zlacker

>>pictur+(OP)
Can someone explain to me what this ecosystem is and the appeal of it?

I have nothing automated in my life, that I know of? I don't have a garage; the door to the house has a key; the lights I turn on with a switch; no Alexa, don't use Siri... I am not exactly opposed to automation, but I am hesitant to share even more demographic data to cloud services.

>>triyam+f5
I can dim my backyard lights, turn on and off my porch light depending on the sun's position, control my home thermostat to heat or cool via phone before I am home, control my washing machine and dryer or know if they are done, open garage remotely with my app or close it, turn on any lights of the house or turn them off if I am in bed with my phone, control my TV via phone if I lose the remote (likely somewhere in the couch), also I use a lot of smart plugs to control individual devices such as fans, manual electric devices that are always set to be on, etc...