Summary
Are you planning a summer vacation? Before you leave, make sure your smart home is ready to keep your home safe and secure. Here are some steps to take to get your smart home ready for vacation:
7 Essential Steps to Take
- Check your security devices
- Automate your lighting
- Adjust thermostat settings
- Set smart locks and access rules
- Prep smart sprinklers and sensors
- Unplug or schedule unused devices
- Test everything before you leave
Step 1: Check Your Security Devices
Before you leave on your vacation, check that your security devices are working properly. This includes checking that your cameras, including a video doorbell, are online and properly working. You should also verify that everything is up-to-date firmware wise to ensure that your devices are ready to go and have the latest features, bug fixes, and security updates.
It’s also a good idea to verify the camera angles and motion zones of your cameras to ensure they are capturing what you need them to. For example, I recently changed the motion zone on my doorbell to only notify me if someone is near the door, and not when a car passes on the road.
Step 2: Automate Your Lighting
Using smart switches, plugs, and bulbs, you can automate your lighting to simulate someone being home even when you’re not there. This can help save electricity while you’re away and also enhance security.
There are various ways to automate your lighting, including through device-specific apps or with a system like Home Assistant. Make sure to verify the devices you’re using can support random schedules before purchasing.
Step 3: Adjust Thermostat Settings
One of the nicest things about smart thermostats is the ability to program them for something other than just a repeating weekly schedule. You can set your thermostat to stay within a specific temperature range while you’re away, and it will intelligently bring the temperature down to your desired comfort level before you return.
For example, I set my thermostat to stay within a temperature range of 80F cool and 60F heat. This means my cooling system won’t run most of the time I’m away from the house, which can save energy and lower my power bill.
Step 4: Set Smart Locks and Access Rules
Smart locks are a crucial element of keeping your smart home safe when you’re away. You can check that the door is locked even when you’re not home, and you can also set temporary access codes for trusted family members or friends to access your home in case of an emergency.
Make sure to disable any lingering codes that others might have access to before leaving town, and put a new set of batteries in any smart locks around your house to ensure they keep working properly.
Step 5: Prep Smart Sprinklers and Sensors
If you have a smart sprinkler system, make sure it’s programmed properly before you leave on your vacation. Schedule watering based on the upcoming forecast, and also make sure you have access to the system to trigger it on or turn it off if things change while you’re away.
Also, ensure that your rain or moisture sensors are cleaned up and fully functional by testing them with a garden hose. Use these sensors to set a delay so that your sprinkler system doesn’t engage if there has been enough rain to adequately water your yard.
Step 6: Unplug or Schedule Unused Devices
Smart plugs aren’t just for lights. You can put devices that draw a lot of power on smart plugs to automatically turn them off when you leave home, and be ready to go whenever you come back.
You can also schedule power-off times so that way things aren’t reliant on a geofence to turn off and back on. Smart plugs are great for things like coffee makers, gaming consoles, cable boxes, printers, or even a mini fridge.
Step 7: Test Everything Before You Leave
Lastly, just simply test everything before you leave. Do a full away mode dry run to make sure everything works as you’re expecting. Ensure schedules shut things off properly and nothing goes awry.
You’ll also want to make sure that everything works remotely when not on your local network.
