1Nora and Ben moved into a new flat in June.
2They decided to try a few smart home devices.
3First, they replaced the living room bulbs with smart ones.
4Now the lights turn on when they say a phrase.
5They set the bedroom light to fade in slowly at seven.
6Waking up feels gentler than a loud alarm.
7Next, they placed a smart speaker in the kitchen.
8It plays the morning news while they make coffee.
9Ben asked it for a recipe twice last week.
10The smart thermostat was the hardest device to install.
11Ben watched three instruction videos before he started.
12It now lowers the heat when nobody is home.
13Their energy bill dropped noticeably after two months.
14Not everything works perfectly, of course.
15The speaker sometimes answers the television by mistake.
16Once, all the lights turned off during dinner.
17A software update fixed that problem the next day.
18Nora changed the wake word to stop the confusion.
19Their friends ask if the devices listen all the time.
20Nora explains the mute button and the privacy settings.