Cloud – Just Build Something

Why I Hated My Old Smart Home

January 16, 2018 / AlanJames1987 / 2 Comments

I’ve had a smart home for over a year and learned a lot in that time. I’ve added devices, removed devices, and in the end have a nearly 100% different system than when I started.

The Beginning

I started with an Amazon Echo, a SmartThings hub, several Z-Wave light bulbs, and an ecobee 3 thermostat. Each of these devices was a great device to start with but I quickly outgrew them and have swamped them out for something better. The only thing which remained constant was the home security cameras which was directly linked to my phone so that I could view the live feed.

So why did I start with these devices, why did I change them, and what have I swapped them to?

Google Home Mini Review

October 26, 2017 / AlanJames1987 / 0 Comments

I love Google Assistant, and really love Google Home. I’ve talked about how it’s THE virtual digital assistant you should choose when setting up you smart home and how it’s years more advanced than any of the other competition.

I followed all the leaks and even Tweated about how I was going to buy a Google Home Mini the first day it came out, even though I already had two Google Homes.

I have 2 @Google Home's already and will 100% be buying a Google Home Mini when they come out. pic.twitter.com/7KtU0GXJtd

— Alan James (@AlanJames1987) September 21, 2017

Well, unfortunately the Google Home Mini is not what I was hoping for and not because I was expecting too much.

Upgrading Your Home into a Smart Home Doesn’t Have to be Hard

March 17, 2017 / AlanJames1987 / 1 Comment

I’ve had a smart home for several months now and daily I’m reading articles about the advancing field of home automation. Most of the articles make it seem that updating your apartment or house to be smart requires an engineer’s brain and several PHDs in the field of automation, programming, and computer science.

While setting up a smart home CAN be complicated it doesn’t have to be.

I’m going to cover the basics of setting up a smart home, describing what devices you need, what you don’t need, and comparing seemingly equivalent products.

Personal Cloud Drive with ownCloud

May 10, 2014 / AlanJames1987 / 2 Comments

If you’ve ever used Dropbox or Google Drive you know what cloud based storage is. It’s a hard drive located somewhere on the internet for you to store and share your files.

But what if you have terabytes of files, or a preexisting server infrastructure at your work or house? Are those solutions really the best? Is there a better self hosted solution?

There is and it’s called ownCloud.