Help Control Your New Home with Your Smartphone

To personalize your new home, you may be looking for the best smart home devices to fit your lifestyle. Smart home automation involves programming smart devices to do things automatically. You can experiment with a few smart devices or create a full smart home experience.

What if your former home hasn't sold yet? It's important to take steps to lessen any risks that could be potentially costly. Be aware that if your home is vacant for a month or more, your homeowners insurance may not cover losses that occur during that time. This guide will introduce you to popular and useful smart home devices to help you control and protect your home.

Many remote home monitoring systems don't even require the typical touchpads, key fobs or monthly monitoring fees. There are many easier, affordable, and more versatile alternatives you can access in a smart home using something that's probably already in your pocket — your smartphone.

In some cases, monitoring homes remotely can be a minimal DIY effort by using products that provide a single device you can control from your phone. But for a
more comprehensive service
— some including 24-hour monitoring by security professionals — the latest generation of smart home systems goes far beyond smoke detection and intrusion alerts. Many include options for real-time video monitoring, motion-activated recording and even night vision. Systems also can monitor air quality, temperature and humidity.

Ovens, water heaters and washing machines that can be controlled remotely are here, too, although still in early stages, and many more items are in development.

Smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors give you a spoken warning or text before going off. For this reason, smoke detectors should be placed throughout your home, especially in every sleeping area.
It's also important to make sure all smoke detectors in your home are connected to one another.

Water leaks can create major damage in a home and be costly to repair. Here are a few ways to monitor water activity in your home.

• Moisture detection: Ideal for a leaking washing machine or dishwasher, burst water lines or overflowing sump pumps.
• Automated water valve shutoff: Stops water at the source when a potential leak is detected.
• Smart thermostat: Help avoid frozen pipes. Adjust them traditionally or while you’re out, using your smartphone.
  Also consider insulating your pipe or letting your faucet drip to prevent freezing.

Whether you're expecting a delivery or you're away on vacation, consider setting up a way to monitor who's outside your front door and why is important. Here are a few items that can help your home stay protected:

• Smart doorbells: These doorbells come with a camera so you can see who’s at the door.
• Broken glass sensors: Trigger an alarm if it detects the sound of shattering glass.
• Door or window alarms: Opened alert sends a signal through a transmitter to the control panel when a disturbance is detected.
• Motion sensors: Typically placed inside the home near doorways, where they trigger an alarm or camera when motion is detected. Outside motion detectors can trigger lights to come on.
• Smart locks: Not only enable you to get into your home without a key, but also send alerts so you can track who comes in and out.
• Motion-activated camera: Keep an eye on your property from anywhere.
• Turning on lights: Turn them on and off automatically, by voice command or via an app.

Smart home devices that help control electronics can help with things like climate control and electricity use in your home. While they make things more convenient, they also can help make your home more energy-efficient. Here are a few ideas for making things more convenient around your home:

• Smart home systems: All-in-one bundles take the guesswork out of compatibility.
• Connected electrical outlets: Control lamps, space heaters and other ordinary items with your smartphone.
• Smart thermostats: These smart devices conserve money and energy.
• Smart appliances: Learn to automate everyday appliances.