this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2026
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You don't have to have smart shit.
I specifically buy dumb things so I don't have to deal with this spying bullshit.
Even if I didn't care about the spying, the UX is objectively worse in so, so many cases.
No one ever wished their printer could order it's own ink.
Also, ink printers and printer inks are a scam
Amazing.
Inkredible.
It was an actual issue when I was looking for a dumb ceiling fan that could be speed controlled from a wall switch. I didn't want a remote, I didn't want the bullshit non-servicable integrated light, I didn't want a wireless remote, and I sure as shit didn't want any wireless or Bluetooth built in... It took going direct to the manufacturer and buying a discontinued model to get that. Absolutely fucking crazy. The light on one of the fans at my mom's house died and because its a built in led module, on a 5ish year old fan, they aren't made anymore, and you can't just swap it with an off the shelf setup because it uses some crazy non-consumer available connector.
Ohh built/custom housed LEDs are a no from me.
A good LED bulb can last a long time, but only the bulbs are interchangable. And often the chips overheat and fail even though in theory these lights can last 20+ years.
Now when there's an issue you have to throw out the whole housing, which makes you have to buy a whole new set of lights.
There was a an angry nerd guy who had like a 30 minute video on just this, but I have no idea what his name was. He also has a see through dish washer video if that helps you find him.
Technology Connections? It sounds like
There are very few angry nerds with see-through dishwashers and Alex is one of them.
That’s the one!
also: he has way more LED light videos since the one I saw, including Christmas lights, which my wife will tell you I’ve been complaining about for like 10 damn years.
This guy is a kindred spirit for me, he has all my gripes but articulates and researches them better.
I bought those lights after his video. Absolutely worth it.
I’ve been patching my old string of incandescents.
I should upgrade now that they don’t totally suck.
A lot of them are going to brushless DC motors now and 10v led dimmers so if you try jacking that into 110v you have a single use smoke machine.
Is there 3phase going off that switch? Could probably slice the connector off and splice in any random fan/switch combo. Even if you mess up the phases it'd just rotate backwards. Though Im just guessing, Ive never seen a ceiling fan in my life.
I buy privacy respecting smart shit
I have smart lights, but they operate off a radio (not wifi) in my house. That radio is connected to my home server, that I fully control. There's also physical switches on the wall to control them, which IMO is absolutely mandatory.
I'm a massive nerd tho so I don't expect the setup to be viable for most. Although I think Home Assistant are selling the servers as little ready made kits with the radio and all nowadays. But I'd still recommend some tech proficiency.
Plus my bedroom fan, my TVs, my robovac, etc all controlled locally through my server.
I fully concede it's all unnecessary tho it's just my hobby and there are some benefits. My lights slowly get dimmer and more yellow the later it gets. I have a little button on my nightstand that turns on/off my bedside lamp or I can double click it to toggle the overhead light. I can toggle lights from my phone without getting off the couch. It's nice.
When I got a house in the 2010's nothing it came with was "smart" and I've never understood the appeal quite frankly.
Exactly!