Posted on 05/10/2018 8:13:16 AM PDT by BenLurkin
The nation’s largest home builder is betting voice-activated digital assistants and smart devices will become as expected in a new home as garages now are.
Lennar announced Wednesday that standard features in its new homes will include built-in Wi-Fi, smart locks, doorbells, thermostats and lights — all controlled by Alexa, Amazon’s voice-activated digital assistant.
Each house will come with two Alexa-enabled smart speakers, an Echo Show and an Echo Dot. New homeowners will also get a free visit from an Amazon technician to help set everything up and teach them how to use it.
...
The 3,600-square-foot model home in Vallejo was set up with an Echo Show, an Alexa-enabled smart speaker with screen, an Amazon Echo Dot (a small, audio-only speaker) and a large, wall-mounted television linked to Amazon’s Fire TV digital media player.
Alexa was linked to the home's many smart devices. Ordering “Alexa, turn the temperature to 72,” reset the Honeywell thermostat. When the doorbell rang, saying “Alexa, who's at the door?” turned on the Ring video doorbell and showed a view of the front porch on the TV.
The house also featured other smart devices that could be added, including a smart sprinkler system for the yard and a smart Roomba vacuuming robot.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
20 years from now it will be a bunch of non working units scattered through the house that will be looked at laughingly by people looking to buy the house.
“Alexa, set the curtains on fire.”
In soviet America, house watches you!
I remember a sci-fi story about a house on Mars outfitted with an all capable cyber system, and what it did (robotically keeping up for weeks as though occupied till the house burned down) when the house was abandoned in a nuclear war. Ray Bradbury, “The Martian Chronicles.”
It’s possible if the system becomes a flash in the pan. #1 danger perhaps: being spoofed from outside the house by playing back recordings or simulations of the occupants’ voices.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.