The last thing you want to think about when away from home is whether you left the coffee
machine on or left a door open, like a garage door.
Whether it’s for security or just peace of mind, it’s worth putting systems and
processes in place so that you can spend less time worrying about what’s happening at
home, and more time enjoying your time away.
Hey, how’s it going everyone?
It’s Ernest from Trip Astute.
In this video, I’m going to share some simple smart home upgrades that I’ve set-up to
improve my daily life and give me peace of mind while traveling.
A lot of times when we think about smart devices in the home, it’s in the context of home
security.
And honestly, the last few years we’ve seen so many of these types of security devices
become commonplace in homes.
For example, it seems like everyone has a Ring doorbell camera nowadays.
Companies like Ring and SimpliSafe even have full alarm systems which are giving traditional
alarms companies a lot of competition.
However, making your home “smart” doesn’t have to be all about alarms and cameras.
In fact, I would argue that there is so much more potential to help make your home life
and travels so much easier and safer through some simple automations and connections.
And since most of you are spending more time at home because of the pandemic, now might
be a good time to think about upgrading parts of your home.
So, I thought I’d walk through a couple of smart home upgrades that I’ve created
at my place that help me to keep tabs on things at my house, whether I’m upstairs or even
away from home.
These upgrades and automations may reveal some of my OCD tendencies, but to be honest,
I really feel like they have given me peace of mind and incrementally saved me time.
The first set of smart home upgrades are contact sensors.
For reference, I use Wyze Sense Contact Sensors for the job.
They cost about $5 each, so they’re not a big investment.
I use them to help track when things are left open or even to trigger certain lights in
my house.
While doors and windows are obvious places to use contact sensors, there are a lot of
other uses for these devices.
For example, I’ve set them up on my refrigerator and freezer doors, and scheduled a notification
to occur if either is open for more than 5 minutes.
It might seem like overkill, but in the past year, I accidentally left our refrigerator
door cracked open while rushing out to work.
While most of my groceries were okay, I hated the thought of all the wasted energy.
I also mounted a contact sensor on the railing of my garage door.
I then set a notification to occur if the garage door is left open for ten minutes.
This has actually come in handy several times.
And because of it, I decided to add a device to trigger my garage door to close.
But I’ll get to that later in the video.
The next set of devices are switches.
These are often wifi connected devices that supply power between a device and an outlet.
They typically have one function, which is to turn on or off.
There are so many of these devices available today from a variety of brands.
In this example, I’m also using Wyze Plugs which only cost $8 each and integrate with
their other devices.
I have my plugs set-up with my living room floor lamps and my coffee machine.
The floor lamps are triggered during certain times of the day if motion is detected, which
I’ll cover next.
The coffee machine plug is set to only turn on during the morning hours.
This is because I have a bad habit of leaving it on all day.
It’s not as dangerous since I’m working from home at the moment.
But when I used to commute to work, there were many times where I wondered if I had
left it on.
This makes sure that even if I leave it on, the plug will eventually shut off electricity
at a certain time.
And remember how I mentioned that I set-up a contact sensor to alert me when the garage
door is left open?
Well, I accidentally left it open and was alerted while driving from Los Angeles to
Orange County a few months ago, and had to make a trip back to close my garage since
I didn’t want my camera gear to be left out and stolen.
I decided at that point that I wanted to take it to the next level and have the ability
to remotely operate the garage door through wifi.
What I found is that there are a lot of expensive commercial systems out there that can do it.
However, I didn’t want to invest in an expensive set-up, especially since we’re renting our
house.
I ended up stumbling upon an article on how to do it for only $15 using a device called
a Shelly One.
The Shelly One is similar to a plug switch but is meant to integrate into traditional
home electrical set-ups where you may not be plugging into an outlet.
Since I just needed a device to complete an electrical circuit, this solution worked perfectly.
You can even use a DC power adapter from another unused device to supply the power as I did.
It did require some set-up, but it honestly was much easier than I expected.
And for only $15 or $20 worth of supplies, it was a very cost-effective way to make a
smart garage door opener.
The next set of sensors that I use are motion sensors.
I have a few of these in places where I don’t want to place a camera, but I still want some
activity to trigger other actions.
For example, I have one in our living room, garage, and stairwell that are used to trigger
lights.
This is all done through Wyze motion sensors and smart light bulbs.
The Wyze light bulbs are also fairly inexpensive when compared to other devices.
I especially like having my garage and stairwell lights automated since I’m often carrying
things to and from the garage.
Whether it’s a load of laundry or groceries, it’s just one less thing that I need to
touch or activate.
The lights are also set to turn off if no motion is detected after a set period of time.
Another thing that has proven to be helpful is attaching a motion sensor in our delivery
box.
We have a box that we set-up outside of our front door for packages.
I placed a motion sensor under the lid, which then sends a notification to my phone whenever
it detects motion.
