Cloud based Smart Home using Pubnub

[Dean Roddey]

'm beginning to think that this cloud issue is more of a generational issue than a technical issue.
 
It's like the baby boomers versus the GenXers. The BabyBoomers want to live in the 20th century. That is, use a Digital Multi meter and screwdriver to attach a foreign sensor to a HA sytem and configure it using some draconian protocol via a Windows desktop. Whereas the GenXers want to use JSON, RESTful, subcribe/publish technologies to install and configure sensors etc.
 
Or maybe it's the following scenario..
 
BB: “I just turned my living room lights on using my BlackBerry HA app. That's Groovy!!!”
GenXer: I just had an intelligent conversation with Alexa, my smart home controller on the status of my home. That's PHAT!!!”
 
There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a neophobe. My personal preference is to adapt emerging technologies that appear to be the future of technology. In this case, cloud technologies. If folks didn't adapt to innovative technologies, I believe we'd still be driving Model T's.

 
I find that a bit condescending. I probably know more about JSON and HTTP and various other types of communications technology than 99.999999999% of GenXer's. And I bite off more new protocols and software technologies technologies in a typical year than most people will in their lifetimes.
 
So it has nothing to do with my generation or my lack of initiative in learning new things. It has to do with the very basic maxim that the more moving parts a system has, the more likely it is to fail. Cloud based systems have many more moving parts. It has all of the same moving parts a local system would have (the fact that they aren't local doesn't mean they don't exist) plus all of the other moving parts required for non-local logic and monitoring.
 
You might consider SmartThings as an example, as I mentioned. They are trying now to move more to a local control scenario. You really think that a bunch of people whose bios on their web site use the word 'cloud' about every other sentence would do that if they hadn't learned the hard way the realities of cloud based automation? Of course monitoring and remote access are obviously useful applications of cloud based technology. But just because you have a screw driver, that doesn't make everything in the world a screw.
 
 
* BTW, technically I'm also a GenXer. That generation starts a lot earlier than most people think, by convention anyway. GenXers are the children of the baby boomers, who became young adults in the 80s. So most folks who study such things start it at the early 60s, which is when I was born (to baby boomer parents), and I graduated in 81, so I became a young adult in the 80s.

 

[drvnbysound]

I truly do enjoy new technologies - as an engineer I'm expected to adapt to that change - it's a known thing. Having said that, I still have reservations about giving someone the "digital" key to my front door. And to be honest, I'm not really all that worried that XYZ Cloud service will be hacked. I'm more concerned with the bored admin, what they are capable of and can do with that information. I much prefer to hold the keys to my own fate rather than to give them to someone else.

 

[BobS0327]

I truly do enjoy new technologies - as an engineer I'm expected to adapt to that change - it's a known thing. Having said that, I still have reservations about giving someone the "digital" key to my front door. And to be honest, I'm not really all that worried that XYZ Cloud service will be hacked. I'm more concerned with the bored admin, what they are capable of and can do with that information. I much prefer to hold the keys to my own fate rather than to give them to someone else.

 
From my perspective as working in the Federal  system, a bored administrator is certainly a valid concern.  But we had a lot of policies/procedures in effect to minimize that from happening. These run from annual financial disclosure statements/background checks to assigning unique digital signatures to all IT personnel which would allow security personnel to review every IT tech's actions on the system.  Yea, it's possible for an admin to do just about anything but he/she will get caught.  Is it really worth it to jeopardize a career  (and possibly do jail time) over something stupid? I personally don't think it is.  But there are all kinds out there who may think otherwise.
 
The real fear that my agency had was from social engineering.  Using a unwitting individual within the organization as a source of info for hacking into the system.  Kevin Mitnick, the 90's hacker was famous for using this method.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Mitnick

 

[linuxha]

I'm beginning to think that this cloud issue is more of a generational issue than a technical issue.
 
It's like the baby boomers versus the GenXers. The BabyBoomers want to live in the 20th century. That is, use a Digital Multi meter and screwdriver to attach a foreign sensor to a HA sytem and configure it using some draconian protocol via a Windows desktop. Whereas the GenXers want to use JSON, RESTful, subcribe/publish technologies to install and configure sensors etc.
 
Or maybe it's the following scenario..
 
BB: “I just turned my living room lights on using my BlackBerry HA app. That's Groovy!!!”
 
GenXer: I just had an intelligent conversation with Alexa, my smart home controller on the status of my home. That's PHAT!!!”
 
There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a neophobe. My personal preference is to adapt emerging technologies that appear to be the future of technology. In this case, cloud technologies. If folks didn't adapt to innovative technologies, I believe we'd still be driving Model T's.

 
I agree with Dean, very condescending! Worse yet, shows a lack of hindsight.
 
The Cloud is nothing new (though this version is much better). Many of the today's advancements are just a rehash of existing (IBM patented) technologies. Also funny how we are still learning about the problems of living online. As an engineer I evaluate technologies appropriately. At this time, monthly costs for consumers are unreasonable, not so much for business. I do see that it will come to the consumers. I prefer a hybrid, many of us already have it (I grab data from NOAA, local airports and WU).
 
I still have lots of questions, that 99.99% (total down time no more than 3.65 days) does it apply to the free service, what laws (and who's) apply to your data? Heck where is your data? With that free service how much data mining can the service do? These are only the start of the questions.
 
Edit (forgot about Alexia):
 
I intend to get one though I might start off with a Pi and use one of the DIY solutions using Alexia. I don't put my trust in a device that's always listening (the Tap supposedly works around this). And yes I'm aware that my phone is always listening as are my IP cameras. The Cameras were an easy solution as I control their network access. The phone not so much.