Year-end automation hiccups got me thinking about 2026 ideas

[NightFright]

December gatherings pushed my automations harder than usual, especially audio routines. Everything technically worked, but source switching and timing felt off once multiple people started interacting with the system.

It wasn’t bad enough to fix immediately, but it stuck with me. Made me think about automations I’ve avoided because they felt unnecessary before. Stuff that adapts better when usage spikes or behavior gets unpredictable.

Heading into 2026, I’m more curious than urgent. Just wondering what automation ideas others are quietly thinking about after a year-end reality check.

 

[Alan]

Year-end gatherings are a real stress test for automations. Things that feel solid under normal use can behave differently once multiple people start interacting at once. Did the timing issues show up mostly with audio, or across other routines too?

 

[SkywardLink]

Audio automations are the first thing to get weird when guests show up. My 2026 idea is a simple “party mode” scene that locks inputs and volume limits so the system stops trying to be clever.