Hey Siri, unlock the front door

That's the sentence I wanted to be able to say. It now works. It also took several weeks.

Our old brass door handle had stopped working after an earlier repair — a replacement was on the cards anyway. Smart felt like the upgrade worth doing.

The brief was simple: unlock with Siri, share a code with a visitor when we're away, and use a fingerprint to simply open while grabbing the handle. Bonus marks for Apple Home Key — tap an iPhone or Watch against the lock, like a hotel room.

The Aqara Smart Lock U300 was the only one in Australia that ticked every box. $268 from Officeworks, matte black. 4× AAs, paired with HomeKit through our HomePod mini, first fingerprint added — easy enough.

Fitting it to our door was the bit that should have been easy. Our handyman, also named "Tom", had the new unit on in an hour, only for both of us to realise it was wide enough to clang against the screen door handle on every swing. I'd measured. Apparently not well enough. That's why we call him "handy Tom", because I am not.

A few more days of timber filler, sanding, priming and painting later, the old holes were invisible. Handy Tom cut a new set higher up, the handle slid back on, and the screen door now swings clear.

The keypad wakes on a touch. Apple Home Key unlocks it with a tap of the iPhone. Fingerprint works for me.

Fingerprint does NOT work for Fran. Not on the lock, not on her laptop, not on her phone. We're starting to think she's a sleeper cell — different print every time.

What's the most stubborn smart-home install you've talked yourself into?