Whether you have a busy schedule that keeps you away from home for long periods of time throughout the day, or you frequently travel away from home for days at a time, you need to know your home is safe while you’re gone. With smartphone integration, protecting the exterior and interior of your house is easier than ever. Apps allow you to lock your doors, monitor cameras, and check your smoke detectors, all from your smartphone.
Lock Your Doors With Your Phone
August Smart Lock – Keyless Home Entry with Your Smartphone
Smart door locks are fantastically convenient, not just for people who frequently lose their keys, but for people who go out of town consistently. With a smart door lock, one of the key features is controlling locking or unlocking your house from your phone. If you’ve got to let a pet sitter or a house sitter in a few times while you’re out of town, you don’t have to leave them a key at all. Just unlock the door when they get there and lock it again when they leave.
Since that system involves them letting you know when they arrive and when they go, even simpler solutions exist. With smart door locks, you can authorize temporary keys, usually via codes but sometimes via fobs, that the people checking on your house can use until you get back. Once you return, you just delete the temporary key and you’re the only one with access to your house again. No more keeping track of who has which set of spare keys.
Monitor Cameras While You’re Away
Arlo Smart Home Security Camera System
Many of the coolest home camera applications will work with a webcam or at-home computer. If you want, you can install cameras around your house, especially facing your front door, your garage, and the other entrances to your house. If you don’t have the time or the money, spring for the apps that will turn your current equipment into cameras you monitor from your phone.
Check out iScentry, which is a free app that uses your computer’s webcam as a security camera. All you have to do is position the computer to watch a certain portion of the house. The free AtHome app does the same thing; all you have to do is download an app to your phone and one to your computer, connect them, and presto!
Link to Home Security Systems
Home security demystified: How to build a smart DIY system
Many homes have security systems already installed, and some of them are from pre-smartphone days. Thankfully, apps and software now make it possible to link your existing home security system to your smartphone to give you more control. Head to Alarm.com to start the process of integrating your home security system with your phone. Their app, when downloaded to T-Mobile’s iPhone 5S, lets you control your security system from your smartphone. Make sure you’re connected to the Uncarrier’s lightning-fast network for the best app performance.
Integrate Your Thermostat and Climate Control
Upgrade Your Home with IoT and Nest
External threats aren’t the only problems you have to worry about when you’re away from the house. Things can go wrong inside the home, too, whether that means an appliance overheating or your HVAC system going on the fritz. The first thing to do is to get a smart thermostat system. These handy devices link to your HVAC system and to your phone, providing you control over your home’s temperature (and in some instances, other climate aspects like humidity) from afar.
Then, get a smart fire alarm and carbon monoxide sensor. When the detector senses smoke, fire, or carbon monoxide levels, it sends a notification to your phone letting you know which room the trouble is in. This is handy if you are home, since you can check out the problem right away, and if you’re not, because you can call the fire department at the first sign of trouble.
Since the days of leaving our doors unlocked are over, attaining peace of mind often means using technology to our advantage. Knowing that your house is safe puts your mind at ease, even if you’re just taking an hour out of your Saturday to hit the grocery store.
