Smart home tech is all around us. So much so that it is getting harder to find homes without at least one smart device. From smart speakers to smart lighting and temperature control, the smart universe is taking over. Should you invest in it? That is up to you to decide.
I won’t lie about it. I am very much a fan of modern smart homes. I am into all things electronics and gadgets, and smart home tech is right up my alley. But I recently read an article on the CNET website that caught my attention. Written by contributor Chris Wedel, it indirectly offers a good reason – sort of – to not invest in smart home tech.
The reason? The old adage it says you don’t realize how much you depend on something until you no longer have it. The other side of the coin is that you will never miss something you never have.
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Truly Smart Homes Take Work
One of the points that Wedel made in his post is that setting up a truly smart home takes work. Even purchasing a preconfigured system from a company like Vivint Smart Home does not necessarily result in effortless home automation. Somebody needs to put in the work to set everything up.
DIYers prefer to do things themselves. They start with a simple device that can act as the smart home hub, usually a smart speaker from Google or Amazon. Then they add devices compatible with their smart speakers. Each of the devices comes with a companion mobile app, just in case.
It all seems so simple in principle. But in practical application, smart home tech is anything but simple. It is not unusual for smart devices to not work the way you expect them to – at least initially. And even when devices are set up properly, they glitch from time to time.
So why put in all the work? As Wedel explains in his post, getting a system working properly changes everything. When every device works as it should, the smart home is exponentially more convenient. It is also more efficient and secure.
It Can Be Gone in a Heartbeat
The thing about the truly smart home is that it can be gone in a heartbeat. You can put in a ton of money and work only to have it all go away. In Wedel’s case, it was a matter of buying a new house. The family was able to take most of their smart home equipment with them. However, the new house needed significant improvements before all the equipment could be set up again.
Wedel and his family miss living in a smart home. They particularly miss their smart lighting, which is something that took me by surprise. Smart lighting is one of the most basic technologies in home automation. It turns out that it is also one of the most valued.
Count the Cost
I guess the whole point of this is to say that it is wise to count the cost before investing in smart home tech. I should also note that this post was written partly tongue in cheek. I don’t really believe that the ever-present possibility of losing a smart home is sufficient reason to not invest in smart home tech.
I can sympathize with the Wedel family as they struggle to rebuild their smart home environment. They didn’t realize how much they depended on home automation until it was no longer there. But that only proves just how much smart home tech impacted the use of their home.