Not me.. I don’t export all my devices to Alexa.. Only a few virtual switches to trigger automations..
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You say: "Honey, I'm home!"
Alexa says: "Robot Robbie says you need a new couch. It will arrive tomorrow. Your account has been debited."
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In regards to worrying about privacy and the mining of data:
Along with being concerned for my own well-being, I am also concerned for the well-being of society as a whole. Do I believe Big-Tech is selling my data to burglars, of course not. On an individual basis there is some concern about the level of data collection (insurance, employers, crossing borders), but the larger concern is what influence all this data mining has on the health of society. Is it a threat to democracy, is it a threat to freedom, is it causing and/or contributing to the fabric of society coming apart?
The fact that these questions are being seriously debated, and are not on the fringe of public debate or considered conspiracy theory, is enough in and of itself to cause concern. For some, the consideration of society's health is more important then their own personal privacy concerns.
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You are confusing SmartThings (export all) with Hubitat (export what I want).
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Oh, memories... IIRC, I think that was the straw that finally broke ST's back for me years ago -- when they made that all-or-nothing change with Google Home, I finally jumped ship to HE.
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This exactly! I already have a pair of HomePod Mini's, Hubitat should simply talk to them ... at least for C7 owners. Maybe the C9 will have the extra HW built in, but it does seem unnecessary for now.
The irony for me is that my C7 Z-Wave has worked better, even with the early bugs, than my Vera Hub's ever did in the 3 years I owned them.
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I'd trust Apple to implement it properly over Philips - mainly as Apple don't make their own sensors etc and so have no motivation to lock ppl into their own brand of accessories.
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If only apple would release an Echo Show equiv - then I could throw Amazon away completely. They are rapidly becoming as bad as google.
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We are about to have a big debate on Corporate retention of private data here in Australia in the wake of the Optus data breach. Over half the country had PID exposed, including myself (drivers lic number).
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The iPad mini is as close as you're likely to get. If people are looking for the under $100 device, that seems highly unlikely to happen -- Amazon / Google can do that because you risk them selling your data to third parties; Apple charges you a premium on the front end (and a big premium at that!) to not do that.
[Retracted by author as off topic, and it turned out not to be correct for today.]
The price doesn’t bother me, I’d be happy to pay $200 aud or thereabouts for a HomePod mini with a screen.
As you say, Amazon and Google are subsidising the cost of their devices, simply because they make money out of the data collection. Buying privacy focused hardware/services is certainly something that I would rather do.
I hope Hubitat finds a good way to monetize whatever they do to support Matter/Thread.
I'm confident they won't screw us the way Samsung has with ST. Samsung couldn't care less I'm sure since ST biz is a rounding error on their P&L, but I am concerned Hubitat will go the way of Insteon and X-10, if they don't have a solid business plan.
I am not a fan of their subscription model for remote access, but I would pay more for a hub with more features or other extenders, if I need them.
It really is just an option for the less tech savy to have remote admin abilities instead of using their own VPN. Hubitat provides remote access to control devices, and view dashboards (if used) for free, so I feel that it's a good option as far as a VPN alternative.
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Then don't subscribe to it; both it and Hub Protect are optional. There are plenty of secure ways to access your hub from outside your LAN, including setting up your own VPN.
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I am sorry I didn't explain my point clearly. I assume neither of you gentlemen would like it if HE started charging you a subscription fee for firmware updates or otherwise limit your freedom to operate that you currently enjoy. I just hope their business model is sustainable, without resorting to subscription model more broadly. I for one, will find another alternative, if they do.
I would have been willing to pay more even for the current hub, but they likely have a strategy to price this for more mass market adoption. I am sure the space will become more crowded with other players jumping into Matter/Thread. Except for Leviton, none of the X-10 players I remember exist anymore (and they, although to a lesser extent than Samsung, have a huge business outside of HA). I really just hope the company has a solid strategy to expand and thrive in this new space, so that they stick around long enough that I don't have to change platforms again.
And no, I don't use their current subscription service, although I used to enjoy this functionality for free on ST. And also no, I am not willing to learn how to set up my own VPN/server etc. Yes, I am just a ludite who enjoys a few creature comforts and to play around with a few things without making it a full-time job. I think you guys on this thread are way more advanced and into this than I am, but it's guys at my level and lower that make up that mass market that Hubitat covets, and that they need to succeed in to stay in business for us.
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And yet you're here. 
Could not resist, just kidding. 
Hubitat have made clear from day 1 that they will never charge for core functionality, only value added services.
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