For me, one of my principles is that smart home stuff should work normally , with automation as a bonus. That means smart switches, not bulbs, and generally means no subscriptions or internet dependencies.

Some use cases for my smart switches are:

• automatic timers for multiple rooms to make the house appear lived in, or to match my schedule
• voice response, in case my hands are full r I don’t want to get up
• easier dimming - I can say “set dining room light 20%” faster than I can get up, walk over, and futz with the switch
• scenes, such as work mode, to set everything just the way I like it

For example, one of my automations is

• half an hour after sunset, turn on dining room light to 50%
• if weekday, set to 30% at 9pm, and turn on bedroom light
• if weekend, do it an hour later
• turn off dining room half an hour later
• turn off bedroom light half an hour later

If I’m home, this matches my schedule. If I’m not, maybe I look like I am. Maybe you think this looks needlessly complicated but it’s convenient and it’s not something you can do without smart devices