How does the project part work long term? I could put together something as a project, and probably maintain it a low effort long term, but what happens once I want to sell the house? Do I replace back all the switches back to dumb ones? Teach the new owner how to use it long term? (yeah, good luck) Leave it as is, potentially decreasing the value of my house?
I took all my smart hardware with me. I kept the originals or got cheap replacements, and sold my old place as a perfectly normal, working house. (But not a smart one.) When I moved, I already had most of the equipment to make it smart!
I also took my LED light bulbs, those suckers are coming with me for life.
Here, I think we find the problem.
The author doesn't know the system, he didn't build it, and has little use for it.
I don't think a smart house ever made sense for him.
The only places it does make sense, to me are:
* Health. Monitoring health, or enabling someone to better care for themselves.
* A project, by someone who wants to control and automate parts of their house, but will never truly be satisfied.