Home automation means connecting certain features of your home to a remote controller; a Wi-Fi connection then allows you to operate these features from your smart phone or tablet, even when you're not at home. While these features may add to your everyday comfort, they can also make your home safer and more secure. Note a few simple automation products you might consider installing around your house and how they can add to the safety and protection of your home.

Blinds

Automated Somfy blinds are very convenient; you can raise and lower the blinds with a touch of a button, without having to get up and go from room to room to adjust them. However, automated blinds can also make your home seem occupied; by randomly raising and lowering them during the day when you're at the office, a potential intruder may assume someone is home and move along to another target. A motorized set of blinds on a timer can also mean that they close automatically, so you don't accidentally leave blinds open at night.

Cook top

An automated stovetop or pots and pans that work with Wi-Fi signals can make cooking easier, but also keep your home safe. You can be alerted to a rising temperature and then adjust the cookware from another room, so there is less chance of a stovetop fire starting because you're distracted with family or forget that you put something on the stove altogether. This also reduces the risk of something boiling over or of dangerous food splatter, which can be damaging to your home's stovetop, benchtops, and flooring.

Sprinkler systems

You may not think of your home's sprinkler systems when you think of protecting your home, but consider that running the sprinklers incessantly can mean too much moisture in the home's soil; this moisture can collect around the foundation of the home and, in turn, cause water damage. The foundation may get soft and form cracks and resultant leaks, and your home could suffer mould and mildew and damage to the interior building materials.

While many home sprinkler systems are on a timer, rarely does this timer shut off when it's raining outside! You can shut off the sprinklers and avoid the potential for a flood when the weather is very damp, but may also want to turn the sprinklers on for added watering if the weather has been very dry. This can ensure your property's soil is always healthy and your home is protected from potential water damage or from dry and sandy soil.

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