By Brandpoint
Ready to take that long-awaited summer vacation? Before heading out for fun in the sun, make sure you’ll be able to fully relax and enjoy your break by taking a few steps to help keep your home secure.
Here are tips and tools to help increase your peace of mind while you’re away from home.
Alert your neighbors, not social media
Before your trip, chat with trusted neighbors to let them know you’ll be away. Those extra eyes on your home can help you feel better about taking off. Do not post about your trip on social media while you are gone. There’s no need to let the world know you’ll be out of your house.
Monitor your home
You can set up motion alerts to notify you when there’s activity at your front door with a smart doorbell or a security camera. You’ll be able to see what’s happening in real-time. You’ll have peace of mind that your home is always protected. You can relax and enjoy whatever you’re doing, wherever you are.
Timers for lighting
A tactic while vacationing is to use lighting to make it appear someone is home. Connect smart lights to your home security. Set up light schedules with your system to turn lights on and off at certain times each night. Even if you just set one lamp near a front window, it will look like someone is home.
Pre-set your HVAC
Completely turning your HVAC off to save money can be a bad idea. Not only will it look like nobody’s home if your AC unit isn’t running while it’s sweltering, but you could also damage internal structures of the house due to excessive humidity. Your AC unit will have to work non-stop to get the temperature back down when you return. A good rule of thumb is to raise the temperature about five degrees from your usual setting when you leave town. To adjust the temperature while you’re away, consider installing a smart thermostat that you can control remotely.
Following these few simple steps, you can ensure your home and packages will be safe and secure, whether you’re on the road or on the beach.
