A lot of these answers conflate remote control with automation. Some of these devices seem to offer remote control, some offer actual automation. I also love not having to get up and hit arrow keys on my television monitor to change the channel. Likewise, my ceiling fans have radio controllers. It would be nice if lights had those as well. On the other hand, I feel no need for motion detectors, voice control, or any kind of service running on a server somewhere trying to learn when I want the lights on or off. But a switch that can be flipped without having to walk to wherever the wall-mounted switch is would be nice. That can be a simple radio device or infrared or whatever they prefer, just like a television remote. Don't need an app that requires an account with a remote service. Same thing with a thermostat. When I first married and moved in with my wife a decade ago, she had Nest thermostats and those things annoyed the hell out of me, using eco settings by default, requiring access to WiFi, trying to learn my living patterns. Some of these answers are right. The longstanding automation offered by thermostats was great. I like being able to program when I want specific temperatures in specific rooms and then it just happens. But that was enough. I don't need a cloud-based service to learn when I'm home and in what rooms. I already know that.
