Yeah, everyone can keep talking about how awesome smart homes are and how they can’t wait to get Alexa opening their front door, but don’t kid yourself. Smart homes have a dark side. Just try replacing your router.
It is not that I didn’t think it would be miserable connecting four Amazon Echos, an Ecobee Thermostat, a smart TV, eight Hue lightbulbs, and four cameras to the internet again. Honestly, I did.
I was not expecting the process to take days. It’s now been a week. I’m still saying voice commands and opening apps only to realize they don’t have internet access yet. Connecting one device back to the internet actually killed it, forcing me to order two more in the hopes of getting another with working firmware.
If you’ve ever walked headfirst into a door, you know the feeling I’m talking about. Say it with me now, fine denizens of the internet. When it comes to smart homes, “Just say no.”
Trav in Real Life is a collection of random musings.
