Kevin McCallister, you know, the kid from Home Alone, was pretty clever at keeping a couple of burglars out of his house. But nowadays, with proper planning, you don’t have to go to the lengths Kevin did to make it seem like your house is full of people. Thanks to smart technology and home automation, there are a number of settings your smart tech can do to make it seem like you never left. Here are a few tips to set your home up during the holidays while you’re away visiting friends and family.
Adjust Your Timing with Smart Lighting
You may already have your lights programmed to turn on and off throughout the day depending on your schedule. But why keep the lights set to just on and off at the same time every single day? Very few people keep an exact schedule day in and day out. So while you’re away from your home, program your smart lights slightly different for each day. And go a step further in dimming them, making your home even more lively. Certain bulbs can even change colors to emulate the flicker of the tv.
Use Smart Doorbells to Monitor Deliveries
Nothing screams that you’re not home than a pile of packages sitting at your doorstep for days. Not only do you risk having your packages stolen, but you are letting everyone know that you are out of town. Combat that pile up by using your smart doorbell to monitor any deliveries at your door. At a minimum, a smart doorbell will be able to record when people have left things at your door and you could let a neighbor know to hold them for you. Other doorbells can let you converse with the delivery guy to drop it off with a neighbor or maybe even leave it behind the gate if you’ll be home soon.
Alexa’s Smart Home Skills Can Fill Your Empty Home
If you use a hub like Amazon’s Alexa, you probably already talk to “her” throughout the day. But did you know that Alexa also has programmed skills? A particularly useful one for when you’re away is the burglar deterrent skill. Ask Alexa to use this skill and it can make it sound like you have big dogs at home, a crying baby or even a big house party. There are a handful of different sounds that Alexa can play to make it sound like your home is occupied. Which, coupled with some smart lighting, could fool anyone to thinking you’re at home.
Even if you use one of these tips while you’re visiting family and friends, it will help discourage unwanted visitors. But if you’re ambitious, synchronizing all of your smart tech together will give the undeniable feeling that your home is occupied. And if anything should happen to your home while you’re not there, your smart tech can alert you to any unusual activity and you can then take appropriate actions. It’s not too late to get your home ready for the hustle and bustle of holiday traveling. Contact us today so you can have peace of mind while you’re out enjoying holiday celebrations.