MAKE YOUR HOME A SMART HOME WITH THESE GADGETS

Summer is here and that means the kids are out of school! If your kids are like mine, they love to be indoors in the air conditioning lounging around the house, before summer camp starts, especially because we live in South Florida and it is so hot out.  

Many of you, may have to work outside the home and do not send your kids to camp and may even have to leave your kids home alone for an extended period of time. Whether it is for a couple of hours or all day, while you work, that leads me to my next point - safety in your home is vital!  As parents we always want to do everything possible to keep our children safe and a "smart home" does just that. 

One of the best ways to do this, is by implementing automation in your home. This way you can monitor all that goes on in your home while you are away. Automating your home can be as simple as installing buttons or voice command so that you can control things such as the lighting in your home, the locks, the thermostat, the garage and mainly your security system. I love the feature that allows you to control the temperature in your home. This is a big plus in South Florida! 

One of the most popular safety items that many homeowners are using to keep their homes safe is by using Smart Lock. It allows you key-less access to your home and is connected to your smart tablet, so if you forget to lock your door, you can always do it remotely.

Another neat gadget to make your home safe is an August Connect WiFi Bridge. August Connect requires an August Smart Lock and works with the free August iOS or Android app. This has a variety of features but mainly it lets you control your door from anywhere! It has voice control that allows you to connect your lock to Amazon Alexa or even Siri.  I think the best feature on the WiFi Connect Bridge is that it gives you instant alerts when someone enters or exits your home.

There are countless ways to make your home a safe home and you can choose the gadgets that work best for you and your home but the most important thing to remember, is that your kids know the safety rules of staying home alone and act responsibly when doing so!