Switching to a smart home

/ Smart Home

A smart lighting demonstration is always fun. Being able to dim a light, change the colour, or even cause a flicker or a wave of colour with a tap or swipe of a finger is very impressive. This is why most home owners choose to start their smart home journey by installing some smart lights. However, shortly after installation, most people will find themselves running into a very basic problem – human habit.

We have been taught since we were young that we need to press a physical switch to turn the lights on and off. Due to this, some household members will inevitably press on these switches. A smart light connected to a switch that has been turned off will produce the highly frustrating ‘No response’ message. This frustration manifests from the fact that a single button press is all it takes to eliminate all the smart features of app control, voice control, and automation that a premium was paid for.

The simple solution for this is to pair your smart light with a smart switch. In fact, you can use smart switches in place of any regular electrical switch used for non-smart lights and fans as well. For me, installing smart switches is the better smart home starting point.

I am currently using the Aqara D1 Wall Switch throughout my home. Besides always having on/off control from my iPhone, iPad or Mac, it has enabled a few additional benefits.

Do note that HomeKit integration requires an Aqara Hub.

 

One tap and done

Any appliance can be turned on/off by tapping the relevant tile in the Apple Home app or by asking Siri. This is hardly different from pressing a physical switch. The real advantage of using a smart home system is the flexibility it allows in grouping any action that you perform often. For example, if you always turn on your living room fan together with turning on the three lights in your living room, you could create a scene to do all this with just one tap.

If you combine a smart switch with smart lighting, turning the light(s) on to your desired brightness and colour would involve multiple steps such as tap and hold to bring up the brightness slider and colour selector, then swipe to your preferred brightness, then tap a preferred colour. A simpler way would be to set a scene such as ‘Work Focus’ so that the light(s) will be turned on to 100% brightness in cool white with just one tap. Then add another scene called ‘Couch Potato’ to have the same light(s) turn on to 30% brightness in warm white for your binging sessions.

 

Elegant automation

Analogue timer switch

I’ve used timer switches for a long time. It does its one job but it comes with a number of drawbacks, including being:

  • hard to programme and reset.
  • less precise due to being analogue.
  • unable to set different schedules such as weekday/weekend and home/away.
  • hard wired, making it difficult to combine with other automations and to connect/disconnect multiple lights in the future.
  • generally not a good look on your wall.
  • not really cost effective, and with a non-replaceable backup battery.
  • hard to manually override (at least for my mother).

The Aqara D1 Wall Switch is essentially a tiny computer which solves all the issues of the analogue timer. More than that, automations are elevated to a new level as you can use variable times such as sunrise/sunset and people home/away detection. Even complex automations become easy when combined with sensors to detect motion, open/closed doors or windows, and/or temperature changes. This complex automation – set the scene Couch Potato, 30 minutes after sunset, on weekdays, only when somebody is at home – is easily set with just a few taps in the Apple Home app.

Do note that HomeKit automations require a home hub such as an Apple TV, iPad or HomePod.

 

New tricks

I have a windowless bathroom with a ventilator and a light fixture. There are times when a bathroom user may want to run the ventilator a bit longer after they leave, but also to save energy by having the light turned off. However, the original wiring in my home connects a single power wire from the switch that splits at the appliances end. This means I can’t install each appliance to its own switch without hacking my walls and hiring a licensed electrician for some rewiring.

As an electronic switch, the Aqara D1 Wall Switch allows for some clever, yet simple solutions. The double switch for my bathroom is only physically wired to one switch, leaving the second free. Using an Apple Home automation, the ventilation issue is solved by making the second switch automatically turn on whenever the first switch is turned on. Following that, another automation will only turn off the light when the second switch is pressed, while the normal behaviour of the first switch turning both appliances off remains.

