Smart Home Conveniences & Automations


One of the fun parts of a smart home is thinking of new ideas to simplify things. I created the following list of smart home conveniences and automations we have set up in our house using Samsung SmartThings and Alexa. Hopefully, sharing my list will give someone else an idea for their home. I plan to add to this list over time and Iwrote a Smart Home Products article about the hardware that enables this list.

Lighting

  • Turn on/off and dim lights with your voice
  • Adjust the speed of a ceiling fan with your voice
  • Turn on outside lights to 10% at sunset
  • Turn on outside lights to 100% when there is motion in the yard and back to 10% once there is no motion
  • Turn outside lights off at sunrise
  • Turn on multiple lights & lamps when pressing one switch
  • Turn off the kids room’s lights when Life360 detects they leave the house
  • Turn the hallway lights on 80% during the day and10% at night when there is motion
  • Turn off lights once there is no motion in the room

Doors & Locks

  • Auto open garage door when coming home
  • Open/close garage door from Apple Watch / iPhone
  • Auto-lock doors after a door closes
  • Assign unlock codes to people (cleaners, people taking care of pets, etc.)
  • Unlock a door when another door is unlocked
  • Lock all the doors and turn off all the lights when you tell Alexa Goodnight
  • Unlock door remotely to let service person in (HVAC, Plumber, etc.)
  • Have Amazon packages placed in your garage

Other conveniences 

  • Water sensors under sinks and the basement drain 
  • Set house thermostat temperature with your voice
  • Make announcements throughout the house (I.e., dinner time)
  • Announce through the house what doorbell was pressed
  • Multi-room music
  • Ask Alexa the weather 
  • Watch your driveway video on your TV when you are expecting someone 
What automations do you have or would like to have? Leave yours in the comments!

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