Smart Homes Are Terrible (The Atlantic)

[highplainsdem]

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/smart-homes-technology/685867/

-snip-

Light switches, which have been self-explanatory since the dawn of electric lighting, apparently now come as an unlabeled multibutton panel that literally required a tutorial session from a technician. Pressing the same button twice might turn the lights on and off, or you might have to press one button for on and another for off. “It depends” is the name of the game—which is exactly what you don’t want when you’re trying to find the bathroom in the middle of the night.

-snip-

On to the thermostats. When we got there, it was hot. But how hot, exactly? Round touch screens in various rooms took us through a labyrinth of tiny-text options just to set the temperature to 68 degrees. Or was it already at 68? We finally managed to select the temperature we wanted only to discover that a preset schedule overrode our choice, and we’d have to figure out how to override that.

-snip-

I’m no Luddite. I run a software company! I see the allure of high-tech gadgets and have fallen for their promises before. When my wife and I built a house more than a decade ago, we opted for all kinds of automated systems: low-voltage controls, mechanized blinds, irrigation systems that measure rain so the sprinklers come on only when you need them. We regretted it almost immediately. What we discovered is that this stuff requires setup, which can take more time than just doing things manually, and is maddeningly glitchy, forcing you to pay someone handsomely by the visit or the hour to fix your appliances for you.

Tech makes many things better, but you shouldn’t have to learn how to use a house. You shouldn’t need a tech tour and an app (or five) to turn the heat down or clean the dishes. You shouldn’t have to worry that pressing the wrong button will set off a chain of events you don’t know how to undo. All these powerful processors and thousands of lines of code have succeeded in making everyday things slower, harder to use, and less reliable than they used to be.

-snip-

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

1. Smart refrigerators..i wonder how useful the tech is

Over engineering?

[highplainsdem]

10. Samsung's new fridge got two worst-in-show awards at this year's CES, Consumer Electronics Show:

The video shows a few other bad devices. The sections about the fridge start at 6:30 and 9:07.

[Hugin]

13. An exceptionally informative video. n/t

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

20. Excellent examples of over engineering

[callous taoboy]

28. NEVER buy any model Samsung fridge.

Mine lasted about 4 months before the inside of the back panel froze solid and started leaking into the veggie drawer. I bought it through Sears, which had become entirely enshitified, and I wrangled with the store owner and some GM at the warehouse in Houston before I got half my money back.

[kimbutgar]

2. We just got a new furnace and it's smart one.

I have no idea how to operate it. My husband has the app to turn it on and off because I’m past menopause and don’t get cold anymore!

[chouchou]

3. In this frame of ridiculous, Now we have 16 speed blenders.

"Jesus Christ!! Mary..You've ruined the entire drink. I told you 13 speed not 14 speed..You stupid cow !!"

[Deuxcents]

4. Well, that will never be in my future! I got a whole new air n heat system in August and was asked

If I wanted a new programmable thermostat. No, thanks. I kept my old one..up, down, cool, heat, on n off! Easy 🤗

[CTyankee]

5. At our advanced ages, hubby and I sold our home and moved to a retirement village, Masonicare.

Now there are none of those worries, we just call for someone to fix any problem that arises and we have very nice, updated bathrooms and little kitchenette. Dinner is in the Dining Room. I don't cook. I can order a glass of wine with my dinner. What else do I need?

[pat_k]

6. Pitty the poor pet care person (me)

I quit tech a few years ago to start a little dog walking/kitty care biz.

I didn't anticipate that figuring out how to turn on lights would be a particular challenge. But there you go.

If the light switches that are visible in a new client's home appear to be "smart" I ask if there's anything I need to know about working the lights. Unfortunately, even after explanations, they can be a pain. Press a button. On the lights go. Whoopee. Then they dim straight back down again. What the hell is that about?

[keep_left]

7. I recently saw a TV commercial for a washing machine...

...that sends text messages to your cell phone when your clothes are done. Apparently it's a little too taxing for one to simply walk into the laundry room to check the machine oneself?!

[JI7]

25. It's gotten to the point where people feel like just because something exists it needs to be used

or part of something.

Like businesses that feel like they need to hold certain meetings just because Zoom and Teams exist. Just because it exists doesn't mean you need to use it.

[Figarosmom]

9. There is no way I'd ever want

One. I wouldn't let a car drive me somewhere either.

[Intractable]

11. On my LG smart TV, I have to go five menu levels just to adjust the brightness.

I hate that thing. Have to sign away all privacy rights just to watch TV. If one doesn't "agree" to the terms, many functions of the TV are disabled.

It watches what I watch!

The rest of my house is pretty dumb, and I like it that way.

[Hugin]

12. Full disclosure: I have what is considered a smart thermostat in my home.

Yeah, I know, GADS!

Honestly, I am pretty sure that the thermostat it replaced was hanging on a tree long before the house was built. Very manual and surprisingly unintuitive.

Not that it’s smart descendant is much more intuitive, there has been a learning curve. Starting from day one when I realized that it was so new that the company hadn’t even gotten to put up an online manual yet. The installer warned me that it was a demo he’d been given and we agreed on it being used because 1) He already had it. 2) Due to the smartening of the whole fricking HVAC universe, anything else he could get at the time would be obsolete before he could wire it in to place.

