It is probably safe to say that most of us look forward to long vacations well in advance. But even with all the anticipation, there is a unique kind of stress that settles in the minute you hit the road or get on the plane. It is caused by wondering if you did enough to secure the house against break-ins.
If you are like me, you start running through a mental checklist. You imagine the back patio light and wonder if you turned it on. You think about the front gate, the security system, the garage door, and that window your son has a tendency to leave open.
Before the smart home era, the only thing you could do was try to ignore your worries and enjoy yourself anyway. But that’s no longer the case. A good smart home setup makes vacation mode easy to activate.
Forget the Old Mechanical Timer
I remember family vacations in the 1970s. My father had his mechanical timers. He would set them up so certain lights would go on every evening. As a kid, I thought that was pretty cool. As an adult, though, I realized that an observant burglar could easily tell our home was unoccupied because the same lights went on and off at the same time every night.
Mechanical timers are a liability because they are static. With modern smart lighting, you can create compelling lighting scenes designed to confuse burglars. I have different routines for every day of the week. They mimic how we normally use our lights. Things still look natural when we go away.
The 60-Second Remote Audit
Another big vacation mode benefit of modern home automation is the ability to do the 60-second remote audit. Imagine you are lying on a sun-drenched beach in Tahiti. You can pull out your phone, launch your home automation app, and check every device in your system. You can instantly confirm that:
- All your windows and doors remain closed and locked.
- The garage door remains closed and locked.
- Your security system is armed and being monitored.
- The ambient temperature inside your home is stable.
The possibilities are only limited by the devices in your system. And here’s the thing: if you do find something out of place, you can take action immediately. You don’t have to wait until you get home.
Active Deterrence: A Genuine Bonus
Are you into security cameras? Most people with home automation systems are. According to Vivint Home Security, modern cameras offer a ton of incredible features, including something known as active deterrence. This particular feature is dynamic and incredibly valuable for deterring break-ins.
Active deterrence relies on audible and visible warnings embedded into devices like security cameras. Imagine a burglar approaching your house, completely unaware that your home is equipped with the latest active deterrence technologies. He gets a few feet up the driveway when an alarm goes off. A motion-activated light is also tripped, and he hears a voice telling him he has been spotted and is now being watched.
He doesn’t know if you are watching from the other side of the door or from your vacation home clear across the country. More importantly, he doesn’t want to find out. He turns around and takes a quick hike.
Don’t Forget Traditional Strategies
One last thing to mention is that home automation isn’t a replacement for traditional security strategies; it enhances them. So install heavy-duty deadbolt locks; have your mail stopped; have your neighbor take out the trash and move your cars around. Combining traditional strategies with smart home automation should keep your property safe.