Installing a Smart Lock: A Family Affair
Using an electric screwdriver, I carefully install the body plate of a smart lock on my parents’ front door. My dad looks on, visibly annoyed. At just 50 years old, he’s far from being the tech-averse stereotype of older generations, yet his skepticism about smart home technology is palpable. “Do I really need to lock my door with a voice command? How lazy does one have to be to flip a light switch or use a key?” he asks, arms crossed.
The Reluctance to Change
Most people would agree that if something isn’t broken, don’t fix it. For many, the idea of a smart home is seen as a complex and expensive endeavor that doesn’t initially seem to save much time. But with today’s advanced features and ease of setup, that’s simply not the case. As a Gen Z kid who grew up with the internet, adding smart lighting or security cameras to my living space came naturally. I remember my excitement as a college freshman returning to my first apartment with the original Google Home speaker and some smart light strips.
Looking back, I realize that I’ve never had the perspective of upgrading an existing long-term living space, which is where hurdles arise for many transitioning into a smart home. While I’m passionate about the potential these gadgets bring, it’s easy for others to boil smart home technology down to a reductive view of fancy color-changing lights or remote-controlled thermostats.
The Smart Home Vision
To me, a smart home is about saving time, fully customizing my living space, and monitoring and controlling my home from anywhere. Here’s how I dipped my parents’ toes into setting up a smart home and eventually won them over.
Security and Safety
The first thing I installed was security cameras and smart sensors throughout the property. This was the easiest sell to my parents, as their home had been through the ringer due to several robberies and floods. For years, they relied on contact and motion sensors tied to a contract-based home security system. When I explained that updating these sensors to smart home-friendly models could send notifications to their phones or activate connected devices like lights, I piqued their interest.
My parents were amazed when I showed them how they could use their Fire TV to control their home devices. Now, if someone rings their video doorbell, a picture-in-picture view automatically pops up on the big screen, allowing them to ignore it or answer while binge-watching a series.
Although I couldn’t convince them to ditch their home monitoring contract, I placed affordable Aqara smart contact and motion sensors above the existing ones on their doors, windows, and walls. This setup ties into lighting automation for entryways when they walk in after dark, as well as motion detection alerts even when the main security system is unarmed.
Their favorite addition was Govee’s Smart Leak sensors. These are some of the best water leak detectors for the price, and I placed one wherever plumbing ran: the kitchen, bathroom, and basement near the laundry machine. For the longest time, they’d used basic water sensors that blared a loud alarm if moisture was detected. That’s fine when you’re home, but as they learned three years ago, not so useful when they were away and the dishwasher’s plumbing line broke. Smart water sensors not only produce a siren but also send notifications to their phones, allowing for faster intervention.
Smart Speakers to Control Everything
Next, I dotted some of the best smart speakers and displays around the house. These act as the foundation for my parents to conveniently control gadgets with voice commands or view their security camera feeds. I had them opt for an Echo Show 8 in the kitchen, our top pick for the best smart display with a great balance of size and features.
We also sprinkled a few 5th Gen Echo Dots throughout the house for intercom and voice command points in each room. These spheres serve as a central place to ask quick questions, listen to music, and use voice commands. My parents find them helpful for relaying announcements like when dinner is ready or quickly checking on my little sisters.
Each major smart home platform’s apps (Alexa, HomeKit, and Google Home) have made it extremely easy for anyone to control their home while away or tell their gadgets what actions to take through automation. With basic “if” and “then” building blocks, you don’t need to be a programmer to tell connected devices to do something at specific times or when an event happens.
AI-Powered Cleaning
Thankfully, my parents didn’t have any complaints when I suggested adding one of the best robot vacuums I’ve tested to their one-story ranch. I chose the Roomba J9+ Combo for its exceptional vacuuming and mopping capabilities. This bot removes dirt and debris from hardwood floors while dragging a mop along the back. Once it sees carpet, the mop retracts to prevent spills.
The J9+’s self-emptying base stores up to two months of debris and has a sleek design that looks like a piece of furniture. iRobot’s app recommends a daily cleaning schedule and is easy to customize, so they don’t have to fumble around with burdensome apps. Plus, this robot vacuum is smart enough to recognize and prioritize dirtier, high-traffic rooms and adjust its suction power on its own.
Keeping Cool (and Hot)
I haven’t had the chance to install a smart thermostat in their home yet, but we have our eyes on the new Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen). This is not only one of the best smart thermostats but also one of the smartest devices we’ve seen. It understands your preferences and detects your presence to ensure comfort while turning down the system when you’re away.
Let There Be (Smart) Lights
While I still have to help my dad manually swap out the holiday inflatables in his yard, I’ve installed permanent outdoor smart lights that allow me to change colors and animations from my phone. Now, I don’t have to hop up on a ladder with my dad to place, swap out, and remove decorative lights each year.
For Halloween, the front of their house flashes orange and purple. The day after, my dad simply opens the Govee app and switches to a static Thanksgiving palette of red and amber. Throughout the rest of the year, they primarily use these lights as basic white light security to illuminate the property at night.
This level of versatility is woven throughout their home with some of the best smart lights, from string lights on the deck to individual bulbs inside. Even if you rarely use mood lighting, the ability to adjust dimness levels opens up options like waking up naturally to a sunrise effect in your bedroom.
Powering Up (or Down) with Smart Plugs
I convinced my parents to upgrade their outlets with smart plugs and power strips as a way to save money on their electric bill. Smart plugs are an affordable way to integrate existing appliances, lamps, and decorations into a smart home for automation and scheduling. I hooked my dad up with a Tapo Outdoor smart plug with two individually controlled outlets, allowing him to schedule hours for the inflatables in the yard.
You can also use smart plugs to enhance home security by setting away routines that randomly turn on smart devices to make your house appear occupied. Even if you don’t have a smart TV or speaker, you can connect basic outlet-powered gadgets to a smart plug to turn them on and off at random intervals.
Locking Things Down
One of the biggest points of friction was when I changed my parent’s original lock for a smart lock. Since the biggest turnoff for them was the installation process—and the fact that they couldn’t use their existing keys—I opted for the Yale Approach conversion smart lock. This type of smart lock is easy to install and only replaces the interior portion of the lock, keeping the outside looking the same and allowing them to use the same keys—a non-negotiable for my folks.
After I quickly walked him through the app to show him how he can now lock and unlock the front door remotely from anywhere, his tone did a complete 180. Naming his home “The Love Shack” and setting its picture as a meme, he played with the lock like a kid flipping a light switch and began to see the benefits.
Home Sweet Smart Home
While not everyone is rushing to replace their analog setups, I think they should if they’re interested. As smart home technology has matured, prices have fallen in line with those of their basic counterparts. Thanks to the development of Matter, devices can communicate across platforms, making setup as simple as scanning a QR code or opening an app to discover a device over Bluetooth.
The most you’ll have to worry about is screwing in, sticking on, or standing up hardware, usually in under five minutes or less. This opens up a whole new world of control and customization from anywhere, even when you’re away from your property.