We’d rather have a dumb home than smart tech – here’s why

Far from embracing and being dependent upon technology, many people are pushing against it and ditching smart home devices.

They are turning their backs on lights that turn on automatically, robot vacuum cleaners and ovens you can turn on from your office 30 miles away.

They are living in what are being called ‘dumb homes’, where lights are turned on by proper switches, the oven needs to be manually operated with knobs, and the fridge doesn’t send photos to your phone when you’re short of milk.

Our house is and always will be a dumb house. My husband and I each have a smartphone, and we have an internet router, but other than that our house and its contents are bordering Neolithic.

When people arrive at our house they don’t get filmed by a doorbell as they dither about on the doorstep; they simply knock on the door. I know ring doorbells are supposed to be good for security, but society has managed for centuries with a door knock, and that is what we’re sticking with.

We don’t have lights that turn on automatically with the morning alarm or blinds that open themselves.

We don’t have a fridge that sends an alert to us if we accidentally leave the door open. If this happens we just curse a little and take it on the chin. And we wouldn’t dream of getting one of those high-tech fridges fitted with cameras that take pictures – ‘shelfies’ – of their contents and send them to your phone so you know what to stick on your shopping list. Basically, we have a small, no-mod-cons fridge, one step up from an old-fashioned larder.

Our oven isn’t very smart either. In fact, until I started writing this column I didn’t know there was such a thing as a smart oven – one that allows users to monitor and control cooking from their phones. They can include automated cooking programs, recipe suggestions sent directly to the oven, voice control, and built-in cameras to check on food remotely. I couldn’t think of anything worse. I find it hard enough to successfully cook a meal while standing in front of my oven never mind from several miles away. Were I to try remote cooking I’d need the fire service on standby.

This growing shift towards dumb homes – highlighted by estate agents and often referred to in newspaper property supplements – features reliable, no-fuss appliances over automated systems. Many homeowners are opting for simple buttons, switches, and knobs over voice-activated or app-controlled systems.

Our TV isn’t smart, our radio isn’t smart, our vacuum cleaner isn’t robotic and our toilet hasn’t got Bluetooth: don’t you just hate those loos that flush when they feel like it – usually when you’re still on it?

Our home is well and truly dumb, and I’m glad of that.

We also have – brace yourself – a landline, which I have to say I use more than my mobile to make calls. Speaking on it doesn’t make my tinnitus worse, which mobiles tend to do, especially after more than ten minutes.

I recently read about ‘dumb phones’ – basic models offering a digital detox from smartphone distractions. They are gaining popularity for their simplicity, long battery life, and affordability, often featuring physical keypads, small screens, and limited, or no internet connectivity.

I don’t want a fully-integrated smart home. I want a comfortable house that, if anything, harks back to the good old days when people flipped light switches, drew curtains and flushed the toilet themselves. Dependable and reliable, and far better than all this so-called smart nonsense.