Everyone seems to have a different definition of a “smart home.” For some, it’s asking Alexa to turn on the lights. For others, it’s having dozens of sensors and automations running quietly in the background. But right now, what passes as “smart” in the consumer market often feels half-baked.

From my perspective, there are three big problems holding smart homes back—and unless these are fixed, the term “smart home” will remain misleading.

1. The Hub Madness⌗

Walk into a typical smart home setup, and you’ll probably find a shelf full of hubs: a Philips Hue hub, a SmartThings hub, maybe a Lutron hub, a Zigbee stick, and so on.

The problem? None of these hubs speak the same “language.” That means:

  • Sensor A can’t trigger bulb B if they’re on different platforms.
  • Devices often live on separate networks (Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, Thread), which don’t always talk to each other.
  • You get signal duplication and interference from too many protocols running in parallel.

A true smart home shouldn’t require juggling five different hubs just to make a motion sensor turn on a light.

2. Voice Assistants Aren’t Real Hubs⌗

Voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri have been marketed as the “brain” of the smart home. But in reality, they’re just fancy voice-operated switches.

Here’s why:

  • Most automations depend on the cloud, which introduces delays.
  • Some assistants can do limited local automations (like “motion turns on light ”), but they’re often inconsistent.
  • Relying on your voice to control everything isn’t “smart”—it’s just manual control with extra steps.

A truly smart home should anticipate your needs and act automatically. For example: lights that turn on when you walk in, HVAC that adjusts when a window opens, or routines that adapt based on your schedule. That’s real intelligence—not just voice commands.

3. Matter: The Promise and the Mess⌗

Matter was supposed to fix everything. Marketed as the “universal smart home standard,” it promised to:

  • Allow devices from different brands to work seamlessly.
  • Run locally, without cloud dependence.
  • Let a simple action—like pressing Button A—toggle Bulb B, regardless of brand.

But in practice, Matter has stumbled:

  • Not all Matter devices support the same features.
  • Some manufacturers implement only partial functionality.
  • Ecosystem support is inconsistenbetween sunset and sunriset, so consumers are still stuck with compatibility headaches.

Matter could still deliver on its promise, but only if manufacturers take it seriously and implement it fully. Right now, it feels like another layer of fragmentation.

What a Smart Home Should Look Like⌗

If we step back, a smart home should follow three principles:

  1. Unified Control – one central platform (local-first) that works across all devices.
  2. True Automation – events happen automatically, not only by voice command.
  3. Interoperability First – every device should be able to communicate, no matter who made it.

Projects like Home Assistant, openHAB, or Hubitat get closer to this vision than most consumer-grade systems because they prioritize local control and cross-brand interoperability.

Final Thought⌗

Right now, consumer smart homes are mostly “connected” homes—not truly “smart.” Until hubs are unified, voice assistants move beyond being glorified remotes, and Matter delivers on its promise, we’ll still be living in a fragmented, unreliable future.

A truly smart home shouldn’t just listen to you—it should think with you.