Solutions are only limited by your creativity, and here are two more ideas. Use wireless switches instead of additional cabling and 2-way switches for staircases or common areas with multiple entry points, which also avoids having switches in the on position when the lights are actually off. Or have each switch do something different if you have more switches than lights, like having the first two switches turn on individual lights, while the third turns both on.

 

Designer wall

An electronic switch even helps with room aesthetics. The nature of mechanical switches means they must be physically moved to a different position to turn on/off, which necessitates being hinged in the centre. When you have multiple switches in different on/off states, your wall looks like it is out of alignment. The Aqara D1 Wall Switch is not constrained in this way, allowing it to be hinged at the top with the switch returning to its starting position after being pressed, leaving your walls always perfectly aligned.

Air conditioner switch, physical wall switch with left switch on and right switch off, and Aqara D1 Wall Switch (Triple Rocker)
Left: Air conditioner switch. Middle: Traditional wall switch. Right: Aqara D1 Wall Switch

Ultimately, I would have been happy with these switches just to avoid the ‘No response’ issue. Including the bonus of all the additional benefits listed above makes it a tremendous value proposition.

Note: All links to products are from a seller I trust and where I bought my Aqara products mentioned in this article. I am not paid for any purchases made through these links.

Optionally environmental

/ Apple

A lot of ink has been spilt (a lot of bytes have been published is more accurate, but probably not as catchy) regarding Apple’s decision to remove the power adapter and headphones from all new iPhones sold following the launch of the iPhone 12 series. This includes the iPhone 11, iPhone XR and iPhone SE models that have shipped with these accessories since their launch, but will no longer do so going forward.

Apple reasons that this move is better for the environment due to less packaging used, which results in less transportation required. As expected, the hot takes posits this as either environmentally disingenuous or a money grab due to more items needing to be bought, all things being historically equal.

My take on this is that Apple did not go far enough – Apple needs to remove the Lightning cable as well. I’ll explain why after a little history lesson.

 

Power through history

Pre-iPhone and USB power, every mobile phone included a unique power adapter (or charger). It had to be unique because power adapters in this era had specific voltage (measured in volts or V) and current (measured in amperes or A). Using an adapter with a higher voltage or lower current than the phone requirements can lead to fires and explosions. Also in this era, the cable was permanently attached to the adapter. In short, every device needed its own adapter, were rarely interchangeable, and you needed a whole new adapter even if just the cable was damaged.

Next came the iPhone 5W adapter era, which encompassed the first-generation iPhone up to iPhone 11. The 5W adapter is named for its watts (W), where 5 is the product of it providing 5V and 1A. As a separate USB-A cable and power adapter, you could choose to charge from a computer, though that was unlikely. Most computers at the iPhone’s launch in 2007 were USB 2.0, which were only capable of providing half the charging speed at 2.5W. USB 3.0 was only introduced in 2008 with 4.5W charging, which was still less than the 5W adapter. Not helping matters through most of the 2010s was that most computers shipped with limited USB 3.0 ports, which many consumers preferred to use for fast data transfers with portable storage instead.

This was also the era of massive proliferation of USB power adapters. Many were cheap, both in prices as low as RM5, and in components. The price savings was achieved by using poor quality components that were unable to deliver the stated power ratings. Leading to higher voltage and/or lower current. Leading to fires and explosions. So in summary, the included 5W adapter delivered a fast and trusted charging experience.

Today, we are in the USB Power Delivery (USB PD) and wireless charging era. USB PD solved most of our charging issues with USB-C port universality, 2-way power (the traditional USB-A is power out only), variable voltage and current with automatic selection, and up to 100W of power transfer. A more convenient way to charge is through Qi wireless where you place your phone on a pad with a small sweet spot. The caveat here is that if you miss this spot when placing your phone, or your phone vibrates off this spot, your phone will not charge.

 

Power options

Apple introduced iPhone MagSafe charging as a way to solve the Qi sweet spot issue, but they are not alone. Reputable companies such as Anker and Belkin are at the forefront of innovating in the charging space with multiple device chargers and the usage of gallium nitride (GaN) to make chargers more portable.

