Via Stacey on IoT – how does one deal with their smart devices when they move? Stacey Higginbotham recounts her experiences moving from a smart home to an apartment.

The chaos of moving is no time to decommission 40 smart devices.

Decommissioning your gadgets will take three times the time you expect, and you will forget one. And that one you forget will be the one that doesn’t allow you to reset or delete it from your phone.

I also realized that I should have packed more connected devices to make it feel like home.

Strategies for a good move:

If you’re planning to move, I suggest you break it down in three ways (maybe more if you are like me and are moving to an interim home for a few months). First, figure out which devices you use, in particular which devices you need. Every connected device represents a cost in terms of the time it takes to maintain and troubleshoot it, the energy it uses, and the risks it poses for a data or security breach.

So, if you’re not using that Amazon Dash button or the spare Echo dot in your guestroom, decommission it and get rid of it. As part of the decommissioning process, you should also make sure you delete its permissions with other apps and services. For example, if you decide you no longer need a connected outlet in your living room, make sure you delete the device from your Amazon Echo routines and app or your SmartThings hub and IFTTT recipes. Then reset the device itself to factory settings, delete your account from the app (or just from that device if you have others by the same manufacturer still running), and sell, recycle, or give it away.

And what of the devices that stay with a house?

My thermostats, my video doorbell, my Lutron light switches, and my Amazon Echo-enabled Delta faucet all conveyed with my home and so were subsequently part of the sale listing. But because I didn’t want to confuse potential buyers, I took out my connected light bulbs, motion sensors, and a few other elements that I wanted to keep (mostly because they were portable and I knew I’d be renting for a year and didn’t want to give up the smart life).

See all the tips on the Stacey on IoT blog.

Have you moved and had issues with smart devices? Let us know your experiences in the comments below.