As fantastic as smart home technology is it is far from perfect. Things go wrong. Smart devices glitch. You can make every effort to set up your system exactly as instructed by device manufacturers and still, months down the road, one or more older devices stops working properly. What next?
A previously working smart home device suddenly malfunctioning can be frustrating. It can lead to hair-pulling episodes of DIY support that do not change anything. As someone with years of experience in smart home tech, here is my first recommendation when smart home devices stop working: don’t panic.
Don’t Assume the Worst
One of the mistakes I made during my early years in smart home automation was assuming the worst when a device stopped working. I just assumed it was permanently broken and in need of replacement. I now look back and wonder how much money I spent on replacing devices that were not really broken.
A fundamental rule of home automation says that improperly working devices are likely misconfigured. It is a good rule to live by. Sometimes, devices are improperly configured right from the start. Other times, they become misconfigured later on due to software updates or network changes.
Some smart devices might stop working due to mechanical issues. Take the smart lock. I recently read a fantastic article from PCWorld outlining some of the most common smart home problems and their solutions. The article discussed how a smart lock might no longer respond to remote commands if it is frequently locked and unlocked using keys.
The issue is that the mechanical tumblers inside do not align themselves properly, thereby preventing the lock’s electronics from understanding the state of the lock at any given time. Fixing this issue is fairly simple: you just recalibrate the lock with its companion mobile app. Problem solved.
The Answers Are Out There
The PCWorld article is just one example of the types of information you can find online. The fact is that the answers to most smart home problems are out there. You just need to go look for them. Granted, some answers are harder to find than others. But with smart home tech as ubiquitous as it now is, someone else has encountered and fixed the same problem you are dealing with right now.
The PCWorld post also mentioned certain types of devices, like smart lights, failing to connect to the local Wi-Fi network. This does not make sense to a network savvy homeowner. But as the article points out, the issue may be as simple as frequency band.
Some smart home devices can only be set up and programmed on the 2.4 GHz frequency. But most modern routers default to 5 GHz. As such, devices relying on the lower band cannot initially connect. The solution is to set up a temporary 2.4 GHz network through which those devices can be connected and set up. Then you can go back to 5 GHz.
Contact Your Service Provider
If you have a smart home system from a major provider like Vivint Smart Home, your failsafe solution is to contact them when devices stop working. You will have to go through the usual hassles of engaging with support, but your service provider should be able to handle whatever problems you’re having.
It is always possible that a malfunctioning smart home device is permanently broken. But it’s not likely. Modern electronics are built to last for decades. In all likelihood, your problem is a configuration issue. So don’t panic. Do some research and figure it out. You really can do it.
