How Home Automation Can Make You a Better Parent

Home Automation allows you to control many aspects of your home, and it ensures the protection of your family during unexpected occurrences. This control enables you to be a better parent by giving your children an added layer of supervision, safety, and a healthy schedule to follow.

1. It can be programmed to turn lights off and on at specific times.

This feature is helpful for a couple of reasons. One of the most significant benefits is that you can program lights to come on when your kids are supposed to wake up and to turn off at a specific time each night. This schedule helps your kids to develop healthy sleep habits and can help encourage them to follow their bedtime routine and wakeup routine.

Another reason this feature is helpful is that you can ensure lights are off when they aren’t in use. By controlling your lights from an app on your cellphone, you can teach your kids energy-efficient habits, while also keeping your energy bill low to save money.

2. You can lock and unlock doors while you are away from home.

If your child forgets their house key and can’t get into the house after school, this feature allows you to unlock it for them. Likewise, if they forget to lock the door behind them when they leave for school or after they enter the house alone, you can lock it up with just the touch of a button.

There is an automation device that can allow a keycode to be typed in, so you don’t have to worry about lost or forgotten keys. Additionally, each of your children can have a different key code so that you know who is coming and going, and at what times those actions are occurring.

3. It can ensure safety, even when you’re not looking.

Cameras can allow you to see what is going on at your home when you aren’t there. However, if you aren’t continually watching, you may miss something crucial. There are devices that you can install in your home that will alert you when a medicine cabinet, gun safe, or other dangerous place is opened. Additional sensors can detect motion in the pool area or any other area you want your kids to stay out of when you aren’t present. This information gives you a heads up that your child is in a potentially unsafe situation.

4. See who is at the door without opening it.

This feature is great for when you have older kids who are left alone after school. If they don’t recognize or aren’t comfortable with the person at the door, they’ll be able to know without letting on that they’re at home. Alternatively, for younger children, video doorbells take the responsibility of answering the door out of their hands entirely, as you can speak to whoever is at the door.

Most of the companies that sell security equipment or other automation devices carry doorbells that work in this way. Rod Pettingill of SafeStreets states that “There are many different video doorbells. There many companies that sell just a doorbell camera with the largest companies being Ring, Nest, and Skybell. In addition to the independent companies, many of the home security providers have video doorbells that they can include with their security systems.” When you’re looking to get automation installed, make sure to ask the company about this feature.

5. Program it to shut down electronics during scheduled homework times.

You can program your automation system to turn off TVs, video game systems, sound systems, and whatever else interferes with your child’s homework. This way, they’ll be forced to study, do homework, or do something productive during “homework time,” even if you can’t be there to enforce it.

6. You can use a smart thermostat to ensure comfortable temperatures.

If you’re like most parents, you want the temperature of your home to be comfortable for your children. A smart thermostat can learn your family’s habits (when you’re sleeping, away from home, etc.) and automatically adjusts itself to the appropriate temperature for that time. Once the smart-thermostat gets a good feel for your habits, it can make sure your home is always the perfect temperature. Whether sleeping, in the mornings, the time you’re not home, or any other variable in your home comfort, you will have a comfortable home.

7. Make your home safe from burglars.

Your home is more protected with motion sensor lights and an alarm system. With this automation, a burglar will likely change their mind when they realize all the entries into the home are equipped with motion sensor lights. If they do continue their path, your alarm system will surely change their minds.

Things to Consider When Installing Home Automation

Rod Pettingill suggests that when you are ready to install automation devices, you look for the following features:

• HD quality video
• Night vision
• Motion-activated notifications
• Able to stand up to the weather elements in your area

Pettingill also suggests considering the viewing angle that you need for your home. He explains that “if your front door is even with the rest of the front of your house you would want to have a wider viewing angle to see all of the house. However, if your front door is set back in the front of the house so that there are walls on both sides approaching the door, you won’t need as wide a viewing angle.”

Final Thoughts on Being a Better Parent with Home Automation

Using home automation can help you be a better parent. It offers supervision and protection when you are not immediately present. Its remote systems provide a way to make sure your kids can get inside and are doing their homework. It ensures your home is safe from burglars and helps regulate everyone’s schedules with lighting and automatic temperature control. Home automation is today’s most helpful tool for successful parenting.

Author Bio:

Richard Overmyer a copywriter and outreach specialist for SafeStreets USA, one of the oldest are largest ADT Authorized Dealers. He strives to help all his clients make the best decisions to keep their homes a functioning, happy, and safe place. When not writing, you can find Richard in the mountains, enjoying the weather, no matter how much it rains or not!