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The Simplisafe on a bookshelf.
Photo: Michael Hession

How a Smart Security System Ruined My Engagement

Everything was all planned out. Not even the impending coronavirus pandemic could stop my boyfriend, Chris, from picking up the ring on what would be the day before the world shut down. He was going to ask me to marry him on a beautiful beach morning with the ring of my dreams.

The one thing he couldn’t plan for? My crippling fear of break-ins and the attentiveness of the smart security system we installed to quell it.

It all started the morning we left for vacation. Chris had planned a quick getaway for us to get some semblance of R&R in the middle of the growing madness. We packed everything up, got the dogs ready, and headed out the door by 11 a.m.—a good omen for the day to come. By the time we got to our destination, I realized we hadn’t set the alarm, and I had a little moment of panic. I popped open the alarm’s app, switched the status to “away,” and then settled back down.

We spent the rest of our day eating lobster bisque and loitering around town, soaking up every second of our day off that we could. By the time we got back to the hotel, it was 11 p.m., and we realized our two dogs were not as down with our plans as we were—the youngest decided our room was her personal bathroom. Three times. Chris got them on their leashes and out the door, leaving me alone for the first time all day.

A screenshot from a smart security system, showing the writer's family inside of her apartment.

While they were gone, I picked up my phone, only to find a notification from my SimpliSafe security system: Motion had been detected in my apartment. This was it! It was finally happening—we were actually being robbed! As I opened the app, my mind was already racing. How would Chris react? Should I call the police? Is this how our vacation ends? Poking through the app, I looked to see what the robbers had decided to take first, only to realize these robbers didn’t look like they were taking stuff out of our apartment—they were bringing stuff in. And these robbers actually looked an awful lot like Chris’s mom and sist—I quickly closed the app.

Chris came back in a panic—SimpliSafe had detected the intrusion, was monitoring the cameras, and called my future husband to verify before alerting the police! He hurriedly asked to see my phone for a second. Instead of closing out my app or hiding my texts with my best friend (that read, “I’M GETTING ENGAGED TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW”), I was flustered and handed my phone over with everything up and running, for Chris to see as clear as day.

The author and her fiancee smile a the camera together, standing in front of a body of water.
Our post-engagement celebration at Kontokosta Winery the next day. Photo: Elena Pickering

As he cleaned up our pup’s pee, Chris paced around the room. I sat on the couch, desperately trying to play dumb. The dogs and I silently stared at Chris as he started to pull himself together with a silent bathroom pep talk—now was the time!—and I tried not to smile from ear to ear. In one fell swoop, Chris rifled through his suitcase, pulled out the ring box, and got down on one knee, leaving me in tears and uttering an emphatic yes. It was sweet, intimate, and utterly us.

So maybe my security system didn’t ruin things after all. Maybe this was just what I needed—to feel safe and yet have an engagement story I’d never forget.

It’s Smart-Home Week at Wirecutter! Read more about all the ways your home can become more intelligent.

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