&gt; is it bad to make our homes work just a little better?<p>Not at all. Unfortunately, very few people are actually including proper security and risk costs. A device that improves energy use <i>and</i> makes usage data or admin control accessible by a network may not be &quot;just a little better&quot;. The network attack risk may even make the device a net harm.<p>It is rare to even see these negatives addressed by the people promoting IoT. I consider this extreme negligence, as any problems from a network attack are paid by the end user. Like coal based power, insecure consumer devices avoid paying for their negative externalities.