My new thermostat and I have become fast friends. I really like it and it’s become indispensable for me. Because of sensors built into the HVAC system and it’s remote pods scattered around the house, it has the most accurate weather forecasts on it of any of the 90 or so other forecasts available on every other digital device I have access to here. Including the car. Also, it’s got a feature where a constant temperature can be set where the thermostat switches between heat, cooling, and dehumidifier to maintain the comfort setting. Really nice during the spring and fall periods of variable conditions. I only had to hear the groaning and popping of the house once I started using it to know that it’s been missing. Gee, now all of the doors and windows open and close fully year around! It’s got an app which allows me to check in with it from any point on the globe where there is a strong enough signal. Although, I am eternally forgetting that it has an app. I could if I wanted to.

Even though I am old school, I believe that having a deep relationship with a thermostat is worth the effort now that I know better.

Don’t get me started on my smart garage door opener, tho.

[róisín_dubh]

14. I think most normal people...

Would like a cure for cancer or for their pets to live much longer, than for any of this crap.

I have a smart thermostat in my flat. I know I can turn it on and off. But my tech-y partner deals with the rest. I cannot be bothered.

[ColoringFool]

15. I Just Got A New Heat Pump ($21K!) And Was Asked If I....

Wanted to make the thermostat a "Smart" one, connected to my cellphone so I could control or read the thermostat from Timbuktu.

I declined!

And I have manually set it at a constant 61 degrees (I'm a hot mama! 😁🤫 .

[FormerOstrich]

16. Twilight Zone Episode

I am old enough to remember when smart appliances were considered a thing of horror.

The episode "A Thing About Machines" is a great example of why we should keep our appliances at bay.

[cstanleytech]

17. Smart homes are only as smart as the owners.

[unblock]

18. "I'm no Luddite" said the Luddite, lol

I get it, smart homes aren't yet as seamless and intuitive as they will be in a few years.

Having said that, of course there's going to be a bit of a learning curve to use technology that offers more features. Sure, a light switch is intuitive, but that's in large part because it's dead simple, never mind very familiar. On, off, that's it.

But a light switch that can be operated from your bed or your car or while on vacation? Or on a set schedule? Of course it's going to be a bit more complex to set up, learn to use, and maintain.

Is it all worth it? That's a personal choice. Me, I don't think the advantages are particularly compelling. Cool and fun, but usually not essential.

Having said that, it sure is nice to be able to check remotely if the garage door actually closed, talk to a visitor at the front door when your actually at work, turn down the thermostat from the airport after you forgot to do it in your haste to make your plane, or even just turn all the lights out in the whole house from your bed.

[Hugin]

21. There is a wisdom required for what and how to make smarter.

Really, smart In itself is an ill defined buzzword. I’d prefer intuitive.

[unblock]

22. Technology evolves. New features are almost never intuitive.

It takes experience and feedback and trial and error to get it streamlined and intuitive. Smart tech hasn't been around all that long so it's still a bit raw. In particular, there are many manufacturers, so these devices don't always play nice with each other.

But hardware on computers was like that in the early days. It took years before "plug and play". Now, installing new software or hardware is usually pretty straightforward. But it certainly wasn't always like that.

But it will get there soon enough for smart devices.

[Hugin]

24. Also, it has to be asked...

Who is a feature really useful to.

An example is power mirrors on a vehicle. The vast majority of them being used a tiny number of times in the service life of a vehicle. Why are they there?

Probably because they are desirable and useful for fleet operators such as rental and leasing. Who buy large numbers of vehicles.

Most of the current smartness seems to be geared towards data collection. Data collection for whom? I am already aware of most of my data.

[Old Crank]

31. Power mirrors

I find them useful for parallel parking. I can point the mirror so I can see the curb.
They are also handy when they close close to the car when you turn the car off.
Very handy in Europe and the mirrors don't stick out in to sidewalks and bike lanes while giving better clearance when parked between vehicles.

[yonder]

19. Big rec for this!

I hate to see the migration of everyday design away from practical simplicity.

Just because we can is no reason to backtrack on ease of use all the whlie being forced to stay abreast of proprietary differences/new updates and the expense of complex repair or replacement.

[Skittles]

23. I think it is ridiculous too

but then, I never, ever take a cell phone with me anywhere

[Seinan Sensei]

26. A manual thermostat! A manual thermostat!

My kingdom for a manual thermostat!

[Hugin]

27. I will send you one.

Complete with a little brush to dust off the mercury switch to keep it within a 30% accuracy.

[democrank]

29. Old schooler here

I yearn for the return of roll down car windows using a crank handle. I’m wary of a refrigerator door that lights up when I walk by or that thing you speak into if you want your favorite song to play. Stranger in a strange world.

[lark]

30. My sister almost bought a smart house and I'm so glad she didn't!!

It would have been a nightmare, no matter how pretty it was! The house she bought isn't as pretty, but still very nice and lights and air are easy to use and set so better than the alternative.

[Old Crank]

32. What happens when the software stops being supported?

Now your phone has problems, you computers have problems when they go past the time that manufacturers want to support the hardware for the newest gee-whiz software offerings. Sorry you have to rewire your house to accept the new computers because it is 10 years old.

I hate that everything needs to think to turn on, or off. My dishwasher takes 3 button pushes with a hold to get it to start.
At night I clear all the screens left open or used before going to bed. Then I blank out the screen. Several seconds later up pops a scroll from my pictures. What is with that.