When it comes to home automation, there are a ton of solutions out there. One of those that may not be that popular is, Alarm.com. You may think it's a website built to act as an alarm clock, but it's actually much different. The app, and website, can automate things in your home like your thermostat, lights, locks, garage doors, alarm systems and so much more. You can think of it as your one-stop shop for automating the Internet of Things.
The latest update for Alarm.com which is rolling out right now on Android, brings a new feature that will make automation even easier. It's called "Scenes". There are a couple of default ones, "Home" and "Away". Basically it allows you to automate certain functions when you aren't home, versus when you are. For example, you could choose to have the temperature in your home a bit lower when you're not at home, and have the temperature go back up once you arrive at your house. This saves energy, and also saves you some cash. Other Scenes included are Wake Up and Sleep. Which you can choose different commands for this, like turning on the lights when you wake up.
Included in this update is also the ability to view your light status. Which Alarm.com says you can view up to 10 lights. Allowing you to view what lights are on, and which ones are off. You should also be able to turn them all off, or turn them all on. And as always, this update does also include minor enhancement and bug fixes. Which is pretty common when it comes to app updates. If you do use Alarm.com to automate your smart home, it's definitely worth updating the app on the Play Store. These features were already available on the website, but they are just now making their way to the Android app. If you haven't already checked out or used Alarm.com, but do have a few smart appliances in your home (maybe a Nest Learning Thermostat, Philips Hue lights, etc) you'll definitely want to check it out. The app is free, however the service is not, you can check out their website for more information on pricing