#smartdevices #technology #investment #smarttechnology ๐ธ๐ก
—
Are smart devices really worth the investment? Let’s dive into some insights and recommendations to help you make a more informed decision.
### The Hype of Smart Devices ๐ฅ
1. **Short Lifespan**: Smart devices tend to become outdated quickly, making them a poor long-term investment.
2. **Security Risks**: With the rise in connected devices, there is an increased risk of data breaches and privacy concerns.
### Cost Analysis ๐ฐ
1. **Initial Cost**: Smart devices can come with a hefty price tag, especially if you are looking to have a fully connected home.
2. **Maintenance Costs**: Updates and repairs can add up over time, making it a continuous investment.
### Alternatives to Smart Devices ๐
1. **Traditional Devices**: Consider sticking to traditional devices that have a longer lifespan and are less prone to security risks.
2. **DIY Solutions**: Look into DIY solutions that can provide similar functionalities without the high cost of smart devices.
### Recommendations for Smart Device Investments ๐ก
1. **Research**: Before making a purchase, do thorough research on the device’s lifespan, security features, and overall cost.
2. **Budgeting**: Create a budget specifically for smart devices to avoid overspending on unnecessary gadgets.
3. **Future-proofing**: Look for devices that have a longer lifespan and can adapt to future technological changes.
In conclusion, while smart devices may seem like the way of the future, they may not always be the best investment. Consider the potential risks and costs before diving into the world of smart technology. Make informed decisions to ensure your investment is worthwhile in the long run.
#smarttechnology #investmentanalysis #smartdevices
Source: https://www.androidpolice.com/smart-devices-poor-investment/
Fire stick is so cheap because it has the illusion of a lot of content, but itโs mostly another way for gathering user preferences and making purchases super easy (in a bad way)
Yep. Any hardware will outlive any software of said smart device. I need a standard watch, and a standard tv. The same goes for cars as well. I don’t need updates. I need something that if it breaks, I can fix it and move on.
Digital Crack, the first hit is nearly free, once you’re hooked they start reeling you in.
What a terrible article.
I bought an LG C3 OLED recently. Never connected it to the Internet, plugged in an Apple TV, and never looked back.
Who actually considers a smart device an “investment?”
Capitalism and the enshittification it brings will make many things a poor investment as time goes on.
My google home devices have really gone downhill. It does not understand very basic commands that used to work.
Edit:
โHey Google turn on (exact name of device).โ
Google โSorry, I donโt understandโ from a device on the other end of the house that you were no where near.
Looks like it’s back to pirating everything via torrents again.
Fully with the author on each point. These tech giants treat home hardware like software betas too – they need to do better. We are buying these devices not doing freeware downloads. So we expect better.
Goddamn ikea is the most reliable home solution right now. What has the world come to.
I bought a sceptre “dumb” TV and it is the best decision. I love it.
I bought a NVIDIA Shield with their gaming controller for $150 in Dec 2015, it’s been pretty great the whole time still seems to have plenty of life in it.
Nothing that is required to be connected to the internet to function has any sort of longevity
Sorry but Googleโs and Amazonโs platform is turning out to be a poor investment.
Notice thereโs nothing about Apple? Turns out moving really slowly and insisting on Offline support is a good bet.
We used Roku devices several years ago but they seemed to get slow. We bought cheap laptops and put them behind the TV’s and installed Kubuntu Linux. We watch OTA TV using Tablo over WiFI on Firefox and use Chrome for other streaming or sometimes Firefox. Works great. Use Air mice.
I have my original 45″ Samsung display from 10 years ago using my Xbox and a v1 chrome cast.
Over Consumption is a problem, yes
Anything that depends on an online service has an expiration date, whether it is an actual expiration or until it is enshittified to hell. Like the article mentions, only devices that can be fully controlled by a local device e.g. through home assistant on a raspberry Pi are a worthwhile purchase if you intend to use it long time.
So.. Guy buys lots of hardware from companies whose business model is “cheap stuff with advertising”, then gets upset because his devices are advertising to him.
Stop buying it. Get the more expensive, advert free device, from a company whose business model is “sell hardware for a profit”.
The big problem is that people think the cheap price is the right price.
Ironically whatโs pictured (a Fire TV stick) is one of the better implementations because you donโt have to throw out a whole TV when it gets too slow.
I get what they’re saying, but I think they’re really just aiming at big companies that pay home automation lip-service to try to sell planned obsolescence devices.
Any home automation/smart devices I purchase I make sure aren’t tied to some online service that can be retired/sunsetted/paywalled. They must function on their own and be programmed to look at my personal servers. They can have Alexa/Apple Home kit, but it can’t be required.
I’ve found smart sprinklers that use API to reach out to the weather service of my choice and have integration with home assistant while being controlled by a built in webserver GUI. I’ve found home lighting hubs like habitat that give you close to full control (aside from Alexa integration). You just have to dig way harder to find the good self-sustaining ecosystems.
I feel like things have been bad ever since advancements in consumer computer hardware slowed down. New replacements are hardly much any better but companies still want to use the lifespan for their products they had when they were actually getting better super fast
Anything labeled โsmartโ usually just means it has the tech and connectivity capacity to spy on you and sell your data.
