The Pros and Cons of Home Automation Systems

In the burgeoning field of home automation, consumers are faced with a range of trade-offs that have
serious implications for everything from ease of use to the security of the families and possessions they
place in the care of these increasingly sophisticated smart systems.

The Development of Automated Homes

First, some history: the field of “domotics,” or automating functions of the home like turning on lights
and locking doors, begins at the turn of the 20th Century with the introduction of such labor-saving
devices as washing machines, refrigerators and dishwashers. As time progressed, the focus of such
systems shifted to the integration of these appliances within a command and control network that could
be operated from wall panels, Internet-connected devices like smartphones and tablets, and voice-
controlled virtual assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa.

Today, the capabilities of these systems have become nothing short of astonishing. We now have
refrigerators that keep an updated inventory of their contents, machines that fold laundry, and self-
making beds. And the prevalence of these automated systems is only growing: according to ABI
Research, in 2012 the United States had 1.5 million automated homes. Six years later, in 2018, that
number had skyrocketed to 45 million.

What to Consider When Automating Your Home

Before you make the substantial investment to make your home smart, there are a number of issues
you have to consider. One of these is the complexity of the system, and the learning curve involved in
making it operational. For example, iControl has found that, while consumers may be dazzled by the
bells and whistles of an advanced automation system, they generally prefer systems in their own homes
that are easy to use.

Consumers also face the issue of choosing between automation systems installed by a single vendor
who is responsible for everything from hardware to the user interface, and open-sourced systems that
may be more customizable and be controlled by common protocols like Bluetooth.

The Final Consideration

In the end, when it comes to automating your home, success becomes a matter of prioritizing your
needs and researching the best solutions the market offers. Every year brings more innovations that
may blow your mind, but the need for security and peace of mind remain pretty much constant.