clawmd wrote:I have a rental home that I am planning to upgrade from Indigo from Vera. I had planned to use some wall mounted iPads for guests to be able to use control pages and also be able to view Security Spy cameras. After reading this discussion, it seems that there really isn't a need for iPads. Unfortunately I have zero experience with these devices.
Is it possible to configure them so renters can't completely bugger them up?
Is there any reason to go with the much more expensive 10"?
Is there any reason to get a model with additional RAM?
The current models appear to include Alexa. Can this be used in the same way currently use the echo dot?
Will there be upgrade issues after the Google Play Store mod is done?
Thanks for any advice!
If you're thinking about putting something like this in a rental home, I'd choose a slightly different path. While the Fire will work mostly fine, and Adam's app is fantastic for control - putting the combination of the two in a rental property could cause some unintended maintenance and security issues. Instead of the fire, consider this:
Install a PoE (power over ethernet) purpose-buit unwell tablet such as this:
http://www.geekland.co/7-Android-Wall-Mount-Tablet-for-Sonos-and-Bose-Sound-Systems-GK-q896s-E.htmWith this, you can easily lock the device to a single app and since it's mounted *in* the wall rather than *on* it, it reduces the chance of somebody stealing/damaging it. Furthermore, since it's powered over an Ethernet cable, you don't have to do something hacky with a power cable and 5volt adapter. With a good PoE switch, you can even power off specific ports remotely, giving you the power to restart the tablet remotely if needed. You can also connect several PoE security cameras to the PoE switch giving you additional flexibility if you need it.
Regarding the software, DomoPad is top-shelf, but I wouldn't install it in a rental arrangement; simply because within the app, there is a higher level control of the system than I'd wish to give a temporary resident. Instead, I'd design some very simple, intuitive control pages that would be easily usable for the residents, with a home page that shows some useful information (if it's a beach property as an example, high tide times, water temps, local restaurants that deliver, emergency numbers, etc.). I'd then display the control pages using a kiosk-style browser such as "Fully Kiosk Browser" or "Kiosk Browser SE". Both are in the play store and are very good at presenting an interface and not not allowing the user to back out to something else. If you install an app like that and lock it down on something like the device above, you'll create a much more stable and controllable environment.
The Fire (or any general purpose tablet) is fine for "us" when we're at home and can quickly screw around with it when it gets off track. That's a lot harder and a much bigger pain if you have a guest/tenant/resident phoning you in the middle of the night because something unexpected happened on the interface.
Hope this helps!
Terry