It Started With One Lamp

People think a "smart home" means rewiring the house or learning something complicated. It doesn't. For us, it started with a single lamp.

A few years ago, my wife Nicole was recovering from surgery. Getting up to reach a light switch wasn't simple anymore, it was a whole ordeal, and sometimes a risky one. So the first thing I automated wasn't anything fancy. It was the two lamps beside our bed. Now she could say "Alexa, turn on the bedroom" and the room came to life. No reaching, no twisting, no getting up. Just her voice.

That one small thing changed her whole day. So I did the hallway next. That switch is right outside our bedroom door. Now, before the sun's up, one of us can say "Alexa, turn on the hallway," and the path to the kitchen, and the coffee, lights itself. No feeling along the wall for a switch, and no dog toys to trip over in the dark.

In another post, I'll show how we took it a step further, adding a few sensors and a schedule so lights like these turn themselves on and off, both when they sense movement and at set times of day.

That's the whole idea behind what we do. Not a house full of gadgets, just the ordinary things, made easier, so you can stay comfortable and safe in the home you love.

How simple the first step really is

You need two things: a little Amazon Echo (that's the speaker you talk to), and a smart bulb or a smart plug for the lamp. You screw in the bulb or plug in the lamp, give it a name like "bedroom," and that's it. From then on, your voice is the switch. No electrician. No holes in the wall. No wrong button, and if it ever gets confused, you unplug it and plug it back in, same as anything.

If you'd like to try it yourself, wonderful, that's the spirit. And if you'd rather someone bring it, set it all up, and sit with you until you're comfortable using it, that's exactly what we do. Our Easy Start setup starts at $499: the voice assistant, a few lights that come on by themselves, and a patient teaching visit so it actually sticks. We set everything up on your own account, so it stays yours.

Start with one lamp. That's how we started. It's a small thing that turns out to be a big one.

The first 30-minute call is always free. Call or text 214-500-1131, or visit srit-dfw.com.

Senior IT of Dallas-Ft Worth is an installer and teacher, not a medical-alert or monitoring service. In an emergency, always dial 911.