To the consumer, this means that there is now an abundance of choice:

  • Do you prefer wireless? If yes, the included Lightning cable becomes e-waste.
  • Do you prefer a different cable length? A shorter cable is better for charging from a computer or power bank, while a longer cable may be needed based on the location of the power source in your home or car. Using wireless charging usually requires a longer cable as the pad is mostly centred on furniture, compared to just at the edge of furniture for wired options. In this case, the included Lightning cable becomes e-waste.
  • Do you want to connect to or charge from a computer with only USB-A? If yes, the included Lightning cable becomes e-waste.
  • Do you have other devices to charge? If yes, you may prefer an adapter with a larger power supply. Apple sells 30W, 61W and 96W models for various MacBooks that can also charge iPhones. Side note – thanks to USB PD’s variable voltage and current, any adapter with a higher wattage will work, for example, a 65W adapter in place of a 61W.
  • Do you want to simultaneously charge multiple devices? If yes, you may prefer an adapter with multiple USB ports. Some even have wireless pads included. Side note – while you can charge many small devices, it is unlikely to find an adapter today that allows charging more than 1 computer due to limitations in power and heat management in a compact physical package.

 

Audio out and audio in

Anecdotally, I quite often witness people at restaurants playing games or watching videos with the sound blaring from their phone speakers compared to the mostly headphone wearing public transport users. Coupled with the frequent sighting of the police pulling drivers over for mobile phone usage, this suggests a significant number of people simply do not use headphones.

On the other end of this spectrum are the people who prefer better sounding headphones and/or the freedom that only wireless headphones can provide. Personally, I first joined the better sound group about 7 years ago, then took up membership in the wireless group as well about 4 years ago.

 

Environmentally sound

The environmental life cycle should always be viewed in totality. Apple should be commended for reducing packaging and transport, but I believe they can take it further. But why haven’t they? I hope this is simply part of change management from Apple. The willingness of the press and competing brands to condemn Apple’s decision validates a step-by-step process.

In my view, the sheer number of power and audio choices available today to fit the different needs of iPhone users is what tips the balance in favour of removing previously bundled accessories. It just happens to also be a good choice for the environment. Finally, if we are honest as consumers, we are at fault for demanding free items to sweeten the deal in our purchases. If you find yourself not using the free items or purchasing a different accessory due to a requirement, a preference, or an upgrade, then the free items have just been ticketed for the landfill.

On is more usable than off

/ Apple

I am an iPhone user. For many years, I was also an iPhone seller and a customer facing representative in troubleshooting and repair. And I don’t understand why there is a battery controversy regarding the iPhone 6 and iOS 10.2.1.

Recently, a group of European consumer organisations have demanded compensation, otherwise the group will initiate legal action. This is after the Italian government fined Apple €10 million (RM48 million) and the French government likewise levied €25 million (RM120 milllion). Apple also agreed to a class-action settlement of up to $500 million (RM2 billion) in their home state of California.

Let’s take a look at the reasons given for these fines.

The Italian antitrust authority stated that the iOS update for iPhones “had caused serious dysfunctions and reduced performance significantly, thereby accelerating the process of replacing them”. It also chides Apple for not providing clients adequate information about the impact of the new software “or any means of restoring the original functionality of the products”.

The French antitrust authority issued statements that were generally similar to the Italian statement.

I can agree that Apple did not disclose the potential slowing down of iPhones with aging batteries when iOS 10.2.1 was initially released by only mentioning the usual bug fixes and improvements. If we accept this logic, then Apple similarly did not disclose that they fixed older iPhones that could potentially shut down randomly and get stuck in a restart loop. As a user, I prefer that my iPhone continued to work, albeit occasionally slower, than to not work at all.

