“Smart home technology is cool, but is it actually worth it?” That’s a question we wrestled with for years while watching the trend quietly gain momentum. My short answer now: it’s not essential—more of a want than a need—but a handful of smart devices have genuinely improved life at home. Some make everyday tasks simpler, and several have helped reduce energy and water use, which can lower bills over time.
We aren’t huge early adopters (Sherry likes to joke that we’re “consistently behind the trends”), but our slow dive into smart-home gear sped up last fall when I received an Amazon Echo for my birthday. Since then we’ve added several devices—many I’ve mentioned on our podcast—and readers have asked for a single post that describes what we own and how we actually use it day to day. So strap in: here’s what’s in our home and how it helps.
The Smart Home Devices We Own
There seems to be a smart version of almost everything these days—vacuums, refrigerators, garage openers—but our purchases focus on lighting and energy efficiency. Below is a quick overview of the main devices we use; later sections explain how we put them to work.
1. Echo / 2. Echo Dot / 3. Smart Plug / 4. Mini Plug / 5. Smart Light Switch / 6. Smart Light Bulb / 7. Smart Thermostat / 8. Smart Irrigation Controller
All of these gadgets work much better with a voice assistant or a hub—in our case the Echo with Alexa. If you’re starting out, picking a hub first (Echo or Google Home) makes sense so you can ensure compatibility as you add devices. For us, Echo offered the best balance of music quality and smart-home support, so that’s where we began.
During holiday sales we added three Echo Dots so Alexa is available in multiple rooms—home office downstairs, and two points on the second floor (bedroom and bonus room). The Echo in the kitchen can still hear commands from the living room, so we didn’t need another there. Having multiple devices also unlocked the handy “Drop In” feature, which I’ll explain below.
Smart plugs and bulbs are central to our setup. I prefer smart plugs for many lamps and non-light devices (fans, coffee makers, holiday trees) because they work with whatever is plugged into them. We also started with a set of smart bulbs in a few bedside lamps. Smart switches were the right choice for hardwired fixtures, like our office ceiling light, where a plug won’t help.
Before buying anything, ask: what do I want to improve in my house? Identifying specific pain points keeps you from accumulating gadgets that are neat but unnecessary. Below are ten practical ways we’ve used smart devices to make home life better.
#1: Solving Annoying Switch Situations
Our living room light switch was inconveniently placed by the back door and controlled most of the room’s outlets—so accidentally flipping it would shut off our modem and TV. Instead of fighting it, we plugged each lamp into smart plugs and grouped them in the Alexa app. Now a single command—“Alexa, turn on the living room”—switches all three lamps on or off. We can still control individual lamps when needed, but the group command eliminated an annoying end-of-day chore.
#2: Streamlining Bedtime
We use Alexa Routines to run multiple actions from a single command. Our favorite: “Alexa, good night.” That routine turns off the main living-room lights, switches on our bedside lamps, and generally makes the move upstairs safer and simpler. It’s a small comfort but one we use every night—like a mini hotel turn-down service.
#3: Saving Trips Across the Office
The office ceiling light switch is across the room, and when both of us are deep in work we didn’t want to stop. Instead of adding bulbs to the fixture, we installed a smart light switch. It still works manually but also responds to voice commands and routines—no more interruptions to maintain focus.
#4: Controlling Items With Awkward Switches
Our first smart-plug experiment was the Christmas tree. Plugging the tree into a smart plug made daily on/off control trivial and convinced Sherry of the value of the system. After the holidays we moved those plugs to salt lamps and other items with inconvenient cord switches, making them easy to control individually or as part of a lighting group.
#5: Minimizing Yelling—An Easy Intercom
We removed old wired intercoms years ago, but Drop In on our Echo devices has replaced them. With a Dot or Echo in several rooms, we can speak to one another across the house—perfect for calling kids to dinner or checking on a noise upstairs. You must grant access in the Alexa app for people outside your house, and Drop In prompts you before connecting, so privacy is controlled.
#6: Reducing Heating and Cooling Costs
Our thermostats have been in place for years and they were among our earliest smart purchases. The auto-away features save energy by adjusting temperatures when the house is empty, trimming both heating and cooling use. According to the manufacturer’s reported research, smart thermostats can save around 10–12% on heating and 15% on cooling on average, which often pays back the thermostat in under two years. Integrating the thermostat with Alexa adds convenient voice control for small adjustments and temperature checks.
#7: Keeping the Yard Healthy and Saving Water
We upgraded our sprinkler controller to a smart irrigation controller when we installed an in-ground system. It integrates with local weather data to skip watering on rainy days and to adjust schedules through seasonal changes. The app gives full control over zones and run times, and it can be voice-triggered if needed, though we mostly rely on automated schedules.
#8: Creating the Illusion We’re Home
While our alarm system isn’t fully integrated with Alexa, our lighting system’s app offers an “Away” or randomization mode that turns lights on and off at varying times to simulate occupancy. It’s more natural than a fixed timer and feels like a useful layer of security when we travel.
#9: Timers and Quick Questions
Alexa isn’t perfect at everything—sometimes Google Home answers certain queries better—but Alexa excels at everyday tasks: setting timers, alarms, quick math, and simple facts. We use timers for cooking and kids’ reading sessions, and the kids love asking for jokes, stories, and small games.
#10: Pure Fun
Beyond convenience and savings, a lot of what we do with Alexa is just fun. We stream music throughout the house via Echo devices, ask for trivia like Jeopardy questions, and let the kids play interactive audio games. Those small moments add a lot of daily enjoyment.
I began by asking whether smart-home gear is worth it. The answer depends on your priorities and the problems you want to solve. For us, a handful of well-chosen devices has delivered convenience, small energy savings, and plain old enjoyment. We’ll continue to watch new products, but so far the ones we’ve added feel like good investments for our household.
Update: After we moved, we documented which smart devices we kept and which we decided to ditch, and we recently added a wireless video doorbell that was very easy to install.
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