Smarthome - General question of meaning

Hello everyone,

I am basically IT-savvy and open-minded, but I can’t really warm up to "Smart Home." That’s why I’m asking around why you decided to go for it, especially regarding my objections.

Overall, I see little point in the typical smart home functions. This is partly due to my way of living, but especially due to the functions provided themselves. For example, I don’t have the need to control lighting via my smartphone. Every room has the appropriate light switches or motion detectors. Controlling the blinds/shutters is unnecessary for me because I have consciously decided against using shutters (except for two large south-facing windows). The same goes for a ventilation system, which I neither have nor need. Turning devices on and off via app strikes me as superfluous.
What bothers me most is the multitude of protocols and the proprietary technology and manufacturer-dependent software. I simply don’t feel like buying and installing an expensive system from a manufacturer I don’t know will still exist in 5 years or whether and how the software will be further developed.

The devices that you can actually control reasonably well via app now come with Wi-Fi capability and a suitable app, so I don’t need a complex smart home system for that. For example, heating system/heat pump, photovoltaic system, charging station, video intercom system, robot vacuum cleaner, etc. Whether you really need an app for a washing machine, a refrigerator, or a dishwasher is debatable. But even these devices have now become "smart."

Maybe I’m overlooking a major advantage of smart home, so feel free to fill my knowledge gap!

I think you are confusing remote controllable with smart. Unfortunately, many manufacturers also promote it that way… We have a real smart home. Our house is somewhat larger and quite complex in terms of technology. We couldn’t install that many switches. The goal in a smart home is that as much as possible runs automatically or through logic. It starts with the lighting, then shading, ventilation, heating, cooling, garden irrigation, etc. Smart home does not mean having a separate app for everything. Simply take one standard (e.g. KNX) and then integrate everything. Smart home offers an incredible increase in comfort. Beyond a certain size/complexity, it is almost necessary and not more expensive. There are already some posts on this here.

For me, the [raffstore Steuerung] was the most important. If you don't have that, you can't make it smart either. The next would be lighting. There, using presence detectors and brightness. Everything else like heating, ventilation, photovoltaics, sockets, etc., I now consider more of an expensive gimmick.

Disclaimer: still not living in the ["smart"-home]

Unfortunately, it is also promoted by many manufacturers...

... and by many electricians. During the last meeting about the planning of the distribution cabinet, our electrician actually asked me if I wanted a Gira Homeserver (because of the visualization). When I said "No," he said: "Alright, then we'll take the X1." When I then said that I didn't want that either, he looked at me very surprised and asked if I didn't want to control everything via the phone ... :rolleyes:

Besides the unpleasant feeling that a hacker could break into my house, I decided against it because I prefer chopping wood myself rather than using an electric wood splitter. The constant maintenance required for such devices is bothersome to me. I can certainly imagine that a SmartHome can be practical (when it works), but my impression is: automation becomes absurd at a certain point, and behind it, in my feeling, lies a misunderstanding of what makes life beautiful. In any case, it cannot primarily be about having as much taken off your hands as possible.

For me, happiness consists of thousands of (seemingly) small things. The sound of a water drop, for example, can trigger a feeling of well-being :D

Of course, that can also be a matter of age. I do quite enjoy driving a car too....

In any case, it cannot primarily be about getting as much weight off as possible.

Apparently it can. What is only really rarely considered is that (I think) it is an irresponsible consumption of rare raw materials. Electronics and circuit boards are not provided endlessly by our planet. And in this regard, a smart home is really the very last thing that is important. For ecological reasons, I try to avoid using electricity as much as possible.