We’ve all been through the arc of simplifying home control, starting with the infrared universal remote in the 90s, complex Crestron and AMX-based systems in the 2000s, the rise of voice control in the 2010s with Alexa, and finally, in 2026, still a bit lost and dissatisfied with almost every experience. Why is that? Technology is transitory, and the illusion it tries to create is fickle. One sub-optimal experience sticks much longer than weeks of trouble-free operation, and every new solution has been trying to minimise the friction points. In the age of voice control and AI-enabled devices, there is a real possibility of switching from controls that are reactionary to anticipatory.
This isn’t just about the theatrics or optics, but a fundamental UX shift where we, as users, don’t want to be bothered by interfaces in every room.
Crude motion sensors have been replaced by sophisticated “presence” sensors built into mmWave radar systems that can detect micro-movements of multiple people in the same room while being spatially aware.
So features like fall detection, controlling ambient temperature based on the number of people in the room, auto-adjust brightness of lights in different areas of the living area, etc., can be programmed right into next-generation devices that will be available this year. The proliferation of standardised protocols like Ultra Wide Band (UWB) has made it easy to carry out hands-free door unlocking when you approach your home with hands full of groceries.
Apple is already using this tech quietly in their iPhones and HomePods to seamlessly transfer music from one device to another, or to locate a missing item with an AirTag attached to it. Universal control protocols like Matter let devices from different brands work together in unison and run locally over WiFi, improving speed, reliability, and privacy.
“If there’s one smart home feature that actually changes how people live day-to-day, it is frictionless lighting control,” says Shreyans Chowdhary, Director of SMATO home automation. “It’s not about smart bulbs — it’s about fully automated, context-aware lighting. When people stop pressing switches and start changing environments, that's when behavioral shifts happen. There’s no app. No voice commands. No thinking. Just seamless, frictionless operation where lighting adapts in real time to your presence, time of day, and activity. That’s what makes it powerful: it delivers instant, visible, and repeated impact every single day. So in the end, while everyone talks about AI and automation… intelligent lighting quietly becomes the feature that sells the entire system”, he admits.
More validation comes from Ashish Tijare, Director at ITS, as he cites India-specific reasons, “This kind of scheduling really works well in the Indian environment, where there are a lot of bungalows and independent villas, managing parking lights, garden or facade lights, and a few other areas in the house, as it syncs with the celestial clock. Also, in houses where domestic help is used most of the time, Automation removes frustration caused by giving multiple instructions to multiple people all the time, and the house almost runs automatically.”
The systems that ensure these magical experiences are still rather complex and not something you can undertake as a DIY weekend project. Custom control solutions from Savant, keypads by Basalte, mirror TVs from QAIO, invisible speakers from Amina Sound, all come together to make for a magical orchestration of commands that enhance your life daily and go far beyond the hobbyist nature of Amazon Alexa hubs and robo-vacuums.