Tips From The Top

Preparing your home for winter should include ramping up your home security. It’s estimated that burglaries increase 35% during winter, according to smart home tech company Lightwave, due in part to longer dark hours and homeowners traveling.

Fortunately, smart home technology can play a major role in ensuring your home’s safety during these long winter months.

A simple, straightforward way to take advantage of the lack of light is to program your home’s lighting to imitate activity in the home when you are not there. Gone are the days when Grandma left a lamp on in the living room window; these days, your home’s automated lighting system can turn lights on and off in rooms throughout the evening following a pre-set schedule. Comprehensive whole home lighting systems like Savant and Lutron, which we at Jackson Hole A/V specialize in installing, make it possible to pre-program lighting scenes to play on schedule, so that you don’t even have to think about it if you’re not home. Imagine you’re taking a week-long vacation, but don’t want to leave your home looking as if you’re away. With these home automation platforms, it’s possible to schedule lights to come on and turn off in ways that mimic your actual activity while you are home, every day of the week.

Automated home shading systems are another key way to deter intruders. And like smart lights, these smart blinds and shades can be programmed to raise and lower throughout the day and evening, on schedule, to copy your family’s preferred shading patterns. Pre-set shades can also work with your home’s automated HVAC system to take advantage of the natural solar heat of daytime, reducing heating costs during the winter months.

Smart security cameras are the most obvious choice to prevent intruders, and there are a variety of options to choose from. In many cases, just seeing a prominent security camera can turn away a potential burglar. Savant’s entry system allows homeowners to set alerts if it detects motion or noise, or if a keypad at the entry system is pressed or tampering is suspected. From your mobile device, you can then launch the camera to monitor exactly what is happening at your home. You can also access on-demand video of people at the doorways.

And don’t forget the advantages of outdoor lighting. Like automated lighting systems within your home, pre-set schedules for lighting entryways, yards, driveways, and sidewalks can keep your home’s exterior well-lit during even the darkest months, discouraging unwanted visitors from stopping by.

To learn more about how your smart home’s security can meet the extra challenges of winter, call us at Jackson Hole AV. We’d love to discuss the possibilities.