The amount of time wasted doing that every couple days walking from one end of the house to the other, and interrupting what I'm doing? Well worth the price of admission. I get it's not for everyone, but the annoyance factor alone makes it worthwhile. The same reason I have a smart garage door opener, so when I get to the end of the street and can't remember if I closed it or not, I can just pull out my phone and check instead of driving all the way home.

Smart homes for me are about removing everyday annoyances. Is the price to entry higher than it probably should be? Absolutely, but that's the way it is with any new technology. I would be shocked if 10 years from now the norm for every new construction is anything other than a smart thermostat.