Digital timer stuff up /FOX TAILS

speedwell68 said:

Sonoff smart switches controlled via the Google Home app on my phone. I would never use a dedicated timer again, mechanical or digital.

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I've been using timers both manual and digital for years. I don't have any need to monitor anything from my phone. The only timer issue I've ever had was due to my own mistake in either setting up a digital one or inadvertently pushing in some tabs on a manual one.

I'm not giving access to my identity, location, files, contacts, the ability to record audio, and other permissions to some Google app.

You don't mind the permissions that app has on your phone?


Google Home
Google LLC


Showing permissions for all versions of this app


This app has access to:
Location
approximate location (network-based)
precise location (GPS and network-based)
Photos/Media/Files
read the contents of your USB storage
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Camera
take pictures and videos
Wi-Fi connection information
view Wi-Fi connections
Identity
find accounts on the device
add or remove accounts
Contacts
find accounts on the device
Storage
read the contents of your USB storage
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Phone
directly call phone numbers
Microphone
record audio
Other
receive data from Internet
change network connectivity
run at startup
view network connections
pair with Bluetooth devices
read Google service configuration
full network access
change your audio settings
control vibration
connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi
prevent device from sleeping
access Bluetooth settings

LeastExpectedGrower said:

Yeah, I have some manuals in the house that have functioned for years if not decades without failure. I got a decent newer one for my lights because I wanted something a bit heftier for the bigger draw of my LED's but I love the ease of use, lifting/dropping the pins and if I need to adjust I just twist that knob to set the time.

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Ive bought digital ones and they sit in that tote of other useless crap I bought. Junk ph and tds pens, snake oil nutes, soil ph kits. I’m sure the list can go on

xtsho said:

I've been using timers both manual and digital for years. I don't have any need to monitor anything from my phone. The only timer issue I've ever had was due to my own mistake in either setting up a digital one or inadvertently pushing in some tabs on a manual one.

I'm not giving access to my identity, location, files, contacts, the ability to record audio, and other permissions to some Google app.

You don't mind the permissions that app has on your phone?


Google Home
Google LLC


Showing permissions for all versions of this app


This app has access to:
Location
approximate location (network-based)
precise location (GPS and network-based)
Photos/Media/Files
read the contents of your USB storage
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Camera
take pictures and videos
Wi-Fi connection information
view Wi-Fi connections
Identity
find accounts on the device
add or remove accounts
Contacts
find accounts on the device
Storage
read the contents of your USB storage
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Phone
directly call phone numbers
Microphone
record audio
Other
receive data from Internet
change network connectivity
run at startup
view network connections
pair with Bluetooth devices
read Google service configuration
full network access
change your audio settings
control vibration
connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi
prevent device from sleeping
access Bluetooth settings

Click to expand...

Do you get what the Google Home app actually does?

I have at least one Google enabled smart speaker or display in every room in the house. Plus devices like Google Chromecasts, Lenovo Smart Clocks, Chromebooks and the like. The guy in my avatar is Eric S. Raymond, he is an author, programmer, FOSS advocate and freedom of speech advocate. I am also a FOSS advocate and a programer. All of my PCs and devices run on Linux based OSes. I am well aware of the privacy issues when using Google's services.

Being slightly clued up on this kinda thing I realised that if I wish to operate in the real world I am going to have to evaluate my principles and "get into bed" with one of these corporations, Google are the best of a bad bunch. With modern IT stuff it is so much easier if you exist in a given ecosystem. My mate likes Apple PCs, so it makes sense for him to have an Apple phone, Apple watch and Apple TV. I have a Google Phone and a Linux PC, as Google are a Linux based company it made sense for me to get inside the Google ecosystem.

I won't touch most Apple products (although their routers are really good), anything by Amazon or Microsoft. I don't use Faceache, Instascam, Twatter, Whatsapp, Tik Tok or any of that social media crap.

My network is a homebrew mesh system using reflashed Apple Airport APs. All of the browser traffic on my network passes through a VPN, as does all of the cellular traffic on my families phones. I have a network wide adblocker and recursive DNS server using Pi Hole and Unbound, all of the DNS requests made from my network are also encrypted.

I use Sonoff smart switches because they will still run even if the internet goes down, the Google Home app gives you a simple and easy way of automating the device.

I make the prediction that inside a decade cheap mechanical or digital timers with be a thing of the past, just like VCRs, DVDs, incandescent light bulbs and landlines.

I'm completely aware of what Google Home App does. I've been in IT since the 90's. I've watched all this new technology grow from its infancy and have setup several people and have played with it myself. I just have no need for it.

I also always look at the permissions that you are giving to apps and I won't install anything with so much access to the data on my phone. Why does it need access to your contacts? And the ability to record has the potential for listening in. Then there is the precise GPS location permission. No thanks. I don't have anything to hide but I prefer to share nothing.

xtsho said:

Why does it need access to your contacts? And the ability to record has the potential for listening in. Then there is the precise GPS location permission. No thanks. I don't have anything to hide but I prefer to share nothing.

