that loads, washes, then loads the clothes in the dryer from an app and I'll be a happy girl.
+1 Cool
BanjoMagic YMMV
1 year ago
Shop around and you can get an all-in-one washer & dryer with the same capacity of a standard washer for about the price of the two separate appliances.
+1 Cool
Tudor RTUK Fireteam
1 year ago
This is really interesting to me right now, as I live in an old (built in the 30's) solid brick house, so the idea of home automation feels like I'd need to completely renovate the place. This has definitely helped realise that isn't the case, thanks Burnie.
Right now I'd definitely prioritise a smart thermostat above all else though.
+2 Ditto
VirusElite524 DizPanda
1 year ago
Future goals. Also typo on believe in the beginning.
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Count3D Site Admin
1 year ago
That was cool to read, thank you for posting this.
+3 Ditto
BakerBlitz
1 year ago
Thanks for the heads-up. I was on my way to purchasing the Hue bulb starter set but I'm going to do some research on these Caseta lights instead.
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Jicori RTX 2018 Guardian
1 year ago
Thanks for posting this, Burnie! I just got my first Philips Hue bulbs after seeing them at a friend's house. I like them so far, but it's just two bulbs in my video recording space, a total of $170 for the bridge plus the bulbs. I'll keep Caseta in mind if I decide to do something more household-wide.
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natethomas Kodi Project Manager
1 year ago
A tip for those whose homes aren't well insulated or are only partially insulated: Nest Thermostats can only accept one temperature input. So if you have a downstairs that's always colder than the upstairs or vice versa, it won't know. I looked pretty seriously into Nest and ended up going with a competitor because of the lack of support for different room temperature sensors.
edit: I should add, there are a ton of smart competitors out there now. Mine actually has Alexa built directly into it. It's super nifty.
+3 Ditto
KrissyCon
1 year ago
Out of all of that I own...none of it.
+3 Ditto
LuckyRhinoceros Unemployed RT Employee
1 year ago
Burnie I actually thought it seemed like an unobtainable future house and I've been in construction and seen top of the line tech so I assumed your house was custom. My favorite part of your house is your dining room. Spending time with your family in a fun way. I don't think there enough life hacks for that.
+2 Cool
SamSmyly
1 year ago
If you want smart bulbs i recommend lifex just as good and i paid 50 for a color changing led bulb that didnt need a bridge
+1 Cool
hydra38811
1 year ago
How's the harmony remote working out?
I bought one a while ago (probably over ten years ago at this point) and it was more of a hassle than anything. I remember the web-based app to set it up was a pain in the ass, and when I finally got it set up it worked properly maybe half the time. Considering most of the devices on my home theater setup don't need line-of-sight for the remotes, it would be the next step in cleaning up my entertainment center. So I was wondering if you think it's worth giving Logitech another shot with their remotes.
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Bloxxy0
1 year ago
They have definitely re defined how the harmony communicates with different devices. It's to a point where you can actually use voice to control the harmony depending on the one you have as well if you have an Alexa or Google home, Honestly if it is something that would fit your life style definitely give it a go but keep in mind the remote is a IR blaster so it still requires a line of site to an extent. The signal will still bounce around the room until it hits something its just a matter of if you have your top box hidden it may not work, If it's visible it will.
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Keegan RT Georgia Admin
1 year ago
I'm totally getting those switches! Thanks for the info.
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travisblinds
1 year ago
Now, put all that info here: https://kit.com/
And include affiliate links.
Seriously, I love seeing how other people set things up and am more than fine with clicking on affiliate links. It's fun and it's given some pretty good ideas for my own office(s) setup. Obviously, a lot of people agree. I guess this is setup porn (is that cooler than Mormon porn?).
+2 Cool
MagicDime Doer of Things
1 year ago
The real question is, "Does your toilet play Moonlight Sonata when you use it?"
+3 Funny
borisof007 HR Manager, Engineering
1 year ago
Boo hue bulbs. I have Lifx bulbs which are basically the same thing but not as good but they came out earlier so I'm stuck with them.
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raemigs
1 year ago
Great write-up Burnie, thanks for the info! I've thought about getting a Roomba just to deal with the daily cat hair/litter that gets scattered around my apartment. Does it deal with that stuff all right, or is it more of a general dust solution?
