I have a few "home automation" items in my house -- lights, thermostats, outlets, switches, etc.
By far the most useful is the Z-Wave deadbolt on my front door. It means I never carry keys, I can give codes to friends or the contractor and get texted when they enter, I can set temporary codes for deliveries, etc. I never have to worry if I locked the door.
I was surprised at the hype around Lockitron, since these have existed for a while. The main different seems to be that people prefer WiFi (since they already have it) even though it's a poor protocol for low-power and low-bandwidth.
By far the most useful is the Z-Wave deadbolt on my front door. It means I never carry keys, I can give codes to friends or the contractor and get texted when they enter, I can set temporary codes for deliveries, etc. I never have to worry if I locked the door.
I was surprised at the hype around Lockitron, since these have existed for a while. The main different seems to be that people prefer WiFi (since they already have it) even though it's a poor protocol for low-power and low-bandwidth.