6 unconventional ways to use your smart home sensors and accessories

6 unconventional ways to use your smart home sensors and accessories Credit: Tim Brookes / How-To Geek By  Tim Brookes Published May 30, 2026, 8:15 AM EDT Tim has been covering technology for almost 20 years, in that time spanning a broad range of topics from security to product reviews. He is especially focused on the Apple ecosystem, productivity, and consumer advice. Over the years Tim has written thousands of articles, reviews, and round-ups in addition to producing video content and original photography. A graduate of journalism, he found his footing as a freelancer with a laptop and loves how he is able to work from practically anywhere. Now a Senior Editor for iPhone, Mac, and Smart Home at How-To Geek , Tim still loves to write. He can also be found crafting round-ups and productivity posts for the Zapier blog . Earlier in his career Tim spent nearly a decade as a writer and eventually Apple section editor for MakeUseOf . Tim currently lives in Brisbane, Australia. Outside of work he loves to hike and work out, play video games, and spend quality time with his wonderful partner and two cats Inka and Roger. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Most smart home accessories have very clear use-case scenarios: toggle power, light up your house, open the curtains, and give you advanced warning of water leaks. So what if you could use these devices in unusual ways? It turns out that you can! Here are six unconventional ways to use common smart home devices that you probably haven’t thought of. Curtain openers can hide storage and unsightly cables Why didn’t I think of this? This might not be the easiest idea to implement in the world, but to the right person this will be a lightbulb moment. I first saw this on the What Retro Game Instagram pa