Discussions

I've been living with various smart devices for about three years now—random bulbs here, a doorbell there, a thermostat somewhere else. Everything works, but nothing talks to each other, and I'm constantly switching between apps. It's becoming more annoying than helpful.

Recently stumbled upon the concept of hiring a smart home integrator to tie everything together properly. Before I spend that kind of money though, I wanted to get some real-world perspectives from people who've actually done this.

My questions: Did professional integration significantly improve your daily experience, or was it just expensive repackaging of what you already had? How much customization did you actually get? And most importantly, was the ongoing support worth it?
I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who tried DIY first and then switched to professional integration. What changed for you? I'm technically capable—I work in IT—but I'm wondering if there's value I'm missing beyond just the technical setup.

Also curious about scalability. If I start with professional integration now, how easy is it to add new devices or rooms later without calling someone back out? Don't want to lock myself into something inflexible.