[oftenwrong]

Some of these things can be achieved with lower-tech sensors.

Outdoor lights with light or motion sensors are common.

Garage lights typically turn on automatically when the garage door opens. If you mean the human-sized door to the garage, light bulbs with built-in motion sensors are available; I have used those in entryways and in closets. I don't have a garage, but if I did it would be nice to be able to close it remotely if I forgot to.

I have also installed timer switches to make sure things like vent fans for the shower do not stay on longer than necessary.

Switching all lights at once is nifty if you live in a large home. I have a small home, so it's quite trivial to turn off all of the lights.

For myself, I just don't think it's worth it to setup more sophisticated automation at this time. For one, I rent. Second, of all of the inconveniences in my life, these are at the bottom of the list.

One of the best minor conveniences I addressed recently was getting a larger-volume soap dispenser so that I have to refill it less often.

[happypenguin]

Yep, if you rent it doesn't make as much sense. All I was pointing out is that automation is way more than just being able to flip your light on using your phone. I have ZWave switches in my home and I don't use my phone to flip any switches. For me, I like being able to program the house and customize it in any way.

A motion sensor hard wired vs one that goes back to a Zigbee/Zwave hub running OpenHab are not too different. One is some added complexity for added flexibility.