Smarthome - General question of meaning

Cars are once again partially pioneers here, as they have long been learning independently how the driver drives.

A computer consultant of mine built an office keyboard lock that learns how you use the keyboard and shuts off if someone else fiddles with it.
The trick – if I understood it correctly – was the timing and rhythms between the keystrokes – these differ by milliseconds for each user and cannot be deliberately replicated.

We have motor locks in the family that are 15 years old and work flawlessly. They are also in daily use. After that time, you should also replace a conventional lock because the patent protection has expired and there are better security features for keys. If everything in the house runs manually, no automation is needed. For larger properties, it is an incredible gain in comfort. Otherwise, you would always be searching for the switch, turning valves, etc.

Yes, that's exactly it. Nowadays, devices can independently recognize what is going on based on recurring patterns. This is the same in the house, and the possibilities are now accessible to everyone. This way, you can determine who is currently in the house based on behavior and trigger actions (this can be anything, just use some imagination) without such scary specters like facial recognition.

So we have venetian blinds that must be able to operate automatically anyway, for storm protection. Then, pleasant lighting is very important to us, meaning everything must be dimmable. Dimming also costs a fair amount conventionally and can be implemented directly through smart components. Then only a few presence detectors (with humidity or VOC measurement depending on the location) are missing, and the basis of a smart home is already achieved. Then a few switchable sockets and power measurements at selected points, and you are already very advanced in terms of automation. If you enjoy it even more, you can of course push it as far as you want, but you don't have to.

Yes, exactly. The degree of automation can always be freely chosen. No one is forced to live in a house that monitors everything up to and including the stool sample.

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which monitors everything up to the stool test.

… and then 'smartly' calls the family doctor to make an appointment if the values are poor. However, this would require that the Outlook calendar is properly maintained. Alternatively, the house could first modify the shopping list in such a way as to correct small deviations from the norm through nutrition – or wait for the doctor's diagnosis before the 'chocolate' is removed from the shopping list.