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.

Genius!

I don’t use the ceiling lights, much prefer smaller lights and up lighters. We have loads, I hated having to go around and switch them all off and on. We’ve had a remote version even before Alexa. It used to be in a remote control, not it’s on our phone or Alexa. I love it, it’s never been an issue, especially a bonus around Christmas with all the Christmas lights!

I have the same problem! Except my Gadget-Twat (TM) DH has an Alexa in EVERY room in our house, plus light switches, TVs hooked up to her and basically EVERYTHING!! She hardly listens to me, doesn’t have a clue when I’m speaking to her and ignores all requests. I’ve been known to wake the kids up screaming at her to turn the lights off.
It drives me CRAZY!!

Most people aren't using lazy tech because they're disabled! If you're disabled, then any reasonable adjustments are totally understandable.

The vast majority of people can turn a light switch on and off. Movement is healthy. Getting off one's arse is healthy. If you're physically capable of it, then use that ability!

I've been known to yell "the only bloody thing in this house that listens to me is sodding Alexa" when the kids and husband have been particularly trying.

I swear, she only responds to the male voices in our house! 😂

This one always make sme giggle re smart tech not understand 😂 BBC3 clip

I think it's great. I like being able to issue one voice command and turn all of them off as I leave the house, or setting up light schedules while we are on holiday, or to tell them to turn off my youngest's light at his bedtime so he isn't reading late into the night. I like having an evening setting that dims all the lights to different levels to how I like them through all the downstairs. But, I mean, you either like it or you don't, there's no obligation.

We do have a couple of basic Alexas in our house, but we don't have them doing stuff like turn on/off the lights.

I use one in the kitchen as an egg/cookery timer, and to listen to the radio and sometimes some music. Little else, and I currently don't want to expand my uses of it. I'm happy as I am.

I can see its uses for people with medical conditions and disabilities. My own very elderly mother uses one to listen to the radio and to audiobooks, telling her the time etc. She has mobility issues and very poor eyesight now so it is helpful to her there.

The problem does come when Alexa drops out or loses contact with the WiFi though, but her carers can usually get it fixed again and they come in several times a day.

This includes ring doorbells too apparently.

I work in highly technical stuff and even I can't be bothered with alexa turn the lights on.

It's tedious.

That is somewhat ironic.

I put PIR (movement activated) lights in all the rooms that I typically went into with my hands full (like the laundry) or that the kids never turned the lights off in (like the separate loo that has a door closer) and set alexa up to put on lamps in the hall and bedroom upstairs on command so I don't have to switch on and off as I move through the house and I have lamps that turn on at sunset in the main room so that if I'm out the dogs arent in blackness and I come home to a lit and warm house. It's made my life a bit more seamless..

There was that funny security breach with eufy a few years back wasn’t it? People found you could just type in the IP of the camera in VLC or something really basic and you could access the stream from anywhere, without any security information.

a big part of the problem is that people who are good at making cameras or other IoT equipment are not necessarily good at software, and very few are good at security. Good cybersecurity costs big £££.

That really is a genius reply thank you! My movement is usually restricted at times I’m usually struggling with speech, but it’s definitely worth a go.

(I’m now imagining myself trying to persuade Alexa to open the note on my phone to play it to Alexa…)

On a slightly more serious note, DH and I have been together so long that he can sense if I feel it’s Lamps not Big Light time and will sort it. The same way we can meet each others eyes in (for example) meetings with medical professionals and know what we are both thinking without even an eye twitch to give it away to others. Which leads me to conclude the only 100% reliable form of communication is human (I want to say “love” but that makes me want to throw up a bit as that’s quite mawkish )

It's is not been mentioned Alexa (and similar) are set up to respond to male voices so are a woman (I assume) you are gonna be left in the dark!

Why would anyone with the ability to flick a light switch install this tech instead?

What happens if you want to switch a light on without speaking loud enough to disturb someone sleeping?

What happens if there's a flaw with the software or hardware one day, like a problem with your devices, or a bug or hack or bad update?

Can you still use the light switches manually, or would you need to get the candles out?

Sorry for all the questions but I always thought clapping to turn on and off lights was unnecessary for most ppl, so this is a bit baffling to me.

I (woman) just asked my Alexa about this and she said it’s bullshit. Which doesn’t surprise me since she’s been talking happily to me for the last 8 years or so.

For the reason others have said - multiple lamps - you can do it from the app with no voice command

We haven’t got a big light in our sitting room. Alexa puts all the lamps off in a three word command. I wouldn’t be without it.

I suppose it depends on the size of the room, but it takes me about 30 seconds if that to switch on the three lamps in our living room, if we don't want to use the main light.

But if you haven’t got a big light you have to stumble about in the dark after you’ve turned the last lamp out.

I don't like Alexa full stop. It listens to you the whole time. So creepy.

It includes any Internet device to be honest. There are lists of devices and their admin passwords available on the dark Web. Some devices do not allow you to change the default admin password either. It's like leaving your front door wide open.

absolute nonsense