100% agree. i had a thermostat and 4 cameras. abysmal software, and the hardware started dying . The thermostat died after 3 years, due to faulty "smart" HVAC circuitry . The doorbell camera (with built in lithium battery, ) died after 5 years.

> $1200 in hardware, practically worthless.

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SoftTalker a day ago | parent [-]

Meanwhile my mercury-bulb thermostat from the 1960s still works perfectly.

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deadmutex a day ago | parent | next [-]

They might've not regressed, but those things were bad UX.

Those things are really hard to control, and no scheduling, no remote control, no sensors, etc.

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SoftTalker a day ago | parent [-]

They are simple to contol, turn a dial to the temperature you want. Remote control and sensors are just things Google has convinced you to think you need so you'll buy their fancy thermostat (that is now e-waste).

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deadmutex a day ago | parent [-]

That gives you a false sense of precision. I had a bad experience with an old one. 100% would not buy the old mercury tech over anything else "smart" or not available today

	▲	tonymet 6 hours ago \| parent [-]
		even the primitive IC-based ones are better. self contained, 50+ year lifespan.

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tonymet a day ago | parent | prev [-]

i marvel at simple mechanical-electric solutions . e.g. toasters, simple coffee pots, thermostats. 100+ year duty cycles. amazing elegance and resilience

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rr808 a day ago | parent [-]

My wife bugs me to replace physical light switches with smart one. Sorry I'm too busy for that one lol.

	▲	tonymet 8 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I’ve pulled most of my smart switches due to reliability issues (and sometimes security concerns)