I am perplexed by the statement about the inability to revert to the original functionality accelerating replacement purchases. Again, I agree that Apple does not provide a way to revert iOS updates. However, from a user’s perspective, and assuming I could actually revert the software, I do not see how it is beneficial for me to get a faster phone that may randomly shut down and become essentially unusable.

In my earlier piece about the benefits of the A13 Bionic, I mentioned that a slower phone is a key driver for new phone purchases. I stand by that statement due to my experience working at various Apple Resellers.

However, consider this scenario. In Malaysia, the iPhone 8 started at RM3,650 at launch in late-2017, while the minimum wage is only RM1,200. This disparity plays a part in creating a large network of third-party repairers that provide a new battery replacement service for about RM100. Apple Service Providers offer the same replacement at RM200, with a discounted price of RM130 offered in 2018. If I were affected by the slowdown, I can choose between a high of RM200 to make my iPhone 6/6s/7 perform like new again, and a low of RM3,650 to get 2017’s new iPhone. I personally guided many customers through this choice while working at an Apple Reseller and can confidently say that no replacement purchases were forced.

Further, the stating of “serious dysfunctions and reduced performance significantly” seems like mere grandstanding by the governments to justify the fines they have levied. All batteries, including rechargeable batteries, have a finite lifespan. Most of us have faced this because at some point, the phone you are used to charging once and using all-day now needs to be charged a few times a day.

Less visible is the fact that batteries also provide different peak voltages depending on their charge state. A 100% charged battery provides the highest voltage that also enables peak processor performance, such as playing 3D games or searching through a large Excel file. Almost all manufacturers benchmark their new devices’ speed with a fully charged battery as this will ensure peak performance reporting.

A battery between 90% and 10% has a slightly lower peak voltage which is good for most use cases, but will also report slightly slower performance in benchmarking. Once the battery is below 10%, the voltage it can supply starts falling off a cliff and could be as little as half of what a fully charged battery can provide.

As a battery ages, it can no longer reach the 100% charge. If it can only charge to the 90%-10% range, the voltage it can provide falls accordingly. Attempting to force performance into the 100% voltage peak will usually cause overheating, thus triggering a fail safe mechanism that is designed to prevent such occurrences. Do note that your phone will still report an aged battery as being 100% charged, as single charge and battery lifespans are two different measures. I believe most people would be quite alarmed if their phone reports a lesser percentage as fully charged as the months go by, although that would be the actual battery capacity.

Thus, Apple’s solution to prevent the possibility of random shut downs was to limit the peak voltage that the processor can operate with when a battery has reported its lifespan at less than 80%. And this only affects functions that push for peak performance. For example, there will be no effect when taking a photo, but perhaps it will take a tick or two longer when applying filters to the photo. This is why the performance throttling was first discovered by people who were benchmarking their iPhones after iOS 10.2.1 was installed.

I believe the European governments erred in their rulings if we consider the real impact consumers faced. Apple’s update allowed customers to:

  • Do nothing for an occasionally slower iPhone that remained functional.
  • Replace the battery to regain “like new” functionality.
  • Purchase a new phone.

The option they did not offer was to have your iPhone randomly turn off, rendering it essentially unusable. The Brazilian courts agree with me.

The best things come in small packages

/ Apple

One tiny rectangle inside the latest iPhones is responsible for creating tremendous value for its owners. This tiny rectangle is called the A13 Bionic.

Apple’s lead in developing processors, the brains behind any computing device, is generally regarded as being at least two years ahead of the competition in the mobile phone market. And yet, the closest the A13 Bionic gets to being the top feature is in the iPhone SE’s overview on Apple’s website, where it is second to the price. In case you were wondering, it is in the bottom half of the iPhone 11 Pro overview, and quite near the bottom of the iPhone 11 overview.

The performance found in the A13 Bionic seems almost unreal when compared to traditional computers. When benchmarked, it beats both the Intel Core i9 iMac 27-inch models (starting price RM10,550) and the Intel Xeon Mac Pro models (starting at RM26,000) in single-core performance. For multi-core performance, it is on par with the best MacBook Pro processors you can get in 2017, while easily topping the latest MacBook Air models released in 2020.

