How to Keep Your Home Secure While You’re Away for the Holidays


HOME AUTOMATIONHOME SECURITY

As you are trying to pile the family into the car for a long holiday road trip to the in-laws, home security may be low on your list of priorities. However, the holiday season presents a target-rich environment with many houses sitting unoccupied for long stretches of time. But if you have the right set of overlapping defenses set up at your home, paired with some common-sense choices, the chances that potential thieves leave your home alone increases. Here are a few holiday home security ideas for you to employ before you go out of town:

Don’t post your vacation travel plans and photos to social media.

It’s always fun to share pictures of the kids and family to your social media following, especially when travelling. Who doesn’t like to get likes? However, this opens you up to being a target, even when you have your social sharing settings at the highest level of security.

If you want to post photos of your vacation, always do so after you get back to town. There’s no reason to tell everyone – while you are away – that you are away.

Have experts look at your home’s potential weak points where a thief might find easy entry.

There is a plethora of do-it-yourself security systems being advertised at this time of year. And yes, it’s possible to do a good job installing your own system. You might be tempted with all the deals you are hearing about. But when protecting what most likely is your largest investment, don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish. There are many unknown unknowns unless you leave it to the experts. One size does not fit all: You should have an expert custom-design your protection.

When you choose a professional from BriteBox for your security system design and installation, you will have an expert consultant who can answer your questions and will also be proactive with solutions to questions you don’t know to ask. This will bring you peace-of-mind when you’re away from your home. With your new security system installed, you would easily be able to do the following:

  • Monitor your home inside and out
  • Lock/unlock doors remotely
  • Open/close garage doors
  • Turn on/off lights
  • Arm/disarm security system
  • Watch live video on your device from anywhere

You can get custom alerts sent right to your phone. If your door was left unlocked, a package was left on your porch, or something triggers an alarm, you’ll get a push notification, insuring you’re in charge of your home at all times, no matter where you are.

Discuss your travel plans with a trusted neighbour.

It can be a stressful time of year with many demands of your time, but don’t forget to discuss your travel plans with a trusted neighbour. Ask them to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity while you’re away. You’ll also want to ask them to pick up your mail and newspapers. A pile of newspapers is a dead giveaway that the homeowner is out of town.

Automate more than just the lighting in your home.

Back in the old days of automation, you had to set manual timers to turn the lights on and off. Now, you can do so much more than automating the lighting of your home while you’re away. With a home automation system from BriteBox, you can also:

  • Adjust your thermostat
  • Detect water leaks or problems with water heater
  • Raise/lower your blinds
  • Shut off your water
  • Control lights and music

What holiday home security measures will you take before heading out of town? BriteBox designers can customize your home automation and security systems to your individual needs.

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