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Here's how Home Alone’s Kevin McCallister would booby trap his home in 2017

Here's what a Home Alone remake would look like!

A house Credit: Getty Images / irina88w

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When Home Alone debuted more than 25 years ago, poor Kevin McCallister, left behind by his family, was forced to use regular household objects like glue, paint cans, wire and blow torches to protect his house (and himself) from would-be robbers. Kevin made do with his supplies, successfully booby trapping the house, but we can’t help thinking his job would have been a lot easier if he had today’s smart home technology on his side.

Here’s how we imagine Kevin would booby trap his house in 2017 with the help of the latest home tech.

Spying with a smart doorbell

Ring Video Doorbell Pro
Credit: Ring

Kevin can spy on intruders with his video doorbell.

No longer will Kevin have to listen anxiously for the arrival of the conniving crooks. With the help of a video doorbell, like the Ring Video Doorbell Pro, he’ll get an alert to his smartphone when the criminals trip its motion detector. It doesn’t matter if they show up day or night, a smart doorbell will see them coming, letting Kevin know it’s time to put his booby traps into action.

Get a Ring Video Doorbell Pro on Amazon for $248

Motion-tripped panic lights

Philips Hue
Credit: Philips Hue

Bright red lights will scare any unwanted visitors.

Thanks to this next smart home pairing, Kevin can startle the intruders with bright, flashing lights. The Samsung SmartThings Hub, a SmartThings Motion Sensor and smart light bulbs, such as Philips Hue, can create a smart alarm to protect Kevin’s home. When the Motion Sensor detects someone opening the door, it will trigger the lights to start flashing, hopefully scaring the criminals.

Get a SmartThings Hub on Amazon for $99 and a Motion Sensor for $39.99

A robot vacuum trip line maze

iRobot Roomba
Credit: iRobot

Kevin's robotic vacuum will trip up the thieves.

If the light show doesn’t send the crooks running, they’ve got a rude surprise coming when they walk into the next room. See, Kevin definitely would have put his family’s Roomba robot vacuum to work creating a maze of fishing line to trip up his unwanted visitors. After mounting a spool of fishing line on top of the robotic vacuum and anchoring the end of the line, Kevin would let the Roomba do its thing, weaving the wire around all the furniture to create unpredictable trip lines.

Get an iRobot Roomba 860 on Amazon for $488

Alert the authorities with burnt toast

June Intelligent Oven
Credit: June Oven

The June Oven and Nest Protect will work together to alert the authorities.

Should the robbers make it into the kitchen, there will be an unexpected booby trap waiting for them. See, Kevin would have loaded some bread into his June Intelligent Oven, which he can control from his phone. When he cranks up the heat, the toast will start burning, releasing a cloud of smoke that triggers his Nest Protect to call the fire department.

Get a June Oven on Amazon for $1,495 or a Nest Protect for $110

Glue and feathers with a smart fan

Hunter Smart Ceiling Fan
Credit: Hunter

The smart ceiling fan will rain feathers down on the crooks.

Feathering the intruders is a Home Alone classic, but it could use a modern update. We think Kevin would use two high-tech gadgets to pull off this booby trap today: the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner and a Hunter Smart Ceiling Fan.

When the intruders open the door to the next room, they trigger the Shower Cleaner, which then sprays them down with glue. (Admittedly, this will probably ruin the device, so don’t try it at home.) When Kevin hears their indignant screams, he can use his phone to turn on the smart fan, which will spray feathers down on the crooks. Now who’s a chicken?

Get a Hunter Symphony Ceiling Fan on Amazon for $299 or a Scrubbing Bubbles Shower Cleaner for $195

Call a getaway car with Alexa

Amazon Alexa
Credit: Amazon.com

Amazon's Alexa will call Kevin's getaway car.

Should anything go amiss in Kevin’s plan, he can always call a getaway car to whisk him away to safety. All he has to do is say “Alexa, ask Uber for a ride,” and his Amazon Echo will send the closest driver to the McCallister house. We’d probably recommend he head over to the police station for some backup.

Get an Amazon Echo for $179.99

With the help of his family's smart home technology, Kevin would easily be able to one-up the crooks—we'd definitely watch this remake of Home Alone! However, please don't try these booby traps at home!

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