10 Smart Home Life Hacks Every Smart Home Owner Should Know

My smart home systems need an update. As new standards for connecting gadgets in the home emerged, along with updates to Google and Amazon hardware and apps, I’ve fallen behind in maintaining their functionality and ensuring smooth operation. So, I’m working on it now.

If you’re also bored with your smart home and its current features, keep reading. Here are some ways to customize your surrounding smart devices so they can do more than just turn lights on and off (though they do plenty of that). While my personal smart home is part of the Google Home ecosystem, these features also apply to smart homes powered by Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa.

Turn off everything when no one is home.

It sounds obvious, but after almost ten years, I still haven’t set up my smart home to turn off the lights when I leave. Given my current energy bills, I’d like to break this habit. I want to be sure the lights and any faulty appliances are turned off, especially when no one’s home.

The Google Home app’s “Away” feature in the “Automations” tab lets you choose which devices turn off when the system detects my phone is away. But what if everyone else is home? I don’t want their lights to turn off. Instead, I use an automation that turns off lights when two conditions are met: I’m away from home, and none of the centralized devices in the house, like TVs connected to a Chromecast, are turned on.

Even if you’re not a Google ecosystem user, you can use similar “if this, then that” logic. For Apple HomeKit users, the Shortcuts app is the best way to create an “Leave Home” automation and add a “Get Home State” condition to ensure companion devices, like an Apple TV, aren’t in use. Amazon Alexa users have a slightly more complicated setup, as there’s no built-in way to determine a device’s on/off state. You can create a location-based scene or use the ” Away Lights ” feature (in the Home/Away settings). This effectively turns on a “forced-on” mode when you leave.

Set your morning volume level

Some people enjoy listening to music first thing in the morning. But there’s nothing worse than scaring everyone in the house out of their minds because the volume is cranked up. Sure, you can shout over the music playing or run to turn it down, but there’s no need. Instead, set up an automatic sound turn-on so the speaker is set to your desired volume level every morning before anyone turns it on.

In the Google Home app, under “Automation,” set up a routine to run every morning, week after week. Then select the problematic speaker devices. (I set the volume on all my smart speakers to the same level every day, upstairs and downstairs, because you never know what might happen.) Apple and Alexa have similar settings. In the Apple Home app, you set up a routine on the relevant HomePod to run at a specific time of day. And with Amazon Alexa, you create a routine with the “schedule” trigger and then select the Echo devices to set the volume.

Keep people away from your porch.

If you don’t care about visitors at certain times of the day or night, you can arrange your porch space in a way that will attract those outside and encourage them to move away.

If you have a doorbell with a camera, you’re probably used to receiving passive notifications when someone is in sight. You can turn this notification into a smart home automation system. Set it up so that when motion is detected, your outdoor lights turn on full power and indoor lights flash. For this, you’ll need smart light bulbs or smart plugs.

In the Google Home app, this is done in the “Automation” tab. I set my Nest doorbell camera to “Trigger when it detects “Person Sighted.” Then, in the “Actions” section, I select the lights that should turn on automatically. Apple smart homes require HomeKit Secure Video (HSV)-enabled cameras to access these features. In the Home app, you can create an automation that triggers when the camera detects activity , then select the outdoor lights and outward-facing lamps that should turn on. Amazon users with Ring cameras can do the same in the Alexa app under “Apps.” You can even go further and enable the same ” Outdoor Lights ” feature from the previous tip, which plays an audible alarm inside the home when motion is detected.

Focus mode for home

Unfortunately, I can’t concentrate. I need all external distractions to be shut out to some degree. Instead of doing it manually, I set up automation to tidy up the rest of the house when it’s time to work. I don’t verbalize the commands, but rather set a schedule.

Every morning, starting at 9:30 a.m., except on weekends, I set an action that dims all the lights in my office to a certain level, enough to get into a work rhythm, and turns off any other lights in the house that might have been left on due to my chaotic morning routine. I also turn off the TVs and any indoor security cameras that I don’t want spying on me while I work. A similar scheme is used for Apple HomeKit users, although it’s even better on iOS, since your iPhone’s state sets the tone. In the Shortcuts app, you can create a personal automation. Select Focus Mode as the trigger (it might look like “Do Not Disturb”), then select “When On.” Then set the action to “Home Control,” where you can specify the status for smart lights and any other devices. Once you put your iPhone on silent mode or the clock strikes 9:30 AM—whichever comes first—you’ll see your connected devices follow suit.

Alexa uses logic similar to Google Home, where scheduling does the bulk of the work. In the Alexa app, go to the “Routines” section and create a routine with a scheduled start time, setting it to run only on weekdays. Then, add the smart home actions you want to configure, turn off, and turn on. The only drawback is that there’s no way to extend the action to your smartphone, at least not through Alexa.

Create a guest mode for smart devices.

People are confused about how I manage my home, and I understand. So I created a guest profile with “limited access” for friends who only plan to stay a night or two.

Google Home lets you invite users with the ” Member ” role to access smart home controls. With a Google account, they can access connected lights in specified rooms as needed. Apple HomeKit is much more granular, but works similarly. You caninvite users by their Apple ID and control access to specific accessories. You can also block their access to security cameras and thermostats, ensuring they only have access to essential features, such as smart lighting.

Alexa is the most limited in the Amazon ecosystem. (It previously offered a feature called Guest Connect, which is now deprecated.) Instead, you’ll have to rely on Amazon Household, so you’ll need to invite a guest with an Amazon account to manage your devices. However, this will also give them access to the full range of features, including your payment methods. To avoid oversharing, teach your guests the basic “on” and “off” commands for your smart devices.

