Summer is the best time of year to switch off. The problem is that, whilst you’re at the beach, your home is left unattended for days or weeks. And that, unfortunately, doesn’t go unnoticed by everyone.
The good news is that protecting your home whilst you’re away no longer involves major installations or renovations. With a smart home, you can keep an eye on things, make it look as if someone’s at home and control who comes and goes – all from your mobile, wherever you are.
Here’s how:
Why summer is the most challenging time of year for your home
A significant proportion of burglaries in Spain occur during the summer months. The reason is simple: many homes are left empty at the same time, and a house with no sign of activity for days on end is a clear indication that nobody is there.
The key to preventing this is not to have the ‘most secure’ home, but to make it look as though it is occupied and to ensure you are in control at all times, even if you are hundreds of kilometres away.
1. Making it look like someone’s home: making your house look occupied
A house that’s dark every night, with the shutters always down, is the best sign that its owners are on holiday.
With a smart home, you can programme the lights to switch on and off at realistic times, the blinds to go up in the morning and down at dusk, or the television to come on for a while in the afternoon. All of this happens automatically, with the timings varying so that the pattern looks natural.
The result: from the outside, it looks as though someone is at home every day.
2. Smart locks: forget about hiding your key under the doormat
Leaving a spare key with a family member or hiding it ‘in the usual place’ is a habit that is as common as it is unsafe.
With a smart lock, you can unlock the door from your mobile and grant temporary access to whoever needs it: the person who comes to water the plants, a relative popping round to check on the house, or someone collecting a parcel. You decide who comes in, when and for how long, and you receive a notification every time the door is opened.
No spare keys lying about, and no need for you to be there.
3. Alarms and sensors with mobile alerts
Door and window opening sensors, together with motion detectors, alert you instantly if something moves when it shouldn’t.
The difference compared to a traditional alarm is that the alert is sent directly to you, in real time, wherever you are. You can see what has happened, check it out and take action straight away.
And if you combine the sensors with lights and blinds, you can set the house to ‘react’ whenever something is detected: the lights switch on, a blind goes up or an alarm sounds. Small measures that act as a deterrent.
4. Stay in control of your home, wherever you are
Beyond security, peace of mind also comes from knowing that everything is in order. From a single app, you can check whether you’ve left a light on, whether a window’s been left open, or whether everything’s just as you left it.
It’s that peace of mind that comes from being able to take a look at your home from your hammock, without having to rely on anyone else.
All this, without any building work or cables
A common concern when considering these solutions is whether they require a major installation or chiselling into walls. The answer is no: wireless technology allows you to add smart security to your home without any building work and without breaking anything, whether your house is new or you’ve been living there for years.
That also means you don’t have to do it all at once. You can start with whatever concerns you most this summer and expand the system later on.
At Kimbo that’s exactly how we work – with 100% wireless installations that are tailored to each home.
Have a relaxing summer
Enjoying your holiday starts with setting off without a care in the world. And to do that, you don’t need to fill your home with cables or carry out major building work: all you need is a smart system that’s well thought out and tailored to your home.
If you’d like to know how to protect your home this summer easily and without any building work, tell us about your home and we’ll help you find the solution that suits you best.
FAQs
No. As it is a wireless technology, installation is quick and tidy, with no visible cables and no need for building work. It works just as well in a newly built house as it does in an older property.
Yes. As long as you have an internet connection on your mobile, you can keep an eye on your home, receive alerts and control the lights, blinds or the door lock from anywhere in the world.
Smart systems are designed to handle these situations, and many devices retain basic functions locally. Ideally, you should assess your specific situation to configure the system as securely as possible.
Of course. One of the system’s major advantages is that it’s fully scalable. You can start by protecting the essentials and add more features as and when you need them.
