I think it's pretty common for people who aren't technically inclined to view those who work with Tech as basement dwellers who work solely from a green matrix terminal. I'm sure there are plenty of IT folks, developers and similar who do work from basements, it's a nice place for an office, but I think people tend to place techies into a bit of a stereotype.
The Stereotype
I've always found the stereotype of the hacker to be fascinating. Anytime a terminal gets opened, people jump to this conclusion that you must be a master hacker who's up to no good. If someone isn't doing all their coding at 2am in a dark basement, they must not really be a developer. If you've ever wanted to freak out the patrons of the local coffee shop, just spin up a Linux box and start updating packages - Instant Hacker!
apt update && apt upgrade -y
I think the stereotype has certainly evolved a bit from this, but there are plenty of people who still see nothing wrong with the NCIS scene where two team members are both combating a 'hack' and sharing the same keyboard. I think a new part of the modern stereotype is that technical people must have technology throughout their homes to take care of everything. Sun setting and it's time to close the shades? "Alexa, activate night mode!". Floor need cleaning? "Okay Google, let loose the Roomba." Temperature too warm inside? Just open up the Nest app and adjust the temperature accordingly.
The Reality (for me)
So why, as someone who knows quite a lot about technology, do I have what I'd consider to be a 'dumb home', and what even is that? (It's the antithesis to the buzzword of smart home). At a minimum, I spend 40 hours a week sitting at my desk working with tech in one way or another. I'm thankful that my job is varied and keeps me on my toes, it's never the same thing day in and day out and it keeps me engaged. That being said, even though it's work I like, it is still work. When I'm off the clock, I don't want to futz about with things like smart thermostats, or voice activated blinds. I just want things to work, and I'm not overly interested in fighting with an internet connected air conditioner that's not keeping the living room cool because the manufacturers servers aren't working.
That isn't to say there isn't some tech in my home, there definitely is, but it's a minimal amount. I don't love relying on ISP provided modems/routers at the network edge, so I do have my own but it's just a small box running an open-source router OS. There certainly isn't any kind of server rack to be found and the extent of the compute capacity in my lab is two Zima boards and a Raspberry Pi 3b+. I've self-hosted plenty of applications, and still do so where it makes sense, but for the most part my lab runs itself.
Doesn't Sound So Dumb...
You'd be right for thinking a custom router and a home lab might doesn't sound much like a 'dumb home', and I suppose you'd be right. However, there aren't any traditional Smart Home type appliances like Voice Assistant boxes or internet connected indoor cameras. (Bit of a side note, I'm also deeply proud of the fact that I haven't had to own a printer in about 3 years now; it's been great). If a piece of Smart Home technology can be bought at Best Buy, it probably can't be found in my home. Consumer tech is often hard to properly secure and knowing what I do about the cyber threat landscape, I'd prefer to not have those kinds of things running on my network. The one exception to that rule is a smart plug that has my white noise machine plugged into it. I like to have background noise at night and it's quite convenient to turn it on and off from my cellphone.
I love working in IT, and I spend more time than I'd probably like to admit working on my lab and other projects. And don't get me wrong, I do understand the convenience aspect of the whole thing, a perfect example being my use of a smart plug. However, when I'm not at work or tinkering with my lab, I just don't want to fight with technology. I'd rather get up and turn the lights on myself.
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