Don't Want Google In Your House? Here Are a Few Home-Tech Startups To Watch

curtwoodward writes: Google bought Nest. Then Nest bought Dropcam. Then Nest opened up its platform to tech partners, including... Google. This may not creep everyone out, but for those who don't like the idea of Google's all-seeing eye owning their smart-home devices, there are some small, independent companies developing alternatives. Maybe they'll survive long enough to get acquired by a company that doesn't make 90 percent of its money from advertising — right?

I don't want "smart-home"

[Anonymous Coward]

I like my home just the way it is. If it's called a "dumb-home" then so be it.

Re:I don't want "smart-home"

[mythosaz]

This is /.

Cue the NSA muh freedoms! posts.

Clearly the GPS can be turned on by any TLA that wants to track you. The slider is a placebo.

Why?

[rainmaestro]

Yeah, I'm eagerly awaiting the day when attackers are able to exploit my smart fridge to remotely unlock the smart lock on my smart door. And the inevitable automatic firmware update that bricks my smart air conditioner.

Why does everything need to be a web appliance? My crockpot should convert electricity into heat and produce delicious stews and roasts. It doesn't need to use my search history to suggest new recipes, I have a PC that can do that.

On the bright side, I'm looking forward to the instructions on how to run Debian on my blender.

Re:I don't want "smart-home"

[CanHasDIY]

Upon further review, I found that I was indeed mistaken, based off a misinterpretation of a newer FCC rule. Mea culpa on that one.

Let's try a different example:

So then don't buy and install these products.

Remember when people used to say that about cars without black-boxes? "Well, if you don't want one, don't buy one."

Now every car has a black box.

Better? Or are we not counting that one, either, since the mandate doesn't kick in until September?

Re:For Starters...

[Lab Rat Jason]

There is plenty wrong with _just_ wanting to get acquired. Many times, acquisition is predatory, in the sense that a bigger company wants your tech, but not your people. So you stand on the backs of hard working people until you get your golden parachute, and leave them with nothing but unemployment when you go. Even if that ISN'T the case, if your goal is to be acquired, you make a product that is good enough to get you acquired, rather than building a product great enough to make your company a household name. You have perfectly illustrated one of the biggest problems in startup culture today... namely, sell out and coast because your name was the one on the door of the corner office.

Re:I don't want "smart-home"

[Lab Rat Jason]

I've got nothing but love for people who don't want a "smart home", and I respect anybody who wants the peace and quiet that comes with it. For myself though, I want a smart home that doesn't rat me out to every advertiser, as well as the cops. Google does both.

Think about this: a nest costs $200 according to the literature at my local hardware store, amazon.com shows about the same price. For that kind of scratch, I SHOULD be keeping my privacy.

Lazy

[Anonymous Coward]

Using smart home technology when you're at home is just a solution to laziness.
Not being able to interact with your home when you're away is a problem.
Internet connected smart home devices solve this problem.