Equally important is the fact that the A13 Bionic achieves its performance level while being energy efficient. The previously mentioned desktops use 39W and 101W of power while idling with their screen turned on. That is the amount of power being used while the desktop is essentially doing nothing. Meanwhile, the current iPhones gets things done at 1.25W. This is derived from using a simple calculation of dividing the 15.04-watt-hour battery in the iPhone 11 Pro Max by the 12 hours rated by Apple for video streaming, the most strenuous task listed under Power and Battery. While not exactly a scientific calculation, it does provide a good ballpark figure.

While there are variables in how processing power is utilised by different platforms and software, the combination of raw speed and power sipping exhibited by the A13 Bionic is exactly why Apple has announced the transitioning of their Mac product line to Apple Silicon. Just imagine the possibilities once the tight constrains in heat dissipation and thermal packaging of a mobile phone is scaled out to the larger spaces afforded by notebooks and desktops. Or being able to leave your desktop computer on while only sipping the energy equivalent to a fraction of an LED light bulb, instead of the equivalent to a fluorescent or incandescent bulb. The environment will be grateful.

Being the fastest with a long lasting battery is great for most new phone buyers, but there are a few extra benefits that are not readily apparent. Allow me to illustrate tomorrow’s benefits.

 

Software support

One of the unique aspects of buying an iPhone is that it will usually receive 5 major software versions during its lifetime. For example, the iPhone 6 series was initially released with iOS 8 and received major updates until iOS 12 before it was excluded from compatibility with the current iOS 13. As major updates are released yearly, the means an iPhone will get all the new features deliverable in software that does not also require a corresponding new piece of hardware, such as a new camera lens, for a full 5 years. Apple has even continued to release updates to fix security issues found for the older iOS 12, with 6 updates already delivered after the release of iOS 13. In addition, many app developers usually continue to support a minimum of 2 previous major iOS versions, meaning almost all functions will be fully available for 7 years.

 

Smooth operator

One key driver for new phone purchases is when completing a simple task feels like it takes too long. Especially with touch-centric devices, a perceptible lag between tapping the screen and completing the desired action is disorienting and can lead to frustration. Having the fastest chip in your phone today allows your phone to perform well in later years. If history continues guiding the future, the latest iPhone today will still be as fast as a just released premium non-Apple phone from 2 years in the future. Additionally, Apple is unique in that it continues to optimise new iOS releases for older iPhones. When introducing iOS 12 in 2018, there was actually a slide for Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi to highlight faster app launch, keyboard display, and camera launch on the then 3 year old iPhone 6s Plus.

 

Value retention

When you are ready to get a new iPhone, you can count on getting a good price for your current iPhone, whether that is in a trade-in or a direct sale. The clearest example of this is found in the lease prices offered by the major mobile networks for iPhones. Invariably, an iPhone has lower monthly payments when compared to an equal priced non-Apple phone on the same monthly mobile plan. This is due to the iPhone retaining more of its value because there is a ready market of buyers who appreciate a high quality and reliable product at a lower price. Since the mobile network is guaranteed to recoup more cash value from an iPhone, they can pass this on to the perpetual iPhone lessee. The iPhone secondary market is as large as it is due to the nature of mid-tier non-Apple phones. For example, the iPhone 6s series released in 2015 performs similar or better than a mid-tier non-Apple phone released in 2019. For the savvy consumer, this means it is more beneficial to buy a pre-loved iPhone over a brand new mid-tier non-Apple phone. The iPhone SE is a phenomenal deal compared to the premium non-Apple phones, but that’s another story.

It is easy to get distracted by the upfront figures when buying an iPhone and making the case that it is expensive. However, if we dive in just a little, there is no doubt that an iPhone offers the best value proposition in the mobile phone market.