Like so many others I’m eager to venture out and enjoy the company of humans and the thrill of far flung places. There’s an overwhelming fear of missing out any longer. But that FOMO is tempered by an equally pressing FOGA: Fear of Going Away.
It was a few years ago at our mortgage closing, when the seller received an eye-popping $900 final water bill, that I first developed FOGA. Apparently, when they vacated the house, a couple of running toilets and a leaky faucet had gone undetected, draining more than 47,000 gallons in a single month—about eight times more than normal. As with the wisdom about liberty, it seemed the price of home ownership would be eternal vigilance.
The lesson was reaffirmed over a Presidents’ Day trip when I received The Call: Our rental tenant had pulled the battery from a chirping smoke alarm that connected to the boiler and water heater, causing them to shut down. It was 27 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and I was a three-hour drive away. My FOGA levels surged.
Such unwelcome discoveries quickly became the norm. During various trips away, we’ve enjoyed visits from porch pirates, who twice nabbed packages, and a bike thief. There’s been a puddle under the dishwasher and the discovery that the cellar door had been left open during a rainy week.
So one day I finally got it together to go smart. Soon after, when a frantic call came from guests who couldn’t get our front door open, I was redeemed: Brandishing my iPhone, I commanded Siri to trigger my new smart lock. Siri did so instantly, I was a hero, and everything was glorious in the world.
I’ve since outfitted our home with a range of smart-home gear that has eased (if not fully eliminated) my FOGA. Some of these devices keep an eye on our place and send me an alert whenever something seems amiss. Others are automated to make it less evident we’re away. And overall I like being able to drop in from anywhere in the world to have remote control of all my devices—a lock, an array of lights, the thermostat, and more—to make sure all is well.
What I find particularly appealing is that I can pick and choose the devices that work best for my needs, and I like not being on the hook for yet another monthly fee. Here are several ways you can protect your home while you’re away, from the quick and cheap to the more involved and costly.
Last-minute quick fixes
Before breaking out tools and tech, the first step in vacation-proofing is to check off the basics. Deputy inspector Jessica Corey, commanding officer of the NYPD’s Crime Prevention Division, says that you have to minimize the appearance that no one is home. “Don’t leave a note on the door for the mailman or deliveries—stop your mail or get someone to pick it up. And if your drapery isn’t normally closed, it shouldn’t be while you’re away either.” For stretches longer than a week, hire someone to mow the yard and put out and collect your garbage cans on schedule. Turn off the water-supply valves to the clothes washer and dishwasher, and even the toilets. Above all, ensure that a neighbor is on board to check on things and has a set of spare keys—including for your cars. As a failsafe, I've placed a set of keys in a combination lockbox that hangs from a doorknob—in an emergency, anyone with the combination can get in.
For $10 or $15, you can use a smart plug with a lamp connected to it that will then turn on and off on a set or varied schedule. Better yet, get a three-pack, put them in Away mode, and your lights will randomly turn on and off to better simulate an occupied home. (Wirecutter recommends several in our guide to plug-in smart switches.)
A smoke alarm is useful only if someone is there to hear it. For our apartment and our rental unit, I installed Nest Protect smoke alarms: If either smoke or carbon monoxide is detected, I get an instant notification on my phone so I can check up on things or call in the cavalry. (You can find more info in Wirecutter’s guide to smart smoke alarms.)
Better options, with a budget
Conspicuously mounted outdoor cameras, such as the Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera, do a great job of dissuading potential burglars (you can read about them in Wirecutter’s guide to outdoor security cameras). I have the Nest Cam Outdoor (now discontinued) set under our front stoop that sends a notification and a video clip if someone approaches the basement door.Mounted on your house, a camera also lets you check on your property after inclement weather, a huge help if you have large trees or suffer from flooding. And as a little pro tip, Corey strongly advises against mounting fake cameras: “If you’re going to mount a camera, get a real one—dummy cameras give you a false sense of security.”
