What is your wish list for train room electrical items?

[Maletrain]

If Alexa or any"body" else can't turn off a light without going out to our ISP, then it is most likely just helping your ISP build its "big data" file on your family.  There is no reason that a "smart" device needs to use the ISP to execute a voice command.  In fact, it is more reliable and secure to have the software for doing that located inside your house.  Letting your ISP have that much control of your life is asking for more trouble than ridiculous price hikes down the road.

[PAL_Houston]

Lighting will definitely be LED. Going through the light selection process now with my other big visible hobby(125 gal planted aquarium). Having played with a bunch of the rope RGB LED lights for Holloween and party applications, I will be using them for layout lighting.

Light.  Lots and lots of light. I invested in LED lights on ceiling tracks, about 1 LED flood per 3 feet of length.  I had a professional electrician add circuits to support this both in my original trainroom in our old house, and also in my current trainroom in the "pumphouse".  (See C&I Sub thread on the Layout Engineering Reports.)  I chose 5000K color temperature to best simulate sunlight.  This also makes the coloration of your scenicing appear more true-to-life, and is in aid of great (well, maybe just better) layout photography (even though I am a really, really poor photographer...)

[Ed Kapuscinski]

If Alexa or any"body" else can't turn off a light without going out to our ISP, then it is most likely just helping your ISP build its "big data" file on your family.  There is no reason that a "smart" device needs to use the ISP to execute a voice command.  In fact, it is more reliable and secure to have the software for doing that located inside your house.  Letting your ISP have that much control of your life is asking for more trouble than ridiculous price hikes down the road.

It's because it's not feasible to pack all of the processing required for adequate voice processing into a $31 hockey puck.

[DKS]

My GF has these types of (intermittent) problems with her "digital house".

https://gizmodo.com/why-is-my-smart-home-so-********-dumb-1684949715

https://qz.com/654992/dont-bother-trying-to-make-your-dumb-house-smart/

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/smart-home-products-dont-need/

https://gizmodo.com/15-idiotic-internet-of-things-devices-nobody-asked-for-1794330999

https://globalnews.ca/news/3280756/amazon-s3-outage-smart-home-devices-wouldnt-work/

https://techcrunch.com/2016/04/04/nest-demonstrates-the-risks-of-being-an-early-adopter-by-shutting-down-revolv/

https://www.cmswire.com/cms/internet-of-things/7-big-problems-with-the-internet-of-things-024571.php

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/reasons-avoid-smart-home-trend/

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/smart-home-works-nsa-youre-watched/

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-reasons-the-Internet-of-things-should-scare-you/

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/technology/why-light-bulbs-may-be-the-next-hacker-target.html

Paranoid? Not me...
 

[Specter3]

You don’t have to be paranoid to realize and contemplate the vulnerabilities that having your entire electrical life open to malevolent interference, manipulation, or observation can’t be a good thing.

[Rivet Miscounter]

Paranoid? Not me...

All those articles are 2+ years old.   Might as well get your tech info from your Encyclopedia Brittanica's.   

[peteski]

Paranoid? Not me...

Notice I said that it was my GF's house.  All I have in my house for automation is the old X10 system hailing from the '70s.  Standalone. It does what I need.

[mmagliaro]

Notice I said that it was my GF's house.  All I have in my house for automation is the old X10 system hailing from the '70s.  Standalone. It does what I need.

Hooray!
I still use some of that stuff (or the Radio Shack rebranded version of it) to control things that are inconvenient to reach.  But as such, this is little more than a "remote control".  And like you said, it does exactly what I need.

[Point353]

[John]

If Alexa or any"body" else can't turn off a light without going out to our ISP, then it is most likely just helping your ISP build its "big data" file on your family.  There is no reason that a "smart" device needs to use the ISP to execute a voice command.  In fact, it is more reliable and secure to have the software for doing that located inside your house.  Letting your ISP have that much control of your life is asking for more trouble than ridiculous price hikes down the road.

This -- I work cybersecurity for a living .. and at one point was  doing penetration testing for a living .. you do not want to have anything inside your house that has to open a port to the outside world to control anything .. if you don't belive me -- just google some videos on youtube to see how easy it is

[Ed Kapuscinski]

This -- I work cybersecurity for a living .. and at one point was  doing penetration testing for a living .. you do not want to have anything inside your house that has to open a port to the outside world to control anything .. if you don't belive me -- just google some videos on youtube to see how easy it is

Oh yeah, I know, it's like leaving your door unlocked.

However, knowing that, I'm willing to trade the convenience for the risk.

But that's the important thing: knowing that there IS a risk.

[John]

Oh yeah, I know, it's like leaving your door unlocked.

However, knowing that, I'm willing to trade the convenience for the risk.

But that's the important thing: knowing that there IS a risk.

There is a way to mitigate it .. but you need to do a little work ,.. for example, put all that crap on it's own VLAN -- or separate wireless network ..

[Maletrain]

It's because it's not feasible to pack all of the processing required for adequate voice processing into a $31 hockey puck.

Of course it is feasible to pack that processing capability into a small object.  The cost issue is not really a sure thing, either.  The $31 is probably predicated on being able to sell the data, so Alexa may be sold at below cost pricing, already.

Just wait until your home is dependent on Alexa to actually function.  Then your ISP can have Alexa start making unsolicited advertising "available" to you everywhere in your own home, and you won't be able to turn it off without rendering your thermostat, door locks, refrigerator, and all other 19th and 20th century conveniences inoperable. Alexa is a seductress with an evil heart.

[peteski]

Of course it is feasible to pack that processing capability into a small object.  The cost issue is not really a sure thing, either.  The $31 is probably predicated on being able to sell the data, so Alexa may be sold at below cost pricing, already.

Um, some basic voice processing is done locally in the device, but without the computing power and the vast database in the cloud, these digital assistants would not be able to do much.  Take Alexa offline and she will be as dumb as a door stop.

[John]

Check this out .. an actual use for Alexa .. .. it must also drive the marketing spies at Amazon crazy