What exactly is a smart home and can it be retrofitted?

Apps on the phone are only used for the first two days, as a previous poster already wrote. Much too complicated to handle. The roller shutter has to go down by itself when I turn on the TV and the sun is shining, without any action from me and without an app. OK, I still turn the fan on via the app, but only because I'm too lazy to get up and I don't yet know according to which criteria it should even turn on.

I am quite conservative in many things and don't always "keep up with the times," but when I read such statements, the question arises whether someone here is stuck in the last millennium or simply has no clue/experience with many already existing and comfortable solutions available today!?

A short operation of the app usually takes only a few seconds on the smartphone, which is almost always with you or nearby. Even easier, nowadays it can be operated equally quickly and reliably via voice control, whether on the smartphone, smartwatch, etc....
Whether the shutter should go up or down, or a specific scenario like "movie night" with all the linked commands, or automatism in connection with interconnected sensors, all that is already reliably (enough) and comfortably possible today!? At a low price and with minimal setup effort!

Well, to each their own :)

The house construction has not started yet, the development is still ongoing. So it's not too late in terms of timing, but the costs for a bus system are probably too expensive. I can currently only spend 3-4k, maybe 5k. The house cost a nice 600k.

Independent of the „smarten Home“. I hope you have considered proper network cabling?

Although I am quite conservative in many things and don’t always "keep up with the times," when I read statements like these, it raises the question of whether someone is stuck in the last millennium or simply has no idea/experience with many already existing and convenient solutions today!?

A quick operation of the app usually takes only a few seconds on the smartphone that is almost always with you or nearby. Even easier, now just as fast and reliable, it can be operated by voice control, whether on the smartphone, smartwatch, etc.... Whether the blind should be rolled up or down or a specific scenario like "movie night" with all the associated commands or automations connected with linked sensors, all that is already reliably (enough) and comfortably possible today!? For a small price and minimal setup effort!

Well, to each their own :)

Personally, I find it very annoying to first pick up the phone, unlock it, start the app, and then lower the roller shutter. It’s faster to just get up, press the button, and sit down again. Added to that is the number of different apps that accumulate on the phone because every manufacturer has their own app, but no manufacturer covers the entire range of devices.

That’s why, for me, controlling via apps is a clear step backwards unless you use a higher-level instance (IOBroker, etc.) and control it via the website. But so many pages result from that that it takes a while before the light is turned on. I once started a visualization for us but gave up again. It eventually gets too complex.

I can’t see a step backwards when the blind lowers automatically and I don’t have to fiddle with the phone first. On the contrary, that’s what makes a smart home.

Voice control is, of course, a completely different story, but it also has its limits (namely when channel surfing through the TV program. That drives you crazy).

To each their own, and if someone prefers to play around on their phone instead of doing nothing, that’s of course their choice. I’d rather be stuck in the last millennium, but I don’t quite understand your criticism. What is different about letting the scenarios run automatically or controlling them via the app? :)

By the way, our house is plastered with all kinds of stuff from various manufacturers, controlled via IOBroker because I was fed up with all the apps and because there is simply no manufacturer that offers everything.

So personally, I find it very annoying to first take the phone in my hand, unlock it, start the app, and then lower the blind. It's faster to just get up, press the button, and sit back down. Additionally, there are the number of different apps accumulating on the phone because every manufacturer has its own app but no manufacturer covers the entire range of devices.

One does not exclude the other, meaning button + "app".

Therefore, for me, operating via apps is a clear step backward...

I agree with you. However, I confess to being a committed Apple user (HomeKit) and don’t have to unlock anything or rely on a dozen different provider apps.

I can’t see a step backward when the blind lowers automatically and I don’t have to fiddle with the phone first. On the contrary, that’s what makes a smart home.

I also agree with you. Again, one does not exclude the other. You can program/compile scenes and have them run "automatically" with a button click or linked sensors or voice control or geolocation.

To each their own, and if someone prefers fiddling with their phone instead of just doing nothing, that’s of course their choice. Then I’d rather be stuck in the last millennium, but I don’t quite understand your criticism. What’s different about running scenarios automatically or controlling them via app? :)

You don’t have to fiddle much with the phone for that. A few clicks or a voice command and that’s it, unless sensors are integrated anyway that trigger it automatically...

At least on the iPhone, but we’d better leave the discussion at that ;)

One does not exclude the other, meaning button + "app".

I agree with you. However, I admit to being a convinced Apple user (HomeKit) and don’t have to unlock anything or rely on countless different provider apps.

I also agree with you. Again, one does not exclude the other. Programming/assembling scenes and letting them run "automatically" with a button press or linked sensors or voice control or geolocation.

You don’t have to fiddle much with the phone for that. A few clicks or a voice command and it’s done, unless sensors are integrated anyway that trigger just as automatically...

At least on the iPhone, but let’s better leave that discussion ;)

Hmm, I’m a bit slow right now. Didn’t you describe fully automatic lowering of the roller shutter as technology from the last millennium or did I completely misunderstand something? But whatever, basically we almost agree anyway, only the manufacturer of the phone we still need to talk about ;):D

I think we also got a bit off topic here :)