patrick.net

I'm sorry, but this is a 'duh' moment for me. I don't have all my info on my phone, I use the internet but watch what I do on it (for example I don't store passwords to sites on my computer - I have to log on my user name and password EVERY TIME - hard to believe). Yeah, we have way too much stuff that is stored on the web and I just don't buy into it.

I think it is foolish to have home devices (lights, HVAC, refrigerator, etc) connected to the internet.

Well mine isn't even connected to my WiFi router. It would take one hell of a hacker to hack my Thermostat.

My Thermo broke during the hottest days this year. I bought it and was trying to install it in a dark hall way(I cut the power). It must have been 97 degrees with 80% humidity.
Then after I got it installed and in place. It prompted me to set up the WiFi, I bypassed that. But then they make it damned near difficult to set it up without WiFi.
You can only scroll forward only. If you pass you will have to scroll forward until you get to the selection again. If you scroll back then it will go to the previous screen.
The damned thing asks you a gazillion questions. I was hot and aggravated. My Neighbor stopped by, and was telling me...
"You know you should just hook it up to the WiFi, you can do all of this set up on your smart phone."
He repeated that about 4 times. Finally I told him.. "I DON'T WANT The damned thing connected to the damned internet. It's none of the Clouds business what temp I keep my house and when I'm not home!!!"

Why the fuck would anyone even want a NEST style thermostat?
I even fucking hate regular programmable thermostats, since they break every few years, and any savings you get from using them is eaten up in continuously buying new thermostats. Even the expensive programmable thermostats are fucking unreliable. I also really hate how some of them are constantly turning on and off your furnace. It's like they are intentionally trying to break your HVAC equipment prematurely be constantly cycling it. I want a several degree swing before mine shuts on or off.

zzyzzx says

Why the fuck would anyone even want a NEST style thermostat?

I even fucking hate regular programmable thermostats, since they break every few years

Well the one I replaced was probably from the 60's.

The old Honeywell round dial type(like a nest).

It's a nice looking functional Thermo. I having a problem trying to understand who in the hell thought it needed WiFi connectivity.

It works like a Thermo like it should, plus I don't have to turn on lights to adjust it, it senses I'm near and illuminates on its own.

So far I'm happy, if any backdoor shenanigans ever pop up in the news about Nest Thermo's that were supposedly not connected to the WiFi getting hacked then I'll think differently. But for now, I don't mind spending a few bucks on decent thermostat. Besides, the regular plain Jane not fancy Thermostats are in short supply, it's like they don't make them anymore. I didn't see any at Home Depot when I was shopping for this one.

I hate those Alarm Keypad looking ones.

Ironman says

Think about it, why offer a $25 dollar basic thermostat when they can sucker you into spending $250. on a Nest...

A good dial Honeywell dial thermostat would be $79 to $100, those weren't cheap either.
A basic thermostat doesn't tell you relative humidity, current temp, desired temp, and how long it will take to cool the house to reach that temp.

To be honest if not for the Nest design, a round simple dial. Then I would have tried harder to find a dial Honeywell thermostat.
The Smart Honeywell and a few other smart thermostat designs, also have an ugly square Security Pad looking design. I would not have bought one of those other designs.

For now the Nest works for me, in dumb mode.

zzyzzx says

Why the fuck would anyone even want a NEST style thermostat?

Good question, I don't know a good answer.

zzyzzx says

I even fucking hate regular programmable thermostats, since they break every few years, and any savings you get from using them is eaten up in continuously buying new thermostats.

Wow, don't know what models you are buying but the Honeywell that's in my house was here when I bought the place and I've lived here almost 6 years with no problems - yeah, that just jinxed it.

Ironman says

True, buy I don't need to spend $100 to get that

Well I'll try not to defend spending the extra $100 for now. Things could change if there are ever any reports about these things having backdoors even if you are not connected.
That would be the only thing that would bother me about this purchase. As far as spending $250 bucks on a nice Thermostat that illuminates and I don't have to turn on the lights and get a magnifying glass and my best reading glasses to read the dial. Then I'm happy with the purchase.

This reminds me of the first people saw with beepers, then cell phones.
"Look how stuipd, I'll never have one of those."

Someday all Thermostats will look like these Smart Thermostats. Even long after the Cloud business model is outlawed, or companies stop using Clouds that intrude on people's privacy.
Someday an obscure optout button or paragraph wont be enought to legally cover these companies bacon. They will have to list all of the unsavory shit they do with your Data, to be able to afford these Servers.
And people wont buy these gadgets that appear to be owner serving. But in reality they are serving a greater business need, that the consumer is never aware of until they made the purchase.

I bet 80% of the people on a Smartphone if they knew the scope of what Apple and Google is really doing with their data, and what they have panned next.
They have an idea, but it's like people knew the government has crooked corrupt characters. But they didn't realize just how crooked and corrupt they really are until the Hillary Wikileaks.
I think it would be that revalational if people really knew. Details on meetings, and contracts with partenerships, and other third party agreements the end user is not aware of.
That will be the end of that. But the Thermostats of the future have smart screens, even if our phones go back to be flip phones and glorified dumb tablets.

Tenpoundbass says

A basic thermostat doesn't tell you relative humidity, current temp, desired temp, and how long it will take to cool the house to reach that temp.

Your internal thermostat does........relative humidity = you're sweating a lot, high humidity... current temp = high if you are hot, low if you're cold...desired temp = temp where you feel comfortable... how long = it will get there when it gets there. It's free too...How did we ever survive all those years without programmable thermostats?

komputodo says

How did we ever survive all those years without programmable thermostats?

I said I don't program it. It just displays these stats.

You guys are cheaper than Fred Mertz.

Ironman says

Nah, it's really simple.... when I'm hot, I turn down the thermostat and when I'm cold, I turn it up. I don't need a thermostat to tell me that basic fact.

Uh so you just keep cranking your thermostat down until you are cool. You don't care what the Tempature is?
Sometimes I may feel hot because I over exerted my self, I will go to the Thermostat and it will read 74. I then realize that it is me that is hot and not the house, so I will sit near a fan or cool off other ways.
Also "Gee why is it hot in here? Oh that's why somebody put it on 76."

See I still use it just like you do.

In all fairness, if I lived in Florida, a humidity display might be important to me (and I'd want indoor AND outdoor humidity, but I would buy a separate thing not part of a thermostat for that).

Ironman says

Do you really need a $250 high tech thermostat to tell you that information?

Only those who constantly want the right temperature in their homes can benefit with a Nest. We turn on the air or heater only as needed.

I said I don't like the alarm pad looking things.
I like a round dial that's just me. I hate those soft rubber buttons that you have to push harder every time you press it.
Fiddly nomenclature and flimsy plastic that falls apart in your hand when you finally have to press super duper hard a few years later.
Then the more you handle it the warmer the actual switch gets, so it thinks your house is 87 degrees when it's only 75 and you only wanted it to cool to 74.
It then has to run way longer than is required because you hand heated the sensor when you were trying to put it all back together.

I've been around the block with Thermostats I know what I bought.