You can install a low-cost motion-sensing camera (you can see our favorite models in Wirecutter’s guide to indoor security cameras) inside your home as well, which will send word whenever anyone—a house sitter, dog walker, repairperson, or potential burglar—crosses its path. It also lets you see live video and even communicate walkie-talkie–style, if need be.
Along with wind and hail, water is one of the most common sources of damage for homeowners. Tiny battery-powered moisture detectors such as the D-Link DCH-S1621KT Whole Home Smart Wi-Fi Water Leak Sensor Kit, placed near a water heater or sewer drain, connect to your home’s Wi-Fi and send an alert to your phone if they sense a leak or flood. (For more info, read Wirecutter’s guide to smart leak detectors.)
Corey recommends using lighting timers to make it look as if you’re still at home. “Make sure the lights and televisions and other items come on at different times, not always on the same schedule," she notes. I’ve found that smart bulbs, such as Wyze Bulb Color or Philips Hue, are far easier to program and have “Scenes” that make it so that your bulbs turn on and off randomly instead of on a repeated schedule (you can read about smart bulbs in Wirecutter’s guide). They can also be set up to be triggered by a motion sensor or another smart device such as a lock—an additional burglar-busting feature. “I strongly suggest having motion-sensor-activated lighting around the outside of the house. It’s one of the cheapest forms of security you can have,” Corey said.
The works: A restful vacation
I installed a smart lock, the Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro, because it eliminates the need to copy physical keys and keep track of them (read more about smart locks in Wirecutter's guide). I use an app to create a code anytime for anyone who needs to come by—the house sitter, an Airbnb guest, the flooring person—and get a notification when they come and go. And I can disable access when I get home without needing to collect keys. I can also set it to auto-lock if someone forgets. It’s low-profile and attractive, unlike many keypad locks.
A doorbell camera pings my phone whenever someone is at the door, which is great since I can speak to a visitor as if I were home—or ignore them—while still knowing who is gracing my front step. The model I installed, the Google Nest Doorbell (wired), sends alerts if it sees motion. (For information on other models, see Wirecutter’s guide to smart doorbells.) It does double-duty as a security camera since it records video 24/7, which I view on my phone. That way I can consult the video if something bad actually does happen, or if I just need to catch the jerk who keeps letting his dog poop on my sidewalk.
To avoid frozen pipes in winter and scorched plants or pets in the summer, a smart thermostat like the Ecobee’s SmartThermostat with Voice Control optimizes the temperature in our home so we aren’t wasting energy. It also can pair with tiny sensors you place on a shelf to turn things off when people are gone. (For more information on smart thermostats, see Wirecutter’s guide.)
The biggest purchase I made, and the one that has brought the greatest peace of mind, was a Phyn Plus smart water monitor and shut-off valve. This device (and there are others like it) attaches to your home’s main water supply and uses AI to detect when a plumbing fixture is stuck on, if there’s a small leak, or if a pipe has burst—or even if one is frozen and about to pop. It sends you a notification so you can act, but in the event of a catastrophic leak, it automatically shuts off your water (you can turn the water back on with the app or manually with a wrench). Though the Phyn cost several hundred bucks plus the cost of a plumber, my homeowner’s insurance loves these devices and so provided a discount equal to the cost of the whole shebang. And it makes sense: The Insurance Institute says that 98% of annual claims are from property damage, and although fires account for the highest costs, one in 50 homes suffers water damage—with an average claim over $10,000. Check if your company offers a discount and if so, this one’s a no-brainer.
As an alternative to a whole-home, professionally installed security system, DIY versions such as SimpliSafe, Abode, Ring, and Wyze let you mix and match compatible security sensors—motion, door/window, water—with some popular smart devices like many mentioned here, but without an ongoing service contract (to learn more, see Wirecutter’s guide to security systems). You can get alerts on your phone when you’re home. And when you go away, you can pay a modest fee, in some cases as low as $5 a month, for professional monitoring, so you get the best of both worlds.
from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/smart-home-safety-security-vacation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=RSS%20Feed
No comments:
Post a Comment