🤔 Why hasn’t smart home tech gone mainstream?
We’ve got devices that talk to each other, lights that respond to voice, and thermostats that learn your habits…
So why does the smart home still feel like it hasn’t clicked for most people?
We’ve spent the last year building in this space, and this question keeps coming up, especially outside of early adopter circles.
Is it:
🔧 Too much setup friction?
📱 Platform fragmentation?
👵🏼 Lack of relevance for the average person?
🛠️ DIY fear?
Curious to hear from this community:
What do you think is holding smart homes back from mass adoption?
– Leon
Co-founder @ Intecular
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Replies
I think it is pricey. Many regular families cannot afford the fully automated houses because each appliance requires a relatively huge investment (not to mention the fact that technology is evolving very fast and could be outdated very quickly).
In short, I don't think it would be worth it for them.
@busmark_w_nika Agreed. The average American home already has 21 smart devices...Yikes!
@leonxue1 I am not familiar with this data, but when I realise that we live in a bubble and not everyone has standards like those creators of the smart solutions, it makes more sense to me as the reason why it is not so massively acquired.
All of the above, but I think the biggest blocker is the value prop isn't clear enough for non-tech people. Most smart home benefits are 'nice to have' conveniences rather than 'must have' solutions to real problems.
Until we solve actual pain points (like elderly care, energy costs, or home security in meaningful ways), it stays a tech enthusiast toy. The ROI just isn't obvious to regular homeowners yet.
@occazpaschere Super helpful insights. What we're trying to build is based on tangible real-world problems such as the ones that you listed. Thank you!
@occazpaschere @leonxue1 Adding into this conversation, I completely agree. I think there is a gap in knowledge between what the tech can do and what actual real problems it will solve / exciting new fun features it offers. I can imagine a proportion of prospective customers simply don't know what to do with it and how it fits into their lives, or perhaps only uses 20% of the product features.
Trickle
Intecular looks promising.
Honestly, most people I know just don’t care. Their homes work fine as is. Until smart home features solve an actual pain point, it feels more like a cool extra than a real need.
@angelina__ashley I couldn't agree more with the sentiment. I think the reality is that current smart homes are too complex to set up and manage, which makes them relatively inaccessible to most people.
All of the above. Effort outweighs benefits.
If the appliances were from the same manufacturer, it might be worth a try — but since each device is made by a different company and runs on its own platform, I honestly have no idea how integration would even work.
And even if there is a solution that can make it all work together, just researching it and going through the setup sounds way too complicated and exhausting.
I’m not even sure it’d be worth all the trouble. Rather than spend all that time and money trying to build the perfect smart home, I’d rather just flip the switch by hand.
@youngminy Thanks for sharing! Device clutter and headaches have become an unfortunate reality of smart homes, which is the entire thesis behind why we created InvisOutlet.
Phygital+
Establishing a smart home often means changing the existing devices and systems to something new, and often they are more expensive. I think it makes sense to get a smart home system if you're planning to move in in a new place and have a luxury to reorganize everything
Also as it has been mentioned here, it is often too complicated for non-tech people. I definitely know people who are biased towards it in terms of cybersecurity. It could be that also people don't see the value in it except 'comfort'
@dariawind Agreed, I'm glad you mentioned the difficulty in upgrading/evolving the technology over time. It's the reason why we made InvisOutlet modular, so that the sensor-enabled cover plate can be changed out as technologies evolve, without the need to replace the in-wall unit.
Phygital+
@leonxue1 Such a great idea!
@dariawind Thank you!
As someone who’s helped friends set up smart home stuff, the setup gap is real. If Apple, Google, and Amazon don’t streamline things together, I don’t see it going truly mainstream. Matter might help, but we’re not there yet.
I think it's a mix — but relevance and friction are the big blockers.
For most people, smart homes don’t solve a clear pain point. Turning on a light by voice is cool, but it’s not 10x better than flipping a switch. And anything that requires setup time, accounts, or app juggling loses 90% of casual users immediately.
Also, the “smart” often feels... not that smart. People expect contextual awareness, not rule-based routines. Until it feels intuitive — and invisible — adoption will lag outside tech-savvy bubbles.
Excited to see what you’re building to crack this 👀
@luiisvaronaa Thank you for sharing! I particularly resonate with "Until it feels intuitive - and invisible".