Don’t get me wrong, I love smart home products as much as the next guy. I truly believe that smart homes will be able to improve homeowner’s lives in an abundance of ways. However, many smart home products just seem stupid for the following reasons:

They Do Not Work

Shelley Powers was asleep one night in January when suddenly every light in her suburban St. Louis, Missouri, house came on. It was a false alarm, one of many she’d experience over the following weeks.

Pretty soon, Powers couldn’t even count on her smart lights turning on at the times she designated, something that’s pretty simple in the world of home automation. — Full story here

Unfortunately, a quick Google search of “problems with smart products” will yield many similar horror stories. Smart home products claim that they can help people, but that means that they have to work first. If a smart home can’t even turn on the lights when it is supposed to, then how “smart” can it really be?

They are Too Expensive

If I walked into Home Depot right now I could by an LED light bulb for $2.50. I also have the option of going to Best Buy and purchasing a smart LED light bulb for $59.99. It is awesome that I could have the ability to program my LED light bulb, but is it really worth 24 times the cost? I would expect most homeowners to say no. I don’t think I need to spend an extra fifty seven and a half dollars just to be able to control a light bulb from my cell phone.

The cost of smart products are definitely justified to some people, however most people do not think so.

They are a Hassle to Use

Smart home products are supposed to make your life easier and more convenient, but that is not always the case. For example to open my “smart” lock I have to go through a few steps. I need to find my phone, and then find the app that controls the lock, and then press the unlock button, and hope that it works. Although the process sounds simple, it would probably more efficient to just unlock my door the old-fashioned way.

Also some smart products have complicated install processes, have issues syncing with smart hubs and other devices, and cease to work when the internet cuts out. Sometimes this can be a huge issue.

But Smart Homes are Still Awesome

There a lot of smart home products that seem to be overly expensive and fail to add value to a person’s life. But, there are an equal number of smart products that provide convenience, security, energy efficiency, and plenty of other benefits to homeowners. I am sure that as the smart home matures we will see an increasing number of amazing smart products hitting store shelves.