In 1984, General Electric introduced the HomeMinder, a significant milestone in the Home Automation industry. Being housed in a VCR styled package, it connected to the TV and was controlled by an infrared remote. By "talking" to special modules plugged into typical home outlets through the home's electrical system (by sending unique coded pulses higher than 60 HZ), the user could program things like lights or appliances to turn on or off whenever they wished, as long as they had a module for each device... This was made "easy" to do through a series of graphic menus navigated by the user on their television.

The GE HomeMinder "How To" video details the experience and specific interactions a user might go through to set up their system and program their first devices to be automated. It becomes evident however that home automation doesn't necessarily make life easier. The large plugin modules are obtrusive, and navigating tv menus to simply turn on and off lights is obtrusive. Arriving home or going to bed "not on schedule" disrupts the preprogrammed "automated" system the owner worked so hard to create. In contrast to technology better serving us by blending in with our lives, people are forced to shape their lives around the technology.