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The fact you have to ask these questions suggests you don't know what the Google Home app does. It needs the ability to record because it uses Google TTS to convert your voice into a text value when conducting a voice search and so it can hear the "Hey Google!" trigger. It needs access to your contacts for when you invite someone into your home group, for sharing content and for when you say something like "Hey Google! Phone John Smith" or "Hey Google! Start a video call with my Kids".

It needs access to a precise location so the find my device function works, if I lose my phone in the house I can say "Hey Google! Find my phone." and it'll make my phone ring. Or I can look up it's location in Google Chrome on my PC. It also needs for mapping and sat nav, for example "Hey Google! Where is the nearest hospital" or "Take me Home". You can also have it interface with 3rd part apps like What3Words.

I get what you mean by sharing nothing. Like I said to exist in the modern world I need access to services that work, Google works. They only know what I want them to know. Remember you can opt out of whatever you like.

Simple smart switches and the Google Home app are a really quick, easy and reliable way of controlling a grow. I have complete control over my grow from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Using Google Home I can even see my grow.

Without a booster(house current) I have marginal cell phone service, no internet.

speedwell68 said:

The fact you have to ask these questions suggests you don't know what the Google Home app does. It needs the ability to record because it uses Google TTS to convert your voice into a text value when conducting a voice search and so it can hear the "Hey Google!" trigger. It needs access to your contacts for when you invite someone into your home group, for sharing content and for when you say something like "Hey Google! Phone John Smith" or "Hey Google! Start a video call with my Kids".

It needs access to a precise location so the find my device function works, if I lose my phone in the house I can say "Hey Google! Find my phone." and it'll make my phone ring. Or I can look up it's location in Google Chrome on my PC. It also needs for mapping and sat nav, for example "Hey Google! Where is the nearest hospital" or "Take me Home". You can also have it interface with 3rd part apps like What3Words.

I get what you mean by sharing nothing. Like I said to exist in the modern world I need access to services that work, Google works. They only know what I want them to know. Remember you can opt out of whatever you like.

Simple smart switches and the Google Home app are a really quick, easy and reliable way of controlling a grow. I have complete control over my grow from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Using Google Home I can even see my grow.

Click to expand...

Oh good grief. Give out whatever information you want but don't act like I don't know anything. I don't care to be connected and have all of the data on my phone accessible to some corporation like Google. If you're fine with that then allow them access. I'm perfectly fine turning on my lights manually. I don't need Google to do simple functions around the house. I do video calls all the time and I do it without Google and sharing a bunch of my information.

speedwell68 said:

The fact you have to ask these questions suggests you don't know what the Google Home app does. It needs the ability to record because it uses Google TTS to convert your voice into a text value when conducting a voice search and so it can hear the "Hey Google!" trigger. It needs access to your contacts for when you invite someone into your home group, for sharing content and for when you say something like "Hey Google! Phone John Smith" or "Hey Google! Start a video call with my Kids".

It needs access to a precise location so the find my device function works, if I lose my phone in the house I can say "Hey Google! Find my phone." and it'll make my phone ring. Or I can look up it's location in Google Chrome on my PC. It also needs for mapping and sat nav, for example "Hey Google! Where is the nearest hospital" or "Take me Home". You can also have it interface with 3rd part apps like What3Words.

I get what you mean by sharing nothing. Like I said to exist in the modern world I need access to services that work, Google works. They only know what I want them to know. Remember you can opt out of whatever you like.

Simple smart switches and the Google Home app are a really quick, easy and reliable way of controlling a grow. I have complete control over my grow from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Using Google Home I can even see my grow.

Click to expand...

Like I said, you better hope internet doesn't go down. My digital timers haven't failed me yet in the 4 years I've used them. My internet goes down constantly, and for good amounts of time, quite a few of the times.

I use Google home, but not for my grow.

Hollatchaboy said:

Like I said, you better hope internet doesn't go down. My digital timers haven't failed me yet in the 4 years I've used them. My internet goes down constantly, and for good amounts of time, quite a few of the times.

I use Google home, but not for my grow.

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Sonoff Switches will work without the internet. I have 4G backup anyway. TBH you can't count the amount of times the internet has gone down on one finger. In 12 years of living in this house we have been without an internet connection once.

speedwell68 said:

Sonoff Switches will work without the internet. I have 4G backup anyway. TBH you can't count the amount of times the internet has gone down on one finger. In 12 years of living in this house we have been without an internet connection once.

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Cool man. I'm not downing you. I know you are aware of the downfalls of technology, and if it works for you, more power to you.

