Tips for new homeowners to set up a smart home
You have just bought your new house — congratulations! As you start moving in, this is the perfect time to set up all the smart-home products that can benefit your family’s safety, security and comfort. Getting these products in place can help you have greater peace of mind as you get used to your new home and neighborhood. And even if you have lived in the same home for years, these smart-home upgrades are well worth the effort.
Following are ways to optimize technology to make your home feel more safe and secure.
REPLACE STANDARD LOCKS WITH SMART LOCKS
Unless you are moving into a new build, one of the first things you might want to do is change all your door locks. Consider installing smart locks instead, which allow you to create and control passcodes and remotely control locks with an app so you will not ever worry that you forgot to lock the door on the way out or that family members will be locked out if they misplace their keys.
GET PEACE OF MIND THAT DELIVERIES ARE SAFE
To help protect against porch pirates and weather damage, Amazon Key In-Garage Delivery is a convenient, secure way to receive Amazon packages. Plus, it is exclusive for Prime members. In-Garage Delivery lets you receive Amazon packages inside your garage, so anything you are buying for your new home can be safely delivered, whether you are home or away. The service works with the majority of smart garages, so you may already have what you need to get started. If not, it is really simple to set up, and you can even do it before you move in. Then, just select In-Garage Delivery at checkout. Amazon Key will take care of the rest.
MONITOR YOUR HOME WHILE AWAY
With a Ring Video Doorbell or outdoor security cameras, you can set up motion alerts to notify you when there is any activity around your home. Ring devices are controlled through the Ring app, where you can see what is happening live on the other end of your Ring device and choose to use Two-Way Talk, as needed, to chat with someone on your property.
ADD OUTDOOR LIGHTING FOR A SAFER PROPERTY
Outdoor lighting adds more than just aesthetics to your home — installing motion-activated smart lighting can help illuminate dark areas or blind spots, deterring unwanted visitors and making your home more secure. With Ring’s Smart Lighting and a Ring Bridge, you can control the lights from the Ring app and link them to your Ring doorbells and cameras, so if one of your smart lights detects motion, it can trigger your camera or doorbell to record.
TEST AND UPGRADE SMOKE AND CARBONMONOXIDE DETECTORS
The U.S. Fire Administration recommends testing smoke detectors at least once a month and replacing batteries once or twice a year, so make sure to set calendar reminders for these tasks. For added peace of mind, consider replacing standard detectors with Wi-Fi-enabled smart smoke detectors, which send real-time notifications to your smartphone if smoke or carbon monoxide is detected, which is especially important if you are not at home.
INCREASE COMFORT AND SAVE MONEY WITH A SMART THERMOSTAT
Smart thermostats make it far easier not only to program times when you want to reduce heat or cooling (such as when nobody’s home), but they can even sense when your house is empty to switch to energy-saving mode. This can save energy and money over time. You can also adjust temperatures from your smartphone, so you will never forget to adjust the thermostat when you head out on vacation, and you can make changes as needed wherever you are. Even better, you can start warming up (or cooling down) the house when you are on your way home again so you will be comfortable the moment you arrive.
Putting these smart features in place before or shortly after you move into your new house will help you feel confident that you and your family will be able to relax and enjoy your new environment so everyone will feel right at home.