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ThatBritGamer
1 year ago
I often in life stop myself just to think about how far technology has come. It's crazy the things we can do now that we couldn't 10 or 15 years ago.
+3 Ditto
LuckyRhinoceros Unemployed RT Employee
1 year ago
And now there is a tesla roadster flying through space. The future is cool. If we didn't have shitty dinosaurs in office maybe science would get more funding.
+3 Cool
imabetastic Ignite
1 year ago
Does the Roomba fully replaces the floor cleaning part of the cleaning day? Or is it more of an autonomous vacuum cleaner for specific floor problems?
+1 Ditto
burnie
1 year ago
I don’t ever sweep my kitchen or vacuum my living room. I just empty the roomba bin. And hunt for it when it gets lost every couple of weeks.
+12 Funny
borisof007 HR Manager, Engineering
1 year ago
Jumanji - roomba edition
You sweep the floor for a brown Reese's
Pick up one, two, three and four
To quickly find it's some feces
And spread it all over the floor
+1 Funny
Becca RT Torturer
1 year ago
I love this. Every Christmas, I get Michael a new smart home gadget. The Logitech Harmony Remote Hub has been the single biggest value-add we've seen so far, but you must have the peripheral infrastructure in place to take full advantage of its features.
I'm starting to run out of options, so here's hoping something new and exciting comes out this year. I'm still on the fence on whether I should splurge on a Haiku ceiling fan.
Also, check out how smooth Michael is.
+6 Cool
HarrisonFoun
1 year ago
$2,500 with years of life expectancy for most products makes it even more reasonable.
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Splee_Spree YOUR AD HERE
1 year ago
I feel like between automation and devices that listen(record) you, we're all just giving the illuminati exactly what they need to build our robot replacements.
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iBromantic Producer/Colorist
1 year ago
Honestly, what amazed me about the episode was the dedicated and disciplined workflow that has been established. Rise early, work hard and train the body. Midday, be creative and train the mind. Night, party with friends and train the heart. Good way to spend your day.
+4 Ditto
rebkos
1 year ago
"2015 Tesla P85D — a lot" Bahaha
+3 Ditto
lonestarlite
1 year ago
The blinds are the coolest part for me (Excluding the Borderland 2 mobile) because I love to sleep in total darkness, but waking up with natural light is the best. Thanks for the break down. Cheers!
+2 Ditto
burnie
1 year ago
You would like it then. You can set the app to open the blinds on a schedule. Honestly, they are loud enough to wake you up though. Might detract from the gentle increase in light.
+5 Cool
Falcondeity
1 year ago
The start of the final vlog finally pushed me over the edge to start building my smart device controlled home. I basically bought some smart switches, TP link smart bulb and an Alexa Echo Spot within two weeks of seeing it. I'm loving it so far and want to add more down the line.
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Pyro100
1 year ago
The real question is, have you ever taped a carving knife to the top of your Roomba?
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rebkos
1 year ago
Geoff and Griffon did
+1 Noob
Pyro100
1 year ago
rebkos That's what I was referencing...
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rebkos
1 year ago
@Pyro100 I will always try to be helpful O.O
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WalkerTN
1 year ago
It really is awesome to see something that as kid you thought would never happen and now it's something that, as you said, is pretty obtainable. Thank you for the breakdown here. I plan to buy a house in the next 6 months and I want to do some simple automation myself so this is great! Did you just do it one room at a time or did you have like a road map of everything you wanted done?
+1 Ditto
burnie
1 year ago
first couple rooms were a learning curve. I did some X10 stuff years ago but it was pretty lousy, so I was skeptical going in. The way HUE lights form a mesh network results in too many errors. Once I changed over to Caseta switches it started to go faster.
I tackle a room at a time. This week I replaced two switches in the guest bedroom and replaced my coffee make with a Behmor Alexa enabled machine.
+3 Cool
WalkerTN
1 year ago
That all makes sense. I figure no matter how much research I do there's going to be a learning curve. Those are some good things to know going in though. I was thinking one room at a time made the most sense so if something didn't work like I wanted, I wasn't already committed to some massive system. Thanks for your thoughts and response!
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Curtos CurtosNoir.com
1 year ago
Thanks @burnie for the break down! I made some upgrades to my house after that vlog episode. I also learned some tricks that I wasn’t aware you could do with Alexa. Cheers
+1 Cool