It’s been nearly four years since we first shared how smart home technology helps our household run more smoothly. Since then we’ve moved, changed states, and updated many of our systems. In this update I’ll walk through what we’ve added, what we’ve stopped using, and the devices that still earn a permanent spot in our home.
As always, none of the products mentioned here are sponsored or gifted — these are our honest experiences with gear we bought and tested in real life. Let’s dive in.
STILL LOVE: Alexa Voice Assistant
Alexa devices remain the backbone of our smart home. We moved from one Echo and two Echo Dots in our previous house to two full-size Echos in common areas and three Echo Dots in each bedroom. Having Alexa available throughout the house makes voice control convenient for everyone, and the kids love using her to check the weather, play music, hear jokes, and even call everyone down for dinner. We use Alexa daily for timers, shopping lists, and as a simple whole-house intercom.
DITCHED: Alexa Auto
We tried Echo Auto in the car but eventually gave it away. It often struggled to hear us over music and the responses were slow or unreliable. For our needs, the benefit didn’t outweigh the clutter of wires and the occasional glitches, so we removed it from our setup.
ADDED: Smart Blinds
Motorized roller shades are by far our favorite recent smart upgrade. We installed blackout roller shades with smart motors in every bedroom and use voice commands or scheduled routines to switch the house into “night” or “morning” mode. The automation is transformative — instead of walking around to lower lights and blinds, a single command closes the shades and dims the lights. It’s elegant, convenient, and genuinely improves daily routines.
STILL LOVE: Kasa Smart Light Switches, Bulbs, & Plugs
Kasa smart bulbs, switches, and plugs remain some of the most practical devices in our home. We use smart switches for overhead lighting, smart bulbs for lamps, and smart outlets for smaller items like fans and decor. Kasa devices are easy to integrate with voice control and routines, and the app allows scheduling tied to sunrise and sunset so exterior lights come on and off automatically. Overall they’re reliable, flexible, and worth installing.
How To Install A Smart Plug
Adding a smart plug is one of the easiest ways to add automation. It usually takes just a minute to plug in, connect to your Wi‑Fi through the companion app, and assign the plug to a room or routine. From there you can schedule devices, control them remotely, or include them in voice-activated scenes.
DITCHED: Flo Smart Water Monitoring
We installed Flo smart water monitors on multiple lines at vacation properties to detect leaks and shut off water remotely. Unfortunately, inconsistent occupancy and poor internet reliability led to frequent false alerts. During busy rental weeks the system flagged extended water use and risked shutting off water for guests, which was unacceptable. After troubleshooting and consulting support, we deactivated the devices. They may work well in other situations, but they weren’t a good fit for our seasonal rental homes.
ADDED: “The Frame” Smart TV
We added a Frame TV for streaming that also doubles as wall art when idle. Its slim profile, single discreet cable to a small control box, and magnetic custom bezels give it a picture-frame look that’s much nicer than a traditional black screen. Uploading your own photos can be a bit fiddly, but once you match the aspect ratio the on-screen art looks convincingly framed and much less like a TV.
Tip: Resize personal images to the recommended resolution and aspect ratio for the best art-like result.
STILL LOVE: Nest Learning Thermostat
We continue to rely on Nest Learning Thermostats for their auto-away and learning schedule features. Auto-away saves energy by switching to eco mode when no motion is detected, and the thermostat’s learning algorithms build a schedule over time that reflects your actual routines. Voice control is a handy bonus, but the energy savings and convenience are the real wins.
DITCHED: Racchio Smart Sprinkler Controller
We stopped using the smart sprinkler controller simply because this house doesn’t have irrigation. When we did use it, the controller was excellent — app-based scheduling, local weather integration to skip watering on rainy days, and water savings made it a favorite. If you have an irrigation system, it’s worth considering.
ADDED: Pura Smart Fragrance
Sherry introduced the Pura smart diffuser to our setup. It’s a modern, non-toxic alternative to older plug-in fragrance devices. The Pura accepts two scent vials and lets you control intensity, switch between scents, and schedule scent periods through an app. For those sensitive to strong fragrances, the fine-grain intensity control makes it easy to keep scent subtle and pleasant.
We run low-intensity schedules so scents stay gentle throughout the day. The device’s customization and automatic scheduling are what make it genuinely useful rather than intrusive.
STILL LOVE: HP Smart Printer
We still appreciate our HP Envy wireless printer paired with an ink subscription service. The printer’s wireless scanning and printing from multiple devices is seamless, and the subscription automatically sends replacement cartridges before we run out. During periods of heavy home printing, that automated ink delivery was a huge convenience.
ADDED: Smart Outdoor Cameras
We recently added outdoor cameras to keep an eye on the pool and front porch. Modern outdoor systems offer customizable motion zones and intelligent alerts that help reduce false positives from animals or moving foliage. Our cameras run on rechargeable batteries and connect via Wi‑Fi; we added solar panels to maintain charge automatically. The added security and peace of mind have been worth it.
Summary of devices currently in use in our home:
- Amazon Echo and Echo Dots
- Kasa smart bulbs, smart switches, and smart plugs (including an outdoor plug)
- Motorized blackout roller shades
- Nest Learning Thermostat
- Samsung Frame Smart TV
- Pura Smart Diffuser
- HP Envy wireless printer with automatic ink replacement
- Outdoor security cameras and a wireless video doorbell
We don’t adopt every new novelty, but we do invest in technology that genuinely improves our daily life, saves time, or provides peace of mind. The list above reflects years of trial, error, and upgrades — and most of it has stuck because it makes routines easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable.
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