Protect your thermostat

If you don’t want others adjusting your thermostat, you can block them from accessing it using your smart home system. Google smart home systems allow you to set a PIN in the Home app to prevent access to the thermostat and manual temperature changes. However, this only works with compatible devices, such as the Nest thermostat .

In an Amazon-connected home, you’ll need an Alexa-compatible thermostat. You can search the manufacturer’s app settings for a PIN to prevent unauthorized changes. Or, you can use Alexa’s “Routine” feature to set a specific schedule that automatically returns the temperature to your desired setting, even if someone else changes it.

Apple HomeKit allows you, the smart home owner, to control your home’s settings using scenes. (Get used to creating them , because they’ll become indispensable later.) In the Home app, create a scene called “My Temperature,” then set your compatible thermostat to your desired temperature. In the Shortcuts app, create a personal automation to run this scene at a specific time, then choose how often you want it to run. This will allow you to check and adjust the temperature every few hours to ensure it’s your preferred temperature, not someone else’s.

Never forget about the next batch of laundry.

I have a connected washer and dryer that I can set up to notify me when my laundry is done. A simple push notification might be fine for some, but I prefer Google Home to notify me when my laundry is dry. In the Home app, under “Automations,” I can select the LG dryer ready alert, and then have the Home app send a message to a few specific smart speakers in the house to notify me when my laundry is ready for pickup.

If you don’t have any internet-connected appliances, you can use a smart plug with energy monitoring from brands like Govee or TP-Link Kasa. Provided it’s high-voltage (look for one rated for over 15 amps), you can connect a non-internet-connected washer or dryer to it, and it will notify you when the appliance turns off.

Apple HomeKit users should explore compatible Eve Energy smart plugs and then create a custom automation routine in the Shortcuts app that will trigger whenthe smart plug’s power consumption drops below a specified threshold. An action might involve going to “Home Control” and then selecting a scene that flashes a specific color at high brightness, turning on all lights, as an indicator that it’s time to fold laundry. Amazon users are in a similar situation. A compatible smart plug can be added to a routine that triggers when the smart plug’s power consumption drops below a certain wattage. The action could be set to a red or similar color for the smart bulb, serving as a visual cue that it’s time to fold laundry.

Do not water plants during rain.

My husband created a vast network of internet-connected sprinklers in the front and backyards using the B-Hyve app . It’s incredibly convenient for turning sprinklers on and off and scheduling them in the summer. However, in winter, we don’t need to water the lawn as often as we do in the summer when it’s dry. So, we set up the app to automatically adjust watering based on the weather. If you don’t have a smart irrigation system, you can simulate one. Again, all you need is a smart plug designed for outdoor use connected to your irrigation system. An external temperature sensor can make this process more accurate.

Google Home users will have to rely on seasonal schedules rather than real-time weather data. Create a new automation with a “time of day” trigger that only runs on weekdays. In winter, you’ll have to manually disable this routine to prevent overwatering the lawn. You can use a third-party service like IFTTT or Zapier to set up a routine based on the actual weather forecast. Alexa requires a similar third-party service to create a routine based on weather conditions.

Apple is more lenient. In the Apple Home app, you can create a time-based automation and then convert it into a shortcut, adding weather as a condition. You can then set the “Get Weather Forecast” action and choose whether the current weather is “rainy” or whether the chance of rain exceeds a certain percentage. If the forecast predicts rain, the shortcut will not trigger the system. Otherwise, if there’s no rain, the shortcut will continue to run and turn on the smart plug for your irrigation system.

Play music or soundscapes on command.

I find it best to have one of these binaural tracks playing on a loop in the background. Instead of manually playing these tracks every day, I can have Google do it for me by directly linking my soundscapes to a specific program. You can also create such a program for any media you want to listen to.

In the Google Home app, under “Automation,” create a scene for the whole family that will run when you say, “Hey Google, time to relax!” Under “Actions,” choose which lights should turn on and how to configure them. You can then select a smart speaker or Chromecast device and set it to play specific media from Spotify or YouTube.

The same applies to Apple and Amazon devices. Apple Home allows you to set up automations based on time of day or a voice command for automatic activation. To play audio, select HomePod and set it to play “background sounds” or anything from Apple Music. HomePod supports the “Stop Playing After” setting, so you can set it to turn off automatically after an hour or two.

Amazon also uses the “Routine” feature. For the action, select “Music & Audio,” then select the audio source. Add a second action by selecting “Timers & Alarms” and setting “Sleep Timer.” This ensures Alexa will stop playing audio after a set time, just like with Apple Home, so you don’t have to turn it off manually.

Get alerts if someone leaves your garage door open.

The best part about a smart home is remote access to all the appliances and devices you’re afraid to leave on or open when you leave the house. This can be done with your garage, too, without the hassle of installing sensors on your garage door, provided you have a compatible smart home control center.

You can buy an inexpensive security camera that uses an SD card to monitor your garage door and allow you to peer inside. Or, for about $20, you can buy a small ZigBee-enabled tilt sensor and automate its checking of the garage door status once the system detects that everyone has left the house. On Google Home, you can link this sensor to the “Home and Away” status. As with the lighting setting, here you select the tilt sensor to check the “Everyone Away” status. If the sensor’s device status is set to “Open,” you can choose a notification action with a custom message. However, closing the door is still your responsibility. If you’re the last one to leave, you’ll need to return; if someone else has left, you can quickly call or text them to turn around and close the door.

Apple and Amazon use the same location detection scheme. With Apple, you need to set up the sensor along with the “People Leaving” automation, then set the “Open” condition after the last person leaves. In this case, configure the action to send a notification to your device. With Amazon, set up a routine to check the garage’s status after you leave.

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