You’ve planned the perfect summer vacation and you are ready to hit the road for adventure and fun. Maybe your family has planned a trip to the beach or a relaxing float on the Frio River. Whether you’re traveling for two-days or a two-week vacation, we have 5 simple tips to keep your home safe while on vacation.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve teamed up with Security by Reliant to help make sure you have peace of mind while you are at home or away on a road trip adventure. According to statistics, most communities will experience a 10 to 18 percent increase in home burglaries during the months of July and August. Fortunately, statistics also show that 9 out of 10 home break-ins could be prevented if homeowners would take simple steps to burglarproof their homes. Before you hit the road this summer follow these 5 simple tips to keep your home safe while on vacation.
1. Protect Your Home with a Smart Home Security System
A smart home security system from Reliant gives you the ability to monitor, access and automate your home in an affordable way. Using the Reliant Connect mobile app you can remotely arm and disarm your home security system, as well as control locks, household lighting, temperature controls, and even look in on your family, pets or home with video features.
We recently had the Reliant smart home security system installed and we have loved getting to know all of the features and capabilities of the products we installed. This security system is more than just an alarm, it offers a variety of products and features to give you peace of mind. Below we highlight some of our favorite features and discuss how they help add an extra layer of protection for your home while you are away.
2. Create the Illusion Someone is Home
Make it appear like someone is home and use light switch timers that can turn your lights on and off automatically according to a programmed schedule. Another great feature of the Smart Home Security System by Reliant is the multiple options available for programmable lights and timers. You can connect any home devices (lamps, electronics, ect) with the Smart plug. This device lets you switch your devices off remotely or according to a schedule. Or you can install smart LED light bulbs, like we did, that allow you to turn any light on and off, and sync it with your scenes and rules through the Reliant Connect app. These bulbs are great because they last longer and use less energy than conventional bulbs and have the added bonus of being able to help you create the illusion that someone is home while your away on vacation.
3. Adjust the Thermostat
You can save money and energy by reducing the temperature of your thermostat while you are away. Experts recommend that while you are away from home you set your thermostat to 80 degrees or higher and the Reliant Connect App allows you to adjust the temperature on your Reliant Smart Thermostat and manage the temperature depending on your location, time of day or schedule. With the smart away option you can control your thermostat with the click of a button, pausing your regular schedule until your mobile device either enters the geo-fence perimeter you’ve set up or the system is disarmed. It was great to know that while we were away we had peace of mind that not only was our home safe, but we were also saving energy by setting our thermostat higher. It was also really o nice to come home to a house that was already cooled down.
4. Notify a Trusted Neighbor or Family Member
When you will be out of town it’s a good idea to let a trusted neighbor or family member know you will be gone, so they can also keep on eye on your home. They can help get your mail, stray newspapers or any packages that may get delivered while you are away. One of our favorite features of the smart home security system by Reliant is the ability to set up unique user codes for family or guest so you know who is coming and going, and when. We had the dead bolt door lock installed and it gives us the option to unlock the front door three different ways: a key, Reliant Connect App, or a unique user code. While we are away we can give our neighbor a unique code to enter our home and water our plants, put packages inside or just in case of an emergency. We will receive alerts when that unique code has been used, it’s just another layer of security, and peace of mind.
5. Don’t Broadcast Your Vacation
In this day and age we share everything on social media and while you want your friends and family to see all the fun you are having on your road trip adventure you don’t want to broadcast to the world that you aren’t home. Don’t post your travel plans or itinerary on social media platforms and avoid sharing your vacation photos until you return. We get that it’s sometimes hard to resist sharing that adorable photo of your kids, so if you do post photos just make sure you are not tagging or checking in and giving away your location.
The home is where memories are made, and so are those fun summer road trips and vacations. With the Smart Home Security System by Reliant you will have peace of mind that your homes is safe and protected while you are away making extraordinary memories with your loved ones on vacation. So this summer when you leave your home, whether it’s for a quick weekend getaway or a vacation extravaganza make sure you follow these 5 simple tips to keep your home safe while on vacation.
Are you ready to update your security system? Security by Reliant wants to give you your first month of service FREE, just use offer code “Giggles” when you sign up with Security by Reliant. Choose from the advanced package with an included smart door lock (at no additional cost) or the premium package to get a free doorbell camera!
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Reliant through my partnership with Security by Reliant. While I was compensated to write a post about my experience with Reliant Security and automation, all opinions are my own.
We need to get a security system and this is a good reminder to do so. We took a vacation a couple months ago and it would’ve been nice to be able to check on the house and make sure everything is good. They probably would help me relax a little bit more than what I did.
I love these. I usually have someone stay at my house to dog-sit while we are away, but in case we kennel him sometime, these are great to have in my back pocket.
This is great advise! Especially since I always leave my home till last when I leave and just “assume” everything will be okay. I’ve never tried a smart home security system but looks so convenient for me since I am always on my phone.
Reliant sounds amazing. I love that a lot of these companies are making their products mobile connected. It really adds that extra layer of relief when you are away. NOT broadcasting your vacation is a great tip. I had friends of mine get robbed because of it.
Don’t broadcast your vacation is my moms favorite since we tend to overshare on Facebook! Although I live in an apartment so there is no easy way in. But I do love my security systems!
Keeping your stuff safe is a top priority. I assume that is why people get safes. I did not think to make it look like people are home while I am away, I ill have to try that sometime.
These are all such great suggestions for how to keep your home safe while on vacation. We typically hire a house sitter for our dog and just renewed our ADT system.
These are great tips! I hate leaving our house when we go out of town, it is so easy for others to know you are gone with social media nowadays!
I am always nervous when we go away for more than a few days and make sure someone checks on the house. I have been thinking about getting a security system to put my mind at ease.
These are great tips to keep your home safe when away. love the idea of having new ways to think about ensuring the home stays safe from break ins while gone. Appreciate this information!
We will be going out of town mid-August and I’ve been putting together a list of ways to keep our home safe while we are out. We have the security system, timers, a friendly neighbor, and will adjust the thermostat … I’ll get back to you on the social media aspect 😉
These are great tips, thanks. I’m going to bookmark this so that I can keep our home safe. 🙂 I love that you can do it from your phone.
My husband went away for two months over the winter and I was so close to buying an alarm system like this one. I didn’t though since I was consoled by my neighbours who are good friends and who kept an eye out on me 24/7!
It’s great that you have such awesome neighbors, but if you ever consider getting a security system again in the future I would definitely think about this Security System by Reliant. We have loved all of the features available through the app and it truly does give me and my family an little extra peace of mind while we are home and away!
These are excellent tips and suggestions. I’m thankful we have a security system and cameras.
Thanks Christy, having a security system is such a great way to enjoy a little peace of mind while you are home and away.
Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party. Shared.
Great tips!! We actually are big about all of those!!
I really want a good security system like this at home. I need something to put my mind at ease.
I would highly recommend checking out the Reliant Security System, it truly is amazing and so user friendly that it makes me wonder what took us so long to install it in the first place!
I get so mad when I see that my friends are openly posting that they are not home. It’s like an open invitation for the unsurly type to go over their house. Your tips are great and I hope some of my friends see this…LOL
Thanks Dana, I agree in this day and age it’s too easy to advertise that you are away from home, but having a great security system definitely helps for those “oops” moments when you just can’t resist posting that cute vacation photo. 🙂
Sounds like the Reliant System has it all covered! Thanks for sharing this information! Blessings, Janet
It really does, thanks for stopping by Janet!
You have some good tips here for keeping your house safe while on vacation. It’s definitely important to have a good security system. I don’t think a smart system is necessary, but it sure does seem handy.