The notion of home automation is not something that aggravates me per se but solutions have been made for some problems that never existed before.

This is even worse when we factor that many accessibility issues are addressed through simple measures that many times must be accomplished when basic maintenance is done, like rewiring or fittings renewal.

The timed sockets I mentioned I got acquainted it when I first saw an electric water heater. At 3000W, it could be an expensive beast to maintain. A €15 mechanical socket watch made possible to have the equipment only run at preset intervals, thus saving power and avoid possible overheating. These very basic tools can be used to do the same work IoT does at a fraction of the work.

And the most extreme solution, to provide help to a nearly bedridden relative, which involved setting up a complete subsidiary jumper box inside a room did not involve destroying or permantly altering a house that wasn't self owned; it wasn't pretty to look at but 2 days of work could be done with in less than twenty minutes to return the house to the original condition.

I'm not getting younger but unless IoT gets to a point where it can be fully self contained, with no hidden call-back-home features, I'm going fully mechanical.