As summer winds down, we find ourselves in that familiar mix of excitement and preparation. It's a time for kids to reconnect with friends, dive into school supply shopping, adjust to new sleep schedules, and begin the hustle of after-school activities.
Although the days to come may start to feel hectic, with a little smart-home planning, you can ease the transition and set your new routine up for success.
Here are four tips for using smart security to automate, simplify, and secure your home for the back-to-school transition.
1. Secure your entryway the smart way
If your kids are leaving or arriving home on their own this year, adding a smart lock to your security system is a convenient and safe solution.
Smart locks let you give your family unique codes instead of keys. If someone forgets their code, you can unlock the door for them from the app, no matter where you are. If anyone shares their code accidentally, don’t worry. You can delete it and create a different one in seconds. No more lost keys!
Video doorbells take your front-door security to a new level. If you’re away, you can get notified when your kids arrive home. You can even remind them when you’ll be back by using two-way audio directly through the app.
But why stop at the front door? With Alarm.com outdoor cameras, you can also keep an eye on your driveway. Cameras equipped with advanced Familiar Vehicle Analytics technology can alert you when your teenager leaves the driveway or when the carpool arrives.
2. Automate your morning and night routine
Mornings and evenings can be the busiest time of day for families, especially during the school year.
That’s why parents love Smart Arming, Alarm.com’s “let mama sleep” feature. Learning from your usual activity, Smart Arming simplifies daily routines, reduces false alarms, and takes the guesswork out of home security. Whether your family stays out late or sleeps in, your system adapts to you. Not the other way around.
Automatically arm or disarm the panel at a set time every day or when activity is detected—like the kids running downstairs in the morning.
3. Connect your vehicles for increased convenience and awareness
Why limit your smart home’s power to just the house? Extend your smart home’s capabilities to your vehicles, so you can manage your home security no matter where your day takes you.
With Alarm.com’s Connected Car, you know where your vehicle is at all times and receive alerts for maintenance issues and unsafe driving behavior.
By integrating your car into your system, you can also customize automations—set the garage door to automatically close when you leave the driveway and set up light and thermostat settings that trigger when you're close to home.
Android Auto™ users can use one-tap, on-screen controls to activate personalized Scenes and automation all from the car’s display. How convenient is that!
Plus, location-based alerts help parents with teen drivers stay in the loop. Easily set up and receive real-time notifications when your car is driven in or out of designated areas, providing reassurance that your high schooler is always where they should be.
4. Get added peace of mind with 24/7 personal safety tech
You won’t have to worry if you have older kids who walk alone to the bus stop or to a friend’s house.
With Safety Button, you can feel confident that your children are safe wherever they are—even if you’re not available to answer their call.
All they need to do is hold down the in-app Safety Button. Once the button is released, your child can cancel the event within 10 seconds or communicate with a trained operator, who can dispatch responders directly to their real-time location.
Plus, location-based alerts help parents with teen drivers stay in the loop. Easily set up and receive real-time notifications when your car is driven in or out of designated areas, so you’ll know your high schooler is where they’re supposed to be.
Get started
To explore more ways to use your Alarm.com system this school year, check out the Discover tab in the app.
Don't have an Alarm.com smart home security system yet? Reach out to a local security provider to get started.
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Alarm.com technology is sold, installed and serviced by licensed service providers near you.