I've had great success with smart switches/dimmers/outlets/locks, mostly because they allow you to set more complex schedules and timers. I rarely use the remo

I've had great success with smart switches/dimmers/outlets/locks, mostly because they allow you to set more complex schedules and timers. I rarely use the remote on/off capability, but just having a device that works on a schedule is really nice. Examples: - Our late-1980's house has a lot of accent lights scattered about. We never used them before because we had to flip a switch on each one. Now they come on automatically at dusk and turn off after we go to bed. It's nice. - Our TV speakers don't have a sleep mode. We use a smart outlet to power them down automatically at the times when we usually don't use them. - Our 2-year-old used to turn his very bright closet light on and stay up late in his room. We set a smart switch so that turns off after a couple of minutes. Now he sleeps much better. - Our kitchen lights were way too bright and people kept leaving them on, plus the two sides of the room were on different switches and one was brighter than the other. Now they come on at an even 20%/40% brightness unless double-clicked, and automatically shut off after a few hours if people leave them on. - Our garage door shuts itself if we forget to shut it. - It was too inconvenient to keep the busiest exterior door locked. Now the deadbolt locks automatically after a few minutes, and we can give out visitor codes the babysitter and for people who come in to work on the house etc. We put all this stuff on a separate WiFi network (to alleviate some of the possible security issues) to the extent it needs wifi. We have a mishmash of different things from different manufacturers, and no central hub. But things have been working really well for a couple of years now.