With these devices, it feels like you’re at home (even if you’ve gone on vacation). technology

“Everything in your home that conveys the appearance of being haunted would be very effective vigil insurance: don’t lower the curtains completely, consider installing a programmable clock that lights the house by zones, and turning lights and some electrical appliances on and off at different times. Different…”. This is one of the tips he gives Police on their website To try to deter burglars when we’re not home, however, it does really give a hint of what technology can do to improve home security. What if smart bulbs were used instead of a timer, turning on and off at different times and rooms? What if the blinds are automatic? What if we use a smart assistant to reproduce the daily routine? The options are numerous and the full control is on the mobile phone: thanks to it, it is possible to remotely manage all these “tools” or schedules so that you do not have to be on the lookout every day.

Starting with the basics

To simulate being at home, it is not necessary to have high-end hardware. Some of them are as basic as a smart plug that helps bring some smarts to the devices we already have at home: a lamp, a TV, any device … with the advantage of doing so for a small expense –TP-Link Tapu 115 also Xiaomi Mi Smart Plug They can be good alternatives for less than 25 euros – you can program them to turn on or off and even control energy consumption, among other things.

In this sense, and if your preference is to have smart devices on their own, connected light bulbs are among the most affordable options and with the most useful features on a daily basis — and not just when you go on vacation. Thus, in addition to turning them on and off remotely, they allow you to regulate the intensity and even the warmth of the light depending on the task to be performed or the time of day ( Philips Hue White Ambiance is one of the most complete references); And some models also light up in different colors, eg SBC Aura 1050.

Other interesting devices because of their ability to simulate being in a home are motion sensors that turn on a light in the hall or in the garden if they detect that someone is approaching (giving the impression that it was someone who did.); Automatic watering systems can also be controlled which would give the feeling that the plants were not neglected; Or smart speakers like new ecopop or any of Google nestwhich helps control everything with your voice, play music at different times of the day or recorded conversations, for example.

However, not all devices are as cheap or easy to install as the previous ones. Blind automation systems are a case in point; Of course, it is particularly interesting because, according to experts, one of the aspects that burglars pay more attention to knowing if someone is home is precisely if they remain in the same position for several days. And it is that to program the operation of the blinds it is necessary, first of all, to install a motor that allows them to ascend and descend independently, such as those offered by companies such as Somfy also Lexman, is available in different sizes, the cost of which easily exceeds 200 euros. From there, use a device that allows you to connect it to the internet.

Automated routine

What happens when there are many smart devices in the house with the ability to simulate that we are at home? Together, they can be used to reproduce what happens in the house when you wake up, at dusk, or when you go to sleep. In this sense, the smart assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri …) have a lot to say, since any of them allow you to create these types of scenes from their apps. Thus, in the morning, it can be set so that the curtains open at a certain time and the radio starts to be heard; In the late afternoon, the lights in the living room and the TV would be turned on; And when it’s time for bed, the curtains are lowered and everything is closed.

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