Disclaimer: I’m not tech-savvy. Anything beyond my laptop’s word processing software is a mystery to me. When given a choice, I opt for low-tech every time. I don’t even have a smartphone. I could probably figure out how to use one, but I like to disappear and intentionally make myself unavailable. However, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to avoid getting one. More and more daily tasks require mobile connectivity. The following anecdote is a case in point.
Our furnace was on its last legs so my husband and I decided to replace it. The new one will be more energy-efficient and, hopefully, save us money on the heating bill.
The technician connected the new unit and ductwork, then installed the thermostat software, using our house wi-fi. Huh? Why does a thermostat need software or wi-fi?
He patiently explained all the bells and whistles. “This baby will do everything but tie your shoes for you. Once we get it set up, you’ll never have to touch it again.”
He doesn’t understand that I like to manually control my home’s temperature. I don’t need a smart thermostat. If I want to know what the weather is doing, I’ll step outside and look. Inside, if I’m cold, I turn the heat up. If I’m hot, I turn it down. That’s plenty. But, to humor him, I agreed to give it a try.
“You have to register it with your smartphone,” he said.
“I don’t have one. Can’t I register it with my laptop?”
We tried, but learned we can only register for free via smartphone. Doing it with a laptop incurs a charge. The technician registered it for us using his own phone. He finished setting up the new system and showed us the few things on it we could do manually—set it to heat, air, auto, or off. As he left, he said to call if we had problems.
Right off the bat, it didn’t work properly. Despite the 68-degree setting, the house stayed too warm unless we turned it to “air.” I don’t want to use the air conditioner in the fall. It’s plenty cool outside. I shut it off and opened windows. The technician returned the next day and made some adjustments. I agreed to not mess with it, but I monitored it carefully over the next couple of days.
The house still felt hot. Every time I approached the thermostat, it quickly changed its display screen before I could read it. I finally had to sneak up on it and look at it from the side to learn that the disappearing text showed the outdoor weather data. Fat lot of good having that does, if the thing won’t let me get close enough to see it.
The technician returned a third time and discovered some bad wires, which he replaced. We are in test mode once again, but I’m not holding my breath. Being a dinosaur has its challenges.
#technodinosaur #oldfart
Photo by Sean D on Unsplash
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