No matter how secure your neighborhood feels, leaving your home alone while you’re traveling may come with a touch of anxiety. After all, the most recent FBI statistics on property crime reveal the following:
- More than 7 million property crime offenses happened in the United States in 2018.
- The rate of property crime was almost 2,200 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018.
- Property crimes in 2018 resulted in losses estimated at $16.4 billion.
If you’re worried to leave your home alone, the latest smart home technology can ease your trepidation. Try these smart home features on for size for added security the next time you travel:
Smart Shades and Smart Lights to Pretend You’re Home (and Support Your Cat-Cuddling Lifestyle)
You’re reading a book on the couch with a fluffy cat sleeping on your lap—and suddenly, the sun angles in through the window to hit you right in the face. Do you deal with the annoying glare, or push the cat away and close the shade?
With a smart shade system, you can give a verbal command to close the shade—without disturbing your pet. And when you’re traveling away from home, you can preprogram the shades to open or close at different times while keeping them down at night. This allows you to mimic human behavior.
Enlist your smart lights in the charade as well. Program the front door light to turn on at night and off during the day. Have different lights turning on and off in the house at different times, with most of them off at bedtime. The schedule should mimic the routines you keep when you’re at home, making a burgler staking out the neighborhood less interested.
Best of all, when you are at home, you’ll never again have to get up to turn the lights on or off or close a shade. How’s that for cat-cuddling convenience?
Camera Systems, Smart Doorbells, Environmental Monitoring and Security Features to Know Your Home Is Safe at All Times
Ever get that terrible feeling your house is in danger, and you just can’t get it out of your head? If you wake up in the middle of the night worried about your home while traveling, just log into your smart home camera system. Check the live video feeds on your doorbell cam, and interior and exterior cameras to rest assured that there isn’t a problem.
With a complete smart security system, you can integrate motion-sensing cameras, general motion or heat sensors, window sensors, door sensors and glass break detectors. These systems should also incorporate environmental sensors, like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to detect if there’s a fire. Smart water leak detectors and smart water valves will also monitor water flow and cut off the water supply if a major leak occurs.
A system like this adds a deeper sense of security because it notifies you immediately if there’s an issue —and automatically dispatches police or fire department officials to investigate a serious problem.
Smart Thermostats to Save Money on Your Electric Bill While Traveling
A smart thermostat gives you the convenience of remotely controlling the temperature in your home. If you think you forgot to turn down the air conditioner as you rushed out the door to catch your flight, just check the controls on your smartphone app and set them how you wish.
You can also preset vacation-mode thresholds on a smart thermostat to keep your home safe from developing a mildew problem in the summer months, or freezing during the winter months. These minimum heating and cooling levels will allow you to save electricity while protecting your residence from temperature and environmental related damage while you’re away.
PointCentral: Smart Home Automation Systems for the Modern Homeowner
At PointCentral, we design advanced smart home automation systems to enhance the safety, comfort, and well-being of homeowners – with a system that has all the features a traveler could ever want to feel secure when away from home.
To learn how you, your family and your home can benefit from the latest smart home technology, contact PointCentral for a free demo today.
