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Why the smart home bubble popped

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Re: Why the smart home bubble popped

#101

Post by milch »

ssl-3 wrote: post #93
milch wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The control interface is local, not cloud-based Unfortunately you see quite a few manufacturers implement Matter in a way where they require a proprietary hub, and the proprietary hub requires a constant internet connection to work...

> Unfortunately you see quite a few manufacturers implement Matter in a way where they require a proprietary hub, and the proprietary hub requires a constant internet connection to work... In what way? I don't see any of them that require these things. If you do see them yourself, then please use the space provided by clicking the "Reply" button to name-and-shame. Please be specific; I need this information in my lif…

SwitchBot is one of those major manufacturers: https://www.reddit.com/r/TrySwitchBot/comments/1j8ogt8/matte...

Re: Why the smart home bubble popped

#102

Post by ssl-3 »

itopaloglu83 wrote: post #95
ssl-3 wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure. Most people don't have much beneath-the-skin technical inclination at all. We see this right now in 3D printing: Bambu Labs printers are popular because they're simple to use: A person can unbox it, plug it in, load some filament, and start printing widgets from their pocket supercomputer basically immediately. But it is available as a plug-in appliance, and they're getting better and better at the Just Works a…

It’s a balancing act and smart homes couldn’t become the next evolution of home technology.

It doesn't have to be universal or even vaguely popular in order to be successful.

I have all kinds of widgets around me at home that are the products of successful companies of various sizes, and that are so niche that 95% of people would probably never seek to own such widgets themselves. Most probably aren't even aware that widgets like this exist in their universe. But the remaining 5%? They know about the widget, and they want one (maybe more than one).

There's ~149 million households in the US alone. 5% household penetration would require ~7.5 million widgets.

It sure is easy to imagine ways that a person and/or a company can sell just 7.5 million widgets and ultimately be financially unsuccessful, but it's also easy to imagine ways in which that would work out just fine.

But that's just meandering digression. :)

The Open Home Foundation had revenue of CHF 8,836,394 and expenses of of CHF 7,352,798 in FY 2025[1].

Is that small potatoes in a world with trillion-dollar companies? Yeah, it's certainly not ginormous. Is that successful? I personally think that it is.

[1]: https://www.openhomefoundation.org/documents/

Re: Why the smart home bubble popped

#103

Post by ssl-3 »

milch wrote: post #101
ssl-3 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unfortunately you see quite a few manufacturers implement Matter in a way where they require a proprietary hub, and the proprietary hub requires a constant internet connection to work... In what way? I don't see any of them that require these things. If you do see them yourself, then please use the space provided by clicking the "Reply" button to name-and-shame. Please be specific; I need this information in my lif…

SwitchBot is one of those major manufacturers: https://www.reddit.com/r/TrySwitchBot/comments/1j8ogt8/matte...

Thanks.

If I'm looking at that right. it looks like Switchbot sells a device that talks Matter on one end, and emits infrared commands on the other end.

And that it needs continuous Internet access in order to perform this infrared function because it doesn't store those infrared codes locally -- like, apparently, not at all.

Every programmable remote for the past 30+ years has managed to do this with the most basic of hardware, but a company with the technological prowess of Switchbot just can't quite get that functionality into their workhorse ESP32.

That's hilarious. 10/10. I needed that today.

I'll try to remember to amend my future comments about Matter's real-world offline utility with "Unless they're the product of a resolute fuckup, like Switchbot."

Re: Why the smart home bubble popped

#104

Post by MarkusQ »

> with all the excitement of programming PID controllers

If that was what it felt like, I'd be one of the enthusiastist enthusiasts.

But it feels a lot more like vendor lock in, meat-space spyware and security holes as a service.

Re: Why the smart home bubble popped

#105

Post by m463 »

olyjohn wrote: post #91
m463 wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you can add _nomap to a wifi ssid and apple/google should ignore the ap for location.

Why should I change my SSID? They're the ones who suck.

yeah, big tech rarely self-limits itself, but it's still nice to pass on the times when they do...

Re: Why the smart home bubble popped

#107

Post by metalman »

exactly how stupid do you have to be, to not be able to flip a light switch on, as you enter a room, and then need to buy equipment and software, get it installed so that you can then turn the light on with your phone after you have tripped over a chair in a dark room?
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