

Wattvision (YC W09) setup - savrajsingh
http://scott.wiersdorf.org/blarney/110324a.html

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scottw
Hi HN, this was my blog post. I fully expect the Wattvision to pay for itself
in about a year based on what I've seen in the 3ish weeks I've had it (our
latest power bill was almost $20 off from last year for about the same average
temperature).

I thought we were a pretty energy conservative-household, but seeing the
immediate effects that certain appliances and lights have on our consumption
has changed how Mom, Dad and all the kids (even our 7 year old) use
electricity. We know which light banks cost the most to use and when we leave
everyone makes sure to check lights and shut down everything else we don't
need.

Also, you can see live data for free. If you don't see the value in API and
alerts, don't do the monthly payment options.

The original setup was actually far easier than I posted. When I first
installed it, I had tucked the _entire device_ into my phone utility box and
had zero wires going inside the house. I reconsidered that plan after deciding
that the box might get too hot in the summer. Fortunately I found some
existing cabling and my OCD genes kicked in when I realized I could bring the
gateway device inside with all my other blinking lights.

I expect most folks will simply run the (exorbitantly long) cable from the
sensor through a window or other existing conduit. The original setup took
under an hour for me and was working fine.

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mv
I'm confused. So I have to pay $249 for a sensor, then pay $9/month to have
any real access to the data? Biggest ripoff ever.

I know HN is all about monthly billing, but it seems like these guys are
really reaching on this product. The amount of 'work' this company is doing
for that $9/month plan is almost nill.

~~~
tmchow
Looking at the product there is definitely real IP in the hardware, and paying
for a service shouldn't be a surprise. They're a real company.

You couldn't argue you aren't interested in the value they provide, but
questioning the fact that running a service costs money is ridiculous.

~~~
drdaeman
"Real IP" is not a reason. They just charge because they can. And one is free
to chose whenever they want to pay or not — there are always alternatives.

~~~
adnanmahmud
It is also worthwhile to note that you don't need the monthly subscription.
You can always see your live data for free.

