Can your Treasure Coast smart home outsmart a storm? As high tech as our contemporary homes are we are still at the mercy of Mother Nature each time a major storm rolls through. As we write this, Hurricane Isaias is on it’s way to Port St Lucie Florida. While there’s not much you can do to put a stop to strong winds, power outages, and flooding, the ideal smart house tech can offer you a leg up in maintaining your home protected in the middle of a crisis.
As you put together your emergency kit and emergency program, consider these wise house recommendations — they can make all the difference between a short-term annoyance and a long-term disaster.
Stay Connected Even When the Grid Goes Down
Before you invest in several smart house tools, you will want to be certain you have the energy you need to keep those tools going when you need them the most. Invest in an uninterrupted power source (or UPS) to maintain your net connection and WiFi operational during the next power outage. A UPS can kick at the moment the power drops, and also a mid-range device are able to keep your critical systems operating for 12 hours or longer.
If you reside in an area that’s prone to hurricanes or other natural disasters which can result in long-term outages, consider investing in a small generator that will power your technician for days and maintain essential appliances (such as the fridge, HVAC system, and medical devices) up and running.
Keep an Eye on Your Premises, Wherever You Are
Whether you are stuck inside riding out the storm, or else you are hundreds of miles away and worried about your property from afar, a few wireless smart cameras can provide you a full view of a storm and help you immediately know the difference between only a couple of broken branches or a catastrophic weather crisis.
Today’s WiFi cameras are cheap and simple to install. Although they’re meant for general home safety, their motion-based documenting and night-vision capacities can create them valuable allies another time bad weather descends in your city.
Many of these cameras are battery-run (allowing them to function when the electricity goes out), and their records may also come in handy for filing claims with your insurance carrier. You are able to check footage right from your mobile device from anywhere. They’re great for keeping your family safe and educated each and every single day, but, more importantly, they can be a lifesaver in the event of an emergency.
Get Alerts When Water Enter Your Home
As you outfit your house with smart house tools, catch a few water detectors to place in key places, such as the basement and close to the patio doors, where there is a higher risk of water leaks or flooding. These corded detectors are inexpensive and utilize almost any wise home hub, making them a valuable addition.
As long as your house’s wireless network is operating, a water detector can send your smartphone or tablet a notification the instant a water emergency is detected, helping you prevent a leak in a couple of minutes and prevent a potentially devastating water emergency in the procedure.
The Simplicity of Smart Home Storm-Safe
These devices are simple to use and set up — they can be integrated into one system using a smart home hub set up by the local cable or Internet service provider. The ideal smart house upgrades will not only have a dramatic impact on your daily productivity, but they’ll also give a vital safety net that may keep your family safe, and save thousands of dollars in the midst of a weather crisis — and save even more in your employer’s insurance policy.
There’s no smarter way to be ready in any sort of weather. In our home, we use Simplisafe, which monitors our entire home for fire, flood, and burglary, and does so for $24 a month. We really like their doorbell camera. Set on 1080p, the response time is probably 75% quicker than the Ring system from Amazon. There’s also privacy issues as it pertains to Ring, and 3rd parties (law enforcement) accessing it when they want.
If, after the storm is over you have technical issues and need a hand – call the folks who are 24/7/365 and know how to do the job right, the first time!
