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Why didn’t I know about Zigbee until I read about it an hour or so ago?

Sparkingchip
Why didn’t I know about Zigbee until I read about it an hour or so ago?


Andy
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    In amongst what I was reading it said that when a smart meter is installed it can jam the WiFi,  I presume that means if your next door neighbours have smart meters installed your WiFi can be jammed, it also said that the meter installer won’t do anything about it other than make a note in the installation records.


    Apparently if the meter detects a WiFi conflict it should reallocate the channel it using, which may take a couple of days. The only thing you can do is yo go into your WiFi box and change channels in there, but that’s beyond many people and the meter installer won’t do it for you.


    Wet creased clothes and the internet going down, that’s enough to put Zoomup off having a smart meter.


    Andy
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    The two frequencies used by WiFi - 2.4GHz and 5GHz - are both unlicenced bands.  Anything can transmit in those bands if it wants to, so long as the power is limited.  That includes garage door openers, baby monitors, smart meters and so on.  There is no requirement on any of those to carefully avoid harming your WiFi signal.


    Some modern WiFi routers will automatically detect interference and switch channels by themselves.


    My understanding is that the reason that smart meters can have Zigbee is so that the gas meter can talk to the electricity meter.  Gas smart meters have to run on batteries, and so don't have the power to phone in meter readings.  But Zigbee is designed to run at very low power.  It's also possible for nearby 2nd generation meters to chat to each other if one can get a signal through, but the other can't.
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    Aaaargh! ?
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    "A lot of machines already have a delayed-start facility (originally to allow customers to run them off-peak overnight - but now useful for running them from PV during the middle of the day too) - they usually have a some kind of 'final rinse hold' facility - so the clothes say in the water until someone returns, the final pump-out & spin is then done immediately before the clothes are removed - preventing creases setting in or damp clothes sitting in air for hours."


       - Andy.


    I do not like the idea of domestic appliances turning on at any time on a whim. The machine could start up in the middle of the night, unannounced and wake us up. Or at the end of a cycle the washing machine could bleep its announcement that it has completed its cycle and wake us up at an ungodly time. No, not for me.


    Or, an appliance may come on during the day whilst we are out shopping, or down at the Dog and Duck enjoying a swift half of unreal ale. The machine may become faulty and we come home to a flooded floor or a house fire. Machines should not be allowed to run unsupervised. This is advised against by some fire prevention experts and possibly insurance companies as well.


    Man and machine, man should be in control not machine in this instance.

    Z.


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    Another tumble dryer fire incident, fortunately detected by smoke alarms early on.

    http://www.syfire.gov.uk/incidents/smoke-alarm-prevents-fire-spreading/


    Z.
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    Perhaps you would prefer one of these to be installed to every appliance.
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    Sparkingchip:
    Perhaps you would prefer one of these to be installed to every appliance.




    Yeh but, yeh but, yeh but, an appliance could still catch fire during an ON period if remotely switched on by some modern clever distant control device/system. This would be especially dangerous if the home occupants were asleep or out of the house, as in the second case nobody would be at home to notice the early stages of the fire and sound the alarm. Neighbours may then be at risk. Appliances in use should be monitored these days as they appear to present a fire risk. I don't trust 'em anymore.


    Homes are not at risk by plastic "fuse boxes" any more but are at risk by dodgy fridges, freezers and tumble driers etc.


    We need smoke alarms in every room, preferably the optical type.


    Z.

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    I’m at it again, yesterday evening I bit the bullet and bought a new TomTom sat nav on the way home as my old sat nav is no longer supported by TomTom and its maps are out of date, also it can no longer take and hold time settings from the satellites.


    So I have a new all singing and dancing sat nav with a built in sim for its own network connection plus WiFi for when I connect it at home or out and about, in addition to those that is also hooked up to my phone with Bluetooth. So probably just about as connected as it can get at the moment.


    Going through the menus and options has led me to IFTTT “If this then that” potentially I can get the TomTom to turn lots of things on at home as I drive up the road through the app, soon I won’t need to even flex a finger to press a switch.

    IFTTT If this then that


    Andy Betteridge

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