this post was submitted on 22 Oct 2025
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[–] frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Right, I know the language around this makes it a little difficult. Old thermostats don't necessarily have electronics more sophisticated than a relay and a bimetalic strip. But having a small computer in there doesn't necessarily mean it has to be online.

[–] elvith@feddit.org 1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Just use the terms as every layman does:

  • Dumb X <- offline/manual/no app (or none that works if you're not in your home network/no cloud
  • Smart X <- requires a increasingöy more costly monthly subscription, spies on you and shits itself on the thought of losing internet access. Usually yields worse results than Dumb X
[–] frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 15 hours ago

Why? It's leaving out a very important third option. We should not be beholden to the definitions set by people who have limited understanding.