homeassistant

I have Z-Wave switches but being able to make a voice command like "Nabu, setup to watch TV in the living room." is faster and easier than pulling out my phone, unlocking it, opening the HA app, and then triggering the "Watch TV in the Living Room" automation and that's assuming my phone is actually with me. I often roam the house without my phone, relying on my Smart Watch to alert me to text messages and phone calls.

Here's another one. I'm taking laundry downstairs but the stairs lights are off and so are the basement lights. My hands are full carrying a basket of laundry so flipping the switches or using my phone to do it means that I have to set the basket down. Instead I say "Nabu, turn on the stairs and basement lights." and the lights turn on for me. When I'm done and back upstairs I can either wait for the motion timer to turn them off or simply say "Nabu, turn off of the stairs and basement lights." EZ-PZ and so convenient.

Different strokes for different folks and all that, I'm not judging how other people live, but I really don't understand why people choose to do without voice control when they have an HA setup and the ability to run it all local.

That's the answer commonly given but I don't understand how automation can handle the ad hoc nature of life. Here's some examples, maybe you could explain how this works for you?

• Watching TV and I'd like the lights dimmed or turned off.
• Finished putting laundry away and laid down to go to bed.
• Someone left the kitchen and the light is still on. I want it turned off without having to get up from the couch and I don't want to wait for the motion timer to expire.
• Someone is coming over, say Pizza delivery, and I want the exterior lights to go back to full bright before they arrive.