If you’re facing the same dilemma this back-to-school season, you’re probably planning on leaving a spare key under the mat, right? If that’s the plan, you might as well leave the front door unlocked! If someone wants to get inside, that’s surely the first place they’ll look. Sure, you could try and come up with a hiding place that’s a little more inconspicuous like one of these. But, either way it’ll always be an added stress when you could instead have peace of mind. When it comes to hiding that spare key, the ultimate solution is to ditch it altogether for connected locks.

See Also: Questions You Should Ask Before Investing in Smart Home Automation

What is a Connected Door Lock?

Connected locks eliminate the need for a spare key. These locks can be placed on your door handle, used as a deadbolt, or both. Rather than needing a key to get inside, you simply enter your 4-digit passcode to unlock the door. So, what makes it connected? Also known as smart door locks, connected locks sync up with your home, security system, and can be controlled right from your phone. This helps you stay connected to your home and family whether you’re working late or out running errands!

How Do Smart Locks Help You Stay Connected to Family?

Each member of your family can use their own unique passcode to lock and unlock the door. As a parent, this helps you stay connected to who’s coming and going from your home — and when. This is also something that can be updated and changed as needed. So if your relatives are coming to visit for the weekend, you can quickly give them their own passcode right from the mobile app! That’s one of the reasons that these types of locks are so commonly used with Airbnb rentals.

The unique passcodes don’t stop at family and friends. You can also create time-based passcodes for dog walkers, babysitters, or other services. These temporary passcodes only work during the dates and times that you set. So you no longer have to worry about changing locks after giving out a key.

For All of Those Times You Forgot to Lock the Door

Have you ever left for work in the morning only to turn around because you couldn’t remember if you locked the front door? Imagine if you could just pull your phone out to check. Better yet, just lock the door from your phone and then move on with your day. That’s the connected lock. It gives you complete control over your home’s entryways right from your phone. Lock the door from the bed, sofa, or the office.

Use This Tip to Never Forget to Lock the Door Again

You could open the app and lock the doors when you leave home, or, you could skip that step altogether. Connected door locks use location services, also known as geofencing, to lock your doors when you leave home. You can create your own geofences that will activate as you get a certain distance away from home. Now, your home will lock itself every time you drive away, keeping it safe until you return!

Keeping Your Family Safe is What’s Most Important

When connected locks are an option, you never need a spare key. The bottom line is that spare keys just aren’t safe — and safe is what’s most important to us. Ditch the spare key for the connected lock and take control of who comes and goes from your home. When school starts in just a few weeks, and your kids are coming home alone, now you have the perfect solution.

Want to learn more about how you can use connected locks to keep your home protected and connected? Contact us today to talk to a Safe Home Security Specialist about how easy it is to switch to connected locks.

The post The “Smartest” Hiding Place for Your Spare Key appeared first on Safehome Security.

Smart home automation is a fun and efficient way to enjoy all the technology in your home. It simplifies your lifestyle, helps you save energy, and can even make your Orlando, FL spaces more secure. But a smart home isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s a customized system designed to fit your needs. With that in mind, we’ve put together this guide to help you understand what you need to know before you invest in a smart home system. Keep reading for more.

See Also: 3 Simple Household Safety Tips For 2019

What Is Smart Home Automation?

First, it’s important to understand what smart automation is. An integrated technology system uses the internet to combine control of all your “smart” devices under a single, intuitive interface. You can connect the lights, shades, thermostat, and more under a single button. Add sensors and timers to your system for hands-free usage.

What Will I Use It For?

A smart home system is completely customizable. That means you can add all the things you want to use. Love movies? You can connect an epic AV system to your comfort controls. One touch turns on the projector and sound system, while also dimming the lights and lowering the shades. You don’t have to add technology that you don’t need, so consider how you’ll use it for the future.

Where Do I Start?

Sometimes you want to add an automation system to your space but can’t think of where to start. Thankfully, you can begin in just one room and expand later. Think about automating a security system. You’ll be amazed at how simple it is to keep an eye on your property and make adjustments to your system from your smartphone.

What Will It Look Like?

The beauty of a smart home system is that it’s only as visible as you want it to be. Want to hide your light fixtures? Recessed options are available. You can also recess whole-home audio speakers so you can enjoy the sound without looking at them. TVs can be hidden behind art or within the walls via motorized lifts. And discreet security devices can help invisibly protect your property.

Who Do I Call?

If you’re looking to add the latest technology to your space, you’re not alone. You can consult your local custom electronics integrator and start the discovery process today. We’re certified experts in technology installation, and we can help you build the system of your dreams.

If you want to start defining a smart home system, click here now.

The post Questions You Should Ask Before Investing in Smart Home Automation appeared first on Safehome Security.

If you have an interest in home automation, chances are you’re most concerned with all the ways smart homes can make your life more comfortable, relaxing and safe. However, you may not have realized all the ways automation can also save you money by lowering your energy usage.

Even better, many of the simplest ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency are things you would want to do anyway to get the most from your smart home setup. Let’s examine three smart home automation systems that are easy use and will cut the energy costs in your Hartford, CT home.

SEE ALSO: Smart security and more automation solutions from Safe Home Security

MOTORIZED SHADES

Keeping your home properly insulated is one of the best ways to keep your energy costs low, and motorized shades help you do that in multiple ways.

First, the shades themselves are made from energy reflecting materials to minimize how much heat is absorbed from sunlight. Less heat coming in means your house stays cooler and your air conditioning bills drop.

Second, motorized shades can be programmed to adjust themselves throughout the day to ensure the optimal temperature and light level in your home. The shades raise or lower at different times of the day, and the angle of the slats can be adjusted as well. Set the schedule once and watch your shades take care of themselves as your energy costs diminish.

LIGHTING CONTROL

Automated lighting controls systems are another excellent method to make your home more efficient.

Lighting control gives you a greater ability to monitor and manage the lights in your home. You can set up schedules for different lights to come on in different rooms at different times, and the ability to turn all your lights off with one button press makes it less likely that you’ll waste energy by leaving a stray light on somewhere.

The bigger benefit of lighting control, though, is how it helps you get the most from the light that’s already coming into your home. Lighting control systems replace your standard on/off switches with an array of dimmers, meaning you have a lot more flexibility with how you can use your lights.

According to industry research, every percentage point reduction in light level through use of a dimmer results in a corresponding decrease in energy usage. You can use automated schedules and presets to take advantage of sunlight during the day, which will also lead to increased energy savings.

SMART THERMOSTATS

Another major factor in your energy costs is your heating and air conditioning system. Smart thermostats offer a way to lower your costs in this area.

Like motorized shades and lighting control, smart thermostats allow you to take advantage of preset schedules to make sure you aren’t wasting energy heating your home when nobody is around. The ability to manage your smart thermostats remotely from an app lets you make adjustments for unexpected circumstances, and higher-end models can even learn from your patterns and adjust themselves due to factors like humidity.

These are just a few ways that smart home automation can make your Hartford, CT a home more efficient and a more pleasant place to be. To learn more about these home automation services, contact Safe Home Security at 800-833-3211 or visit us online, and read our blog to discover the benefits of other smart technologies.

The post 3 Ways to Improve Energy Efficiency with Smart Technology appeared first on Safehome Security.