I love technology in the home

streaming music all over the house

changing songs by voice command

turning lights on or off remotely

controlling the thermostat from my phone

checking on the alarm status while we are away

my most recent addition was a video doorbell

when somebody rings you get a text alert

you can see them on your phone

and give them verbal instructions

please leave the package on the porch

it also alerts me of motion by our front door

not the motion of leaves blowing in a plant pot

it’s far too intelligent to be tricked like that

I am really pleased with how well it works

today I woke up early before dawn

reaching out for my phone to check the time

the phone lit up before I touched the screen

ALERT MOTION DETECTION

adrenalin rushed through my veins

somebody must be by the front door at 5am in the dark

I looked at the live doorbell camera feed but saw nothing

perhaps he was sneaking round the back now

fumbling for the rearview camera on the App

nothing in the backyard either

could it be a false alarm I wondered

I checked the doorbell camera App again

there were 29 alerts of motion between 2am and 5am

this prowler was certainly persistent

my instinct was to call the police

once they arrived I would show them the 29 videos

imagining how the court would use that evidence to convict

I started to feel really smug

before calling the police I decided to check the videos

expecting to see a burglar dressed in a black and white striped jersey

carrying a large sack to fill with our valuables

nothing on the first video or the second or third

no sign of a person on any of the video recordings

I wiped my bleary eyes and looked again more closely

seeing a thread from a spider web blow across the lens

my high tech doorbell security system was defeated by a tiny spider

29 times