To just want to use a fucking light switch

[Iwrotethelyricstoaxlf]

We’ve had Alexa bulbs (other smart bulbs available) for the last few years.

Alexa is getting more stubborn at turning the bloody things on.

Would I be unreasonable to ding the whole
fucking lot out and just use the bloody switch instead.

Its honestly driving me nuts.

Best one Alexa CIA, then its all manor of light effects

i’m obstinately refusing to have anything “smart” in my house. I genuinely do think the potential data concerns and risk of China/Russia/companies using information gleaned from my home for nefarious purposes is really high. But I’m a normal sane person and don’t spout conspiracy theories so I keep these thoughts to myself. But secretly I think… ahhh yes, this is how the end will come…

Dp got a bulb that'll do that.

Had to sit in the dark until he came home one night (the big light had blown and I can't do steps to reach it) because it doesn't reset to switch on from the socket when unplugged.

This sums up most of my parenting woes tbh.

plus research the show person of interest, to see how all the data can be used etc

i’m obstinately refusing to have anything “smart” in my house. I genuinely do think the potential data concerns and risk of China/Russia/companies using information gleaned from my home for nefarious purposes is really high

Yes. I wouldn't have anything "smart" in the house if you paid me money to do so.

(I had no idea that Alexa could turn the lights on. My mind is blown! That's making a really simple thing more complicated just for the sake of it.)

I refuse to have recessed ceiling lights, let alone smart lights. I have pendant bulbs hanging from the ceiling.

After years of not being able to change the fucking light bulbs in recessed ceiling lights at my last place. I just want the classic bayonet.

Makes you wonder what the world is coming to when people can't turn their own lights on

Well, my spine broke and I'm mostly confined to bed, so I can't get to my light switch.

What IS the world coming to?

We use google home, which has similar phases of getting stubborn about obeying spoken commands. But instead of getting “smart” bulbs, we got “smart” switches, so can use those if Google is inconvenient (also, don’t have to get and setup a smart bulb when they need replacing, any bulb will do).

I have found the whole smart home thing frustrating. It stops working every few months when Google decide to rejig how it all works. The interface is very poor and non-intuitive, and also keeps getting changed. The introduction of voice recognition held great promise but was the turning point for confusion, poor responses and broken routines.

However, it’s also been fantastic. I can shut everything off from my bed. In the morning when I turn off my alarm it automatically turns on my lights, turns on the heating and boils the kettle. I have it set to turn the heating up when I’ve been out and am I’m about 15 minutes away. We have a bunch of Christmas lights and things set up so it can run fun routines. It can open the curtains at the start of the day, turn on the bright lights when it’s too dim to see, turn them down and close the curtains for cozy evenings, turn all but the night lights off for night time with just a command or (if it’s being stubborn!) a press of a button on my phone. And no need to runaround around checking everywhere when we go out or settle down. I also have routines that run when we’re on holiday to make it look like we’re in.

I don’t think it’s well enough developed yet for most people. But I’m worried that Amazon, Google and Apple have been downgrading their investments. I’ll really miss it if it goes.

*Well, my spine broke and I'm mostly confined to bed, so I can't get to my light switch.

What IS the world coming to?*

I wasn't referring to you obviously but the several other posters on this thread

It's not for everyone, and it can be annoying when it doesn't work as intended, but it can be useful If you have it set up properly. I can turn on an entire room full of lights with just a word or two, and I have them programmed to shut off automatically in case we forget. I'm not particularly worried about privacy, since I'm carrying around a smartphone all day long anyway.

Can I launch my blink doorbell into the pile as well, DH bought it not realising it didn’t have a chime and you can’t buy a chime for the moment, so I dug out the Alexa which I didn’t really want, but have been given as a present to be the chime, when someone rings the doorbell, Alexa says “your GB123456789 – ABCBHIJK doorbell is ringing”
Can’t seem to rename the bloody thing and actually can’t hear it in anywhere other than the kitchen. So I’ve stuck a great sticky label over it and asked everyone to knock the knocker which then launches the dogs into a complete frenzy and I know someone’s at the door.

My sister has these....."Alexa turn on the lounge lights" ....how the hell is that quicker than FLICK? ITS NOT!!! And half the time it takes her several times for Alexa to do it.

Load of old bollocks.

Its one of those "just because you can, it doesnt mean that you should" things.

Just put the big light on.

You can still use the light switch. You don't have to throw away the bulbs.

I use them for routines and controlling brightness. I have it set so the living room lamps gradually dim over the evening to a nice 5% brightness by 11pm. The children's rooms have routines too so their bulbs gradually dim and then switch off, and also gradually light up in the morning. I wouldn't see much point in it all if it was just for switching the light on and off while in arms-reach of the switch.

I'm disabled so they are great. Also the living room has two lights and only one switch so I can now put just one on, and dim/brighten or change colour.

The big thing is being able to turn all the lights in the house on or off. That soon teaches a lesson. "Alexa, all lights on" etc.

I love ours. Alexa isn’t stubborn in our house though, she does what we ask her.

HAHAHAHAHAHA, just you wait 🤣

My Alexa - which is a 'he' as my individual protest against Default Serving Woman - just today stopped doing the only thing I really use it for, being a radio. After looking everything up, uninstalling and re-installing everything, disconnecting and reconnecting, re-authorising the BBC Sounds Skill ... it still won't do it. The Alexa app plays it fine, as it did before I redid everything. The Echo does not.

I should've spent the money on a better radio. Fuck the 21st century, it doesn't bloody work!

We’ve only got one bulb on Alexa now. The lamp in the hall which is useful when you come in with hands full etc. Except 50% of the time she wants to turn on the hall light on in the house I moved out of 3 years ago! 😡

Same here. I really don't like the idea of technology 'listening' to me all the time.

Maybe our time will come 😂 We’ve had Alexa for years though, multiple devices across the house, use the smart home stuff and we’ve never had issues, apart from a couple of days that she wouldn’t skip songs. Maybe we’ve just been lucky til now. I do feel sorry for her, she’s definitely overworked in our house. 😂