Our move to Pennsylvania over two and a half years ago was, among other things, an opportunity for us to start thinking about transitioning not just to a new home but to a new kind of home, one that would provide smart home functionality.

This was always going to be a slow process, and for a number of reasons, chief among them that the smart home market is still, today, evolving, and because I want to be cognizant of the fact that more technology isn’t always better. My wife isn’t a huge fan of many smart home gadgets, and we also do an annual (usually three weeks long) home swap, and I don’t want anyone coming here to worry about hidden cameras and other kinds of surveillance.