Student’s Name: Dana SatchelInstructor’s Name: Debra ThornburgCIS – Fall 2018September 9, 2018 Smart HomeToday is September 9th, 2028.
My day began with waking up to a very loud alarm siren going off in my house. Oh, what now, I thought. Let me start by telling you I recently installed a SmartHome system to try out the new craze of Z-wave technology products.
My friends all said it would be fun, make life easier, and less effort doing daily things around the house. What started with wanting to make life simpler, turned into a nightmare! My new SmartHome system consists of smart sensors to detect smoke, water leakage for instances of water pipes bursting and flooding my floors; smart switches to allow my Alexa to respond to my voice for turning on and off the TV, lights, radio and other electronic devices; and an app on my Smartphone; all of the products communicating with radio frequency. The sales person told me I would love my SmartHome system. Boy, was he wrong! My phone was not controlling the features, the features enabled the house to control me and my every waking moment, and my attempted sleeping moments too.
So when setting up the system, it gives options to set alarms to wake up, touch a button and the lights in the house come on, the TV comes on, the Radio comes on, the doors lock and unlock, the temperature thermostat raises and lowers the temperature and my yard can be lit up like Times Square on New Year’s Eve with just one touch, one little command, seems simple, right? The sales person said setting up a SmartHome system is inexpensive, easy to set up and easy to work. Well he was half right. I set up the system with ease last night, then this morning, its like the house had developed a mind of its own and was ignoring my commands. I couldn’t get the alarm to silence, the TV wouldn’t shut off and Alexa, with her facial recognition program knowing it was me in the house, would not stop laughing at me each time I walked through the room.And just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, Alexa triggered a smart switch and up went the curtains in the living room with me standing there in my robe for all the neighbors to see. I needed to call the sales person, who said he was available at any time to help with any problems. I made the phone call, but only received voice mail. In my irritation of the loud sounds of all my electronics playing loudly, Alexa laughing at me each time she recognized my face walking by and the siren of the smoke detector, I decided to just walk away from the issues for a bit and go to town.
I hurried to get dressed, jumped in the car, and just as I’m looking in my rear-view mirror to be sure nothing is behind my car to be able to back up, the garage door starts to come down, then go up, and repeat. I decide I’ve had enough of this SmartHouse and go to the electrical breaker box and shut off all power to my house. There! Take that Alexa & all your electronics! I win! But as I sit in the dark house with no power, waiting for the sales person to return my call to help with my issues, I realize I haven’t won, the house did. My lesson learned for the day, just do things the old fashion way, manually!