I’m a child of the ’60s and I can’t figure out most smart devices and avoid them.
We just bought a TV at Walmart, had roku built in. Stupid thing wanted us t create an account with a credit card attached before we could actually use it. Sure the thing was dirt cheap and this is I’m sure why.
I just want a dumb monitor really, I prefer the Apple TV boxes myself, but whatever. I’m tired of being the product.
LLM’s will 10000% revitalize the home assistant market. The exact syntax has always been the limiting factor, hence why they have to constantly try and “teach” us new features we can use.
The problem with smart devices is that the smart features always end up getting in the way of the item’s core functionality. I don’t care how smart it is 90% of the time, if it fails to function *at all* that last 10%, then I am going to wish it were dumb and did its job.
You can pry my Alexa Echo Dot out of my cold, dead hands.
I have ADHD and I like yelling in the shower at someone to change songs and tell me the weather. My wife also said she would NOT stand in there and do it for me.
TL;DR
Updates kill them.
Because these companies think that constant updates are nececary and their โimprovementsโ areโฆ well, improvements. When they actually make the thing so much worse.
Me: Hey, google. Turn on Living Room Lights.
Google Home: ok. Playing Smoking Blunts at Night by some shitty artist.
Me: Hey google. Stop playing that music.
Google home: ok. Stopping TV in another room that isnโt even on.
Most stuff is pure junk and their main purpose is to spy on people.
Most of your actually tech savvy people donโt have nor want โsmartโ anythingย
I wouldn’t call smart devices an “investment” but ok
Exactly what I expected from the internet of shit. Hook you, reel you in, then leave you stranded to rot while the lizards in the companies you trusted move on to the next โcool thingโ thatโs really just the next step in the devolution to another boring dystopian facade of utopia.
My living room Amazon Fire Stick has become unusable due to the bad specs combined with constant adverts. It can take multiple restarts to get into an app without freezing. Itโs so much bloat that it seems like planned obsolescence for cheaper models.
โBut I love when my tv buffers with some sort of circular animated circle in the middle of a frozen screen like my computerโ
โItโs a joy to be immediately flooded with ads for apps/shows/goods/etc upon powering on my smart tv with no control or option to turn it offโ
Advertisements are a cancer on the internet and will never let it be anything actually useful
Duh.
Unless one is willing to provide companies, governments, and advertisers with their most intimate of information, this was the only outcome.
I will accept my downvotes. ๐คฃ
i was just thinking about this earlier today in terms of audio. your speakers may be smart for a few years, but they’re gonna be a lot less fun and worth it when they inevitably become dumb
Remember when they got you to cancel cable and sign up for streaming services because they didnโt have commercials? And now all of them have more annoying commercials than cable (select your ad experience!). I remember.
“Smart” appliances and the “network of things” are such fucking scams, I just don’t understand how people get into it.
It’s almost like these “smart” devices are designed to be affordable because their primary purpose is to collect data and not actually to provide a good consumer experience.
A problem is that every smart device requires the company that made it to stay in business and to keep caring about user updates, etc. My light switch will always work, that app controlled LED smart bulb eventually wonโt.
Garbage ads on this article that keep preventing you from reading it.
Alexa just plays my music. The most useful bit of kit is the Philips hue lights I have with a sensor in the walk in wardrobe, and my sonos speakers. Beyond that theyโre all sort of meh.
I did test out some smart plugs by tplink but after their whole change up tapo/kasa crap I game up on those. I also had the nest smoke alarms but after google killed those off Iโm not going to use smart smoke detectors any more.
I guess Iโve become annoyed with companies releasing a product and either killing it off or dropping support in favour for something else. Just not worth it. Phillips being the exception, for now.
Donโt even get me started on how bad theyโre all becoming with speech detection. Theyโre all becoming rubbish.
I did not invest in the smart home craze. Seemed like an expensive way to get yourself hacked, and beyond the scope of this article it still seems to me like an overly expensive invite to allow anyone into your home.
My Lutron Caseta switches are 9 years old. My Apple TV is also 9 years old. Both of them work rock solidly. That said, Iโve gone through several Amazon devices. Iโm done with them. Iโm switching everything to Apple. Most costly but my experience has shown me it is worth it.
Also my Hubitat was another solid investment. Definitely more than the Wink hubsโฆ
I was on my third Apple Watch. One day, I bumped my wrist against the door frame and the watch popped off the band and landed on the tile floor, shattering the screen. $270 to repair. $400+ to replace. I said fuck it and bought a nice Citizen for $200. What do I have to show after three Apple Watches over the years? Nothing. Had I bought a Rolex Instead, Iโd have a Rolex. But I have three unusable Apple Watches. What the fuck?
I love my AppleTV. I have four of them.
Apple TV 4K is really good and they last for years.
My Samsung TV is now so old that Netflix app is no longer supported. But I also use the TV as my external laptop monitor so I donโt think Iโll replace it, but I think I got 15 years out of it. Iโd say it was worth it.