If there's anything I know about tech, it's not fail-safe. That includes digital and manual timers, though I feel they've been around long enough to have worked the bugs out.

hillbill said:

This last we3k has seen lightning all around, over and over, but a truck also totaled itself as well as local electricity. Then just down the other side of the hill a tree took out lines on a steep grade and a tree broke into may neighbor's house taking out a wall and about killed my neighbor.

Manual timers all the way out in the country.

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I definitely live in “the country” where we experience multiple power outages. Again, power off and analog mechanical timers STOP! Right? Juice stops and timer stops. Not so with digital. I can return after a day long power outage and my timers are doing what timers do.

Google is a company that makes its money collecting and selling people's personal data. I prefer that they don't profit off of mine.

As far as automating the home I've looked into it and if I was to go that route I'd use open source software like OpenHab or Home Assistant where I can run my own server through my own IP and not go through a third party. They might not have everything but more than enough for anything most people would need. I'm not having all of my voice commands recorded and stored by Google.

xtsho said:

Google is a company that makes its money collecting and selling people's personal data. I prefer that they don't profit off of mine.

As far as automating the home I've looked into it and if I was to go that route I'd use open source software like OpenHab or Home Assistant where I can run my own server through my own IP and not go through a third party. They might not have everything but more than enough for anything most people would need. I'm not having all of my voice commands recorded and stored by Google.

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If I was more tech savvy, I probably would've done something more along those lines. Google makes it pretty easy on the tech illiterate guys though. At least for me everything seems plug and play.

Hollatchaboy said:

If I was more tech savvy, I probably would've done something more along those lines. Google makes it pretty easy on the tech illiterate guys though. At least for me everything seems plug and play.

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Yeah it's not really plug and play. But it's not that complicated to setup everything and access through an app on your phone or a web interface. I've just been looking at it again. There's many other options out there that allow an individual to control devices in their homes while using their own private server. I'm going to probably get a couple smart plugs and play around with different options to connect to them.

xtsho said:

Yeah it's not really plug and play. But it's not that complicated to setup everything and access through an app on your phone or a web interface. I've just been looking at it again. There's many other options out there that allow an individual to control devices in their homes while using their own private server. I'm going to probably get a couple smart plugs and play around with different options to connect to them.

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I don't even own a computer, much less a server. Lol

I've been using homeassistant for a few years to control automation, store/display sensor data, etc.

Similar functionality but cloud-free and open source

It's trivial to set up a simple dashboard web interface:

Hollatchaboy said:

Better hope your internet doesn't go down.

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I tried some smart switches for my circulation fans (I like to have a few in the tent then alternate 'wind patterns' throughout the day. You have to dig for a smart outlet that defaults to your pattern/program when it loses power. Not all of them do. And a couple I tried when they got 'blacked out' ended up losing their online connection and needed manual resets to work properly. I wouldn't trust them with lighting unless you know exactly how it is supposed to function and/or had proof that it did.

Billy the Mountain said:

Home Assistant

Open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first. Powered by a worldwide community of tinkerers and DIY enthusiasts. Perfect to run on a Raspberry Pi or a local server.

www.home-assistant.io

I've been using homeassistant for a few years to control automation, store/display sensor data, etc.

Similar functionality but cloud-free and open source

It's trivial to set up a simple dashboard web interface:

View attachment 5119960

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I have experimented with Homeassistant. My niggle with it is that you have to have open ports that are internet facing to manage it from the outside world. Using a cloud based service you don't have to do that.

Billy the Mountain said:

Home Assistant

Open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first. Powered by a worldwide community of tinkerers and DIY enthusiasts. Perfect to run on a Raspberry Pi or a local server.

www.home-assistant.io

I've been using homeassistant for a few years to control automation, store/display sensor data, etc.

Similar functionality but cloud-free and open source

It's trivial to set up a simple dashboard web interface:

View attachment 5119960

Click to expand...

I've looked at that. I still can't really think of a reason why I need it though. I'll tinker with on of the open source solutions, maybe several just because I like tinkering around with open source software.

speedwell68 said:

I have experimented with Homeassistant. My niggle with it is that you have to have open ports that are internet facing to manage it from the outside world. Using a cloud based service you don't have to do that.

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What? How do you think you connect using a cloud based service? All traffic needs a port to connect through. How are data packets getting through if there are no open ports? Traffic has to go both ways. No open ports means no route for data packets to travel from one machine to another and no way to connect from outside the home. That's the way data is transmitted. Packet delivery is handled by layers 1, 2, and 3 of the OSI model.

speedwell68 said:

I have experimented with Homeassistant. My niggle with it is that you have to have open ports that are internet facing to manage it from the outside world. Using a cloud based service you don't have to do that.

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That's a positive in my eye.
You can keep everything buttoned-down or you can open a port if you want to access it remotely.
Alternatively, you could use a remote desktop solution if you needed remote access without any port manipulation.

I don't have any need to do anything remote, I use HA primarily for the plotting and db storage of mqtt sensor data