The smart home, a place where the latest devices integrate seamlessly to improve security, convenience, sleep, productivity, entertainment and relaxation while being more energy efficient. That’s the dream being sold by some of the biggest technology companies in the world. The reality, however, appears to be somewhat opposite. The majority of do-it-yourself smart home installations are rife with integration problems that cause severe inconvenience, time wasting and stress. The usability promised by controlling all devices with a central “control panel” has failed to deliver with many owners just using the smart speakers as voice-controlled stereos or for asking the about the weather rather than to control the heating or turn on the lights. Unless all these devices can be controlled centrally, then the smart home represents overcomplicating the space that we want to be most comfortable. At their latest own-brand hardware launch event, Google made a point of acknowledging the concerns they’ve heard from a […]