Google's entering the HA arena

[jhdale]

Sure it's easy to install. But you also need to reconfigure your mesh whenever you change a lightbulb. And tell your applications where the newly-detected bulb is located.

I also wonder about the discovery aspect. That's nice and easy if any Android device can discover the controllable devices. But not so hot if someone standing right outside your house can check whether your lights are on, when they last changed, and whether there is any response when some of them turn on and off. Seems like a real security issue.

 

[apostolakisl]

Don't get me wrong, I don't think it is a particularly good way to do it, I just was postulating on their logic. I suppose if we started hardwiring all of our light sockets to be hot all the time it would work reasonably well. But with a switch on the wall you know that someone is going to get shut it off rendering the automatic bulb dead-in-the-water.

Of course you would need to have something like LED bulbs since anything with a shorter life span would make the ongoing maintenance costs too high. I imagine that a good controller could take care of the mesh thing automatically, kind of like ISY does for an R&R of an Insteon device. Don't really know mutch about the z-wave style mesh since I never have owned one.

 

[hucker]

It will be great for Christmas/Halloween lights. What a great market

 

[damage]

Google’s Android Bulb to Run on 6LowPAN Standard http://goo.gl/GFa07

 

[apostolakisl]

6lowpan, I think I ate that at a Chinese restaurant a few weeks ago.

I don't quite get it. Is this using wifi? If so, I don't understand how it can't be consuming more power than you could ever imagine saving.

 

[linuxha]

6lowpan, I think I ate that at a Chinese restaurant a few weeks ago.

I don't quite get it. Is this using wifi? If so, I don't understand how it can't be consuming more power than you could ever imagine saving.

6lowpan is not using WiFi but is using the 2.4GHz range. It's riding atop 802.15.4. Now the Google HA stuff is using Jennic's JenNet-IP stuff which is an Enhanced 6lowpan (I have no idea what that means except it sounds incompatible).

As I've stated in another thread. I'm not sure putting a processor in every light bulb is such a good idea. Just from the green point of view it will probably waste more energy running that saved by the automation.

While buying HA because it's green sounds like a good idea. It's as bad as the advertisement for a TV "because it's blue" blink: ???). A lot more work needs to be done on uC & wireless power usage when idle before it's green.

 

[fwd03]

Google get into many fields, also left a lot of fields. They have a lot of money to play with, if they could not get enough money out, they will abandon it. Like this one:

http://www.google.com/powermeter/about/

 

[mustangcoupe]

Google get into many fields, also left a lot of fields. They have a lot of money to play with, if they could not get enough money out, they will abandon it. Like this one:

http://www.google.com/powermeter/about/

You are very correct about that but it is what they so with their money while they are here... Maybe they can throw some of it around and get costs down for us all