A few weeks back, my wife and I bit the bullet and purchased a HomePod — Apple’s version of “Alexa”  — as our virtual assistant in the home.

My main prerogative for buying the device was to integrate it with our other Apple devices and create an effective way to control and secure our home. The features I was most interested in was being able to create a booming, surround sound feel on our TV and also to control lights, thermostats, appliances, locks and cameras.

We love how the system works and how we can tell Siri to “turn on the bedroom lights”, then “turn off the living room lights” when we are going to bed. Now a lot of you might be thinking, “that’s just lazy” and maybe it is, but it is also very convenient.

And, we have only skimmed the top of the iceberg on this thing! There are numerous other features that we haven’t even touched on yet, but we are looking forward to discovering this new “member of our family” as we go along.

It’s kinda like having a genie in a bottle! Speak a command and it gets done!

The only thing “negative” I can think of at this time is the numerous times I’ve either forgotten certain lights and fixtures are calibrated to be used on the HomePod and I instinctively flick the lights (either on or off), then realize I could have used my voice, so I use the switch again, then call out to Siri. I know over time I’ll have all this customarily injected in my brain, but for now, it is — just like the light switch — either on or off.

Don’t even get me going on the dimmer switch.

The other side of the whole thing is when I decide to go to a room (that is not set up on the HomePod) and I call out to Siri or turn the lights on. Oops! Or, when I scramble my mind to think of the name I gave those lights so Siri can recognize which ones I’m talking about.

“Hey Siri, turn on the — uh, the uh, front round lights.”

That’s when Siri probably rolls her eyes and goes, “huh?”

Oh well, someday I’ll get it figured out.

So far, I’ve installed lights for above our fireplace, lights for a lamp in our living room, a bulb for our entrance light, bulbs in the kitchen, the hallway and our two nightlights on our nightstands. I also installed a deadbolt lock that works by voice command or can open when I near it with my cell phone.

Pretty cool, huh?

We also recently bought a controllable thermostat that I have yet to install (will maybe do that this weekend). 

HomePod is quickly becoming an integral part of the family. We are looking forward to the day we can ask Siri to “start the oven” or “take out the garbage” or “iron my clothes”.

No? Well I guess there’s still parts of the process of homeowning we have to do on our own, huh? But it never hurts to ask, right?

“Hey Siri, can I have three wishes?”