Always Be Home with a Smart Home

Leaving your home for an extended period of time can be a cause of anxiety for many homeowners, more specifically, our seasonal residents who leave for months at a time. Home technology isn’t just useful when you are home. It is a tool that can help you be connected to your home no matter where you are.  Many questions arise such as Did I lock the front door? Did I leave the TV on? How is our house sitter going to get in? Does my house look abandoned?

A common question we get is “What exactly is smart home technology?” and the answer is anything in your home that can be connected to the internet. Doorknobs, shades and lights, cameras, TVs, HVAC etc. are all things that can be considered smart home technologies.

Here are some examples of smart home technologies being useful, even when you are away from home.

Lutron Lights and Shades

A Lutron lighting system is a powerful combination of tools. Lutron lighting systems have timers built in to make your home look lived in, even when no one is home . How does Lutron do this? When the sun begins to set, the kitchen and master bedroom lights will turn on and the shades will lower themselves. At 9 pm the kitchen lights power down and finally at 11 pm the bedroom lights turn down. Any combination of lights and shades is possible with a Lutron system.

Smart Locks

Along with being able to be opened with a key, smart locks also have keypads and smartphone connectivity. When you are away from home, you can check that all of your doors are locked. Also, if you have a contractor or pet-sitter coming to your house, you can give them a unique code to get into your house. After they leave, you can then change the code to ensure no one is showing up after hours.