Home Exterior Technology: What You Need to Know
At Emerge2, we believe that your home’s exterior provides most of the curb appeal on your property. It’s also functional – protecting the structure from the elements. What if you could add to that functionality and make the exterior of your home do even more work for you? Keep reading on to learn about the possibilities.
Stay Safe
Keeping a safe home is one of the most important responsibilities of home ownership. There are a few different ways to use home exterior technology to help achieve that goal.
Security cameras have long been a reliable way to monitor your home and keep an eye on everything going on around it. Cameras have evolved and gotten smaller, more portable and can connect to smartphones. New models contain software that can recognize familiar faces and alert you to their presence. With smart security cameras that link together, you can start off with one or two cameras and then add to the system as needed.
Your front door can be more than just the gateway to your home. Smart locks and doorbells increase convenience and safety and installation is usually simple.
A smart lock that syncs with an app can come in handy if you’re out and may have forgotten to lock your door. Similarly, if you need someone to feed your pet or make repairs inside your home, you can let them in from wherever you are.
A smart doorbell goes hand in hand with having a smart lock. You can get a notification on your phone when someone is on your front step, see live video of them, and speak to them if you choose. Then, if you’re comfortable with who is at your door, unlock it for them remotely.
Save Money
You can use outdoor technology to monitor outdoor conditions, thereby saving you money and saving the earth’s resources as well.
Homeowners can save both money and time spent watering gardens and lawns by installing smart water controllers. If you have an in-ground irrigation system, invest in a wifi sprinkler controller. These controllers monitor real-time local weather conditions and choose the best time to water. You can even set it up based on soil type, plant type, and if you’re watering in a shady or sunny area. Make sure you follow any bylaws or city regulations regarding lawn watering and water usage.
If you don't have an irrigation system set up, don't worry! You can pick up a smart faucet controller that attaches to your outside faucets and provides some of the same timing and monitoring features of the irrigation system.
You can unlock other energy savings by investing in smart lights for the outside of your home. They can be set to turn on and off at a time of your choosing, or you can program them to come on at sunset and turn off at sunrise.
Be Entertained
Gone are the days of moving your music around the house with you. With exterior smart speakers, have the music follow where you're going.
A smart, weatherproof speaker can be installed almost anywhere outside. Your front porch and back deck are great options, especially if you often have visitors. From there, simply connect to your wireless network, tell the smart assistant what to play, and enjoy the tunes.
It's not just music that's moving outside – outdoor TVs for your backyard or patio are becoming more and more popular. Don’t miss that big sporting event when you're lounging poolside.
If you have any questions or need more information, feel free to visit Emerge2 for assistance. We would be happy to help you in any way we can.