I also set-up an Alexa rule that announces when a package has arrived.
“A package has arrived.”
This adds both convenience and security since I know when a delivery has been made.
And in case you’re wondering, I do have several cameras at my house.
I have an old Canary home security camera inside my living room that monitors my house
for activity when we are out.
It uses a geofence to detect when people are home and has several different sensors to
measure things like temperature and air quality.
I did a review on it several years ago if you’re interested.
Though there are so many new systems out there nowadays, so I don’t know that I would still
recommend one today if you’re looking to invest in a security system.
I also have two Wyze cameras set-up on our two main entry points.
These are set to record whenever there is motion.
The cameras are also the hub for the various contact and motion sensors in the house.
Again, I do like the Wyze brand because of the cost and lack of restrictions.
Each camera is only $20, which is a bargain.
The cameras also allow you to record locally onto a MicroSD card which is accessible via
the app.
Wyze also has a cloud recording subscription that is optional and inexpensive.
However, for my purposes, the local recording works great and means I’m not stuck paying
a monthly or annual fee.
Lastly, I do have an old Nest Smart Thermometer that I use.
I won’t go into the details of the Nest, since I know there are millions of videos
on it.
But it’s just another device that interacts with my home set-up and allows me to adjust
my home temperature through wifi using an app.
As you can see, all of these upgrades have practical uses when I am home and also when
away.
I’m obviously not traveling right now due to the pandemic, but I figure that some of
these features will be helpful in the future.
Most smart home devices have a “vacation mode” or equivalent setting that can help
look as though you’re home when you’re actually away.
And being able to check-in on what may be happening in front of my house or adjusting
the temperature in case there is a heatwave seems like a great use of the technology.
Many people focus on the security aspect of a smart home.
But I honestly think that there is so much more than trying to catch an intruder.
And as you find yourself spending more time at home, I’m hoping this video might inspire
you to start building a smarter home, especially one that can help save you time and stress
when home and away.
In addition, here are a couple of things to keep in mind if you start down this rabbit
hole.
1.
Use strong passwords and enable security settings: While making your home smarter is convenient,
there is one drawback -- and that’s security.
Any device that is connected to the internet is also vulnerable.
That’s why it’s important that you use complex and unique passwords for any system
that you use.
Also, I recommend enabling two-factor or multi-factor authentication whenever possible.
I know I’ve covered it in several videos, but I highly recommend using a password manager
for your passwords.
For example, I use 1Password, and it helps me to create random and complex passwords
for any site and service.
When I need to use it, I just enter my one password and the software helps me to log
in.
There are many password management apps out there, so consider using one if you’re someone
who struggles to manage and create unique passwords.
Also, it probably goes without saying, but you’ll also want to protect your home network
from others.
There are many security features and firewalls that you can implement, and each router is
going to have a different process for setting up these features.
However, at the very least, you want to password protect your network so that others are not
able to join your network and control your devices.
2.
Set-up dual wireless frequencies on your home wifi: One thing that I learned through this
process is that many of these smart home devices operate at 2.4 gigahertz rather than 5 gigahertz,
which is a more common frequency on newer routers.
This means that if you could run into connectivity problems.
However, a lot of new routers are able to run dual frequencies, which allows devices
to connect through either the 2.4 or 5 gigahertz frequency.
If you encounter connectivity issues, then you’ll want to check the frequency broadcasted
from your router.
3.
Use a common smart home platform across all devices: Once you start building a smart home
with different devices, you’ll quickly realize that you’ll have to use various apps to
control them.
However, companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google have smart home platforms that often
integrate multiple devices.
For example, I use the Google Home app to control most of the devices in my house.
I still need to use individual apps for more advanced features like setting up rules or
triggers.
But for most basic functions, I can control it from Google Home.
4.
Use switch covers: If you use any devices that run on an outlet or light that is connected
to a wall switch, then you might want to use switch covers to prevent them from being turned
off.
For example, I have a few outlets that are connected to a wall switch that I’ve covered.
Also, since my stairwell lights are automated using the smart bulbs, the wall light switches
need to be kept on.
I bought these cheap magnetic covers that prevent me or others from turning them off.
Do you have any smart home devices?
What home automations or smart features have you found to be most useful?
Please share in the comment section below.
I love getting inspiration for new ideas.
I’ve included several links in the video description as well in case you’re interested
in some of the devices listed.
Trip Astute does earn a percentage on some of the links.
It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but it’s an easy way to support the channel
if you found our content to be valuable and helpful.
If you enjoyed this video, please give it a thumbs up and consider subscribing to our
channel.
Also, if there’s someone who you think might benefit from the video, please share it with
them.
It may not seem like much, but it really helps with growing our channel and community.
I hope you all are staying safe and healthy.
Until next time, travel safe and travel smart.