# Favorite smart device? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 4, 2022, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-smart-device/972684 "2022-10-04T10:17:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-smart-device/972684/1 "2022-10-04T10:17:40Z")
Household appliances and devices are increasingly connected to our phones via wifi or Bluetooth. My favorite smart device is my pedestal fan. Mundane, but satisfying to be able to control not just on/off, but power level and oscillation while idly reclining on the sofa. What smart device do you like the most? ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-smart-device/972684/2 "2022-10-04T10:20:30Z")
So when you say “smart”, you just mean the ability to connect to wifi/BT ? If so, it’ll be my PAX 3 (although i’ve never tried to connect to it as i don’t have a smart phone) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-smart-device/972684/3 "2022-10-04T12:51:01Z")
Our dogs are wearing Fi Collars, GPS devices that track where they are. It also measures their daily steps. Cool devices. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-smart-device/972684/4 "2022-10-04T12:54:45Z")
My garage door. I have it scheduled to automatically close in the am and pm because I’m paranoid about not closing it after a snooper came and took some stuff several years ago. I can also control it remotely from my phone should anyone ever need to drop something off. (It also has a battery back-up for when our power goes out, which happens often in our neighborhood.) ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-smart-device/972684/5 "2022-10-04T13:15:42Z")
HVAC. Scheduled heating/cooling has been around for a long time, but when we’re gone from home and returning at some unscheduled time, it’s nice to be able to get the house to a comfortable temperature before arrival instead of 90 minutes after. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-smart-device/972684/6 "2022-10-04T14:51:38Z")
My car. It has all of the car safety doodads, including a heads up display that includes my speed, the speed limit, and the next navigation step, and it also has an app which lets me lock or unlock remotely (and notifies me if I forget to lock). And I can check the fuel remaining remotely so I know if I have to leave early. There’s even more bells and whistles, but these are the ones I _love_ to have. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-smart-device/972684/7 "2022-10-04T14:56:40Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > My garage door I would agree. Certainly the most unexpected favorite. I was skeptical about the utility of an app to control my garage doors, but I use it all the time. And, like you, we have it set to close at 10:00 if we forget. But for letting people in when we’re not home, checking to make sure it’s closed, or opening it when I’m not near a traditional opener, it’s really convenient. Our new refrigerator sends me an alert if my wife leaves the door open too long. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-smart-device/972684/8 "2022-10-04T15:53:49Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Our dogs are wearing Fi Collars, GPS devices that track where they are. It also measures their daily steps. Cool devices. So at the end of the day, can you get a dotted-line map of their path throughout the day, like in the Family Circus strip? Can you track where they spend time? E.g., I wonder why he lingered at the sidewalk for five minutes in the morning? And then you might notice he spends an hour each afternoon at the house next door, where they have a purebred champion French poodle (who appears to be carrying puppies). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-smart-device/972684/9 "2022-10-04T16:04:21Z")
It will show a map of walks, and will breakdown amount of time sleeping versus playing. Our dogs have a “safe zone” where they are allowed to be, a 300 yard circle encompassing our house, yard, etc. That zone can be as large or small as you want to make it. If they leave the area without an owner (it tracks our phones) we get an alert. The collar will also message us when batteries need recharged. There are all sorts of things we “can” do with the device and its information. We mostly just use them to make sure the dogs are staying close to home. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-smart-device/972684/10 "2022-10-04T16:11:23Z")
Here is a screenshot from my phone. We walked 1.5 miles and back:: [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/9MK1kKx.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/9MK1kKx) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-smart-device/972684/11 "2022-10-04T16:13:07Z")
See, that’s just a boring straight-line path. I want to see one that wanders over the neighborhood as the dog explores on his own. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-smart-device/972684/12 "2022-10-04T16:20:42Z")
Heh. Our dogs are good dogs, no exploring outside their safe zone. The lines can be pretty crazy when my gf rides a horse and Kizzy “follows”.