Tips From The Top

Guests in town? Introduce them to your smart home 

When you have guests visiting your smart home, one of the most fun parts of your welcome can be introducing them to your unique family member – your integrated smart home.

It could be a bit like Iron Man introducing his friends to his integrated home computer, Jarvis. 

You want to make sure your guests are properly prepped, lest they suddenly find themselves wondering why the lights shut off on their own, the doors lock, or the bathroom mirror suddenly transforms into a television screen giving them the morning headlines. 

Security is the first characteristic of your smart home with which to acquaint your guests. Show them the cameras on the property and within the house, particularly motion detectors and cameras that are always on. It’s courteous to let your guests know exactly where the cameras are and what is being recorded (and that you respect their privacy). In addition, some states have laws requiring the home owner to disclose the locations of security cameras.* 

To help your guests feel welcome and ease their coming and going, set a temporary security code before their arrival and give them instructions for using the security system. A card with printed instructions, plus a walk-thru of the steps, will help them feel comfortable operating the system on their own.* Giving your guests their own code also eliminates the need for keys and the hassle of copying and keeping track of them. Home integration systems like Savant offer the smart home owner the flexibility to give people their own unique codes – so that babysitters, staff, and guests can all have their own code which the home owner can manage.

You’ll also want to make sure your guests know the emergency protocol in your smart home, including fire escape routes and the panic button on the alarm system. If there are any areas off limits, make sure to communicate these, too.

Your guests should also learn the personality idiosyncrasies in your automated lighting and environmental arrangements, so they won’t be reading in the sunroom one afternoon and startled when the shades suddenly descend. Introduce them to the automated lights and shades when they first arrive, so they won’t be caught off guard when shades raise or lower, or lights turn on or off. 

You can even ask their preferences in advance, so that the guest room shades can be set to let the morning light greet them when they first wake up. And in the kitchen, the coffee maker can be set to have coffee waiting for them, even if you’re not up yet.

Showing your guests the audio-visual features of your smart home could be the best part of their smart home introduction. Demonstrating the intricacies of your home theater is an ideal way to spend an evening. Making new dining playlists for them – or together – is a great way to help them feel at home and enjoy all your smart home has to offer. 

Interested in developing the unique personality of your smart home? Call us at Jackson Hole AV. We’d love to show you what your home can do.

 

* Seven security tips for visiting holiday guests. Alarm Relay https://www.alarmrelay.com/7-home-security-tips-for-visiting-holiday-guests/ Accessed 13 December 2017.