Building a Disaster-Proof Smart Home

Building a Disaster-Proof Smart Home

The following post is sponsored by Cummins.

Making your home a smart home is one of the most popular upgrades you can make. The market is full of innovative new technologies, gadgets are reasonably priced, and you can install most upgrades as a quick weekend project.

A smart home is not just about the bells and whistles, but choosing the right tools and services. The right smart home technologies can go a long way protecting your family when the next disaster hits. Here are a few strategic upgrades to consider as you evaluate your family’s emergency preparedness.

Protect Your Home with Automated Door Locks and Window Shades

As you’re shopping for smart home features, don’t overlook products like smart deadbolt door locks and automated window shades. Smart door locks are inexpensive and useful in a number of ways. You can keep an eye on when a door is used, assign digital access keys for friends and family, and even remotely unlock a door for a repairman.

They also provide peace-of-mind in the event of an emergency. If you’re in an area prone to high wind, you can activate a deadbolt from afar when a storm is coming, which should keep it from blowing open no matter how intense the storm. In the same way, remote-activated window blinds add a small, but meaningful layer of protection against storms and other weather events where debris could break the glass.

The right remote-activated products can help you batten down the hatches, even if you’re half-way across the world.

Water Sensors Can Save You Thousands of Dollars

As any affected family can tell you, there are few home disasters as costly as water damage. Whether water is blowing in through an open door, or a pipe busts in extreme cold, water that enters your home in an unusual way can ruin flooring and cause structural damage that can cost thousands to repair.

Thankfully, a few smart water sensors can work with a smart home hub to send your smartphone a notification in the event of a water emergency. Even better, some sensors work in tandem with a smart valve on your home’s water main that can turn the water off at the source the moment moisture is detected in an unusual part of your home. As water leaks and storm damage have a knack for hitting when families are out-of-town, these tools can present a valuable safety net when disaster strikes while you’re away.

A Solid Generator Can Keep Your Family Safe and Comfortable

Whether it’s from a hurricane, snow storm, thunderstorm or just a freak accident, one of the most disruptive emergencies a family can face is losing power at their home for an extended period of time. Not only does this affect a family’s comfort and quality of life, but losing power can also impact life-saving heating systems and emergency systems like pumps for removing water from homes and basements.

Make sure you’re prepared by keeping batteries handy for small electronics, and consider investing in rock-solid protection like a Cummins QuietConnect home generator. Whether the power’s out for a few hours or even several days, your family will stay comfortable, connected and, most importantly, safe.

Don’t wait until disaster strikes to make strategic upgrades to your smart home. A small investment and a little bit of time is all it takes to build a disaster-proof smart home your family can enjoy every day.

Author

Eric is the creator of At Home in the Future and has been a passionate fan of the future since he was seven. He's a web developer by trade, and serves as the Director of Communication and Technology for a large church in Nashville, TN (where he and his family are building a high tech home in the woods).

5 comments

  • Hi Eric, as usual, great article. All though I expected more information about IoT security here. Investing some money in IoT security assessment can potentially save a good amount of money in the future by preventing the system from getting hacked. As a smart home installer, this is my first priority to make sure all our projects are absolutely hacked proof. We at AVITHA home automation even has a checklist which we follow to asses our projects for any IoT security issues. have written a blog about IoT security, as a fan of your work could you please read it give me your thoughts?

  • Absolutely, to build a smart home it is very necessary to choose the right tools and services. The right smart home technologies also help in protecting your family when the next disaster hits. And for this, it is very necessary to build a strong home.

  • I would say that this industry home automation is really booming in India. Technygrow is a good smart home company. Many brands and good services making Technygrow best smart home automation solutions company in India. Just google about Technygrow

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