Your Holiday Vacation Checklist for Home

Thinking about taking a road trip this holiday season? Before you begin throwing your clothes in a suitcase and head out the door, there are a few extra steps worth taking before you leave. This ‘prepare home for vacation’ checklist will save you plenty of time and worry on the road.

1: Schedule your smart lights

Making your home look occupied can deter unwelcome visitors when you're away, and smart lighting is an effective way to do it.

Alarm.com lets you schedule and control your lights in several ways. They can come on at a certain time every day, or, for added realism, you can randomize the time by several minutes or simply schedule them for sunset. You can also use a motion sensor to activate your front porch lights whenever movement is detected.

2: Give a trusted neighbor access

If a neighbor is coming to check up on your home, give them their own user code to your front door and security system.

As well as being convenient (no more lost keys) unique user codes also give you peace of mind by generating a smartphone alert when used. You'll know that your neighbor checked up on your home as planned, how long they stayed, and when they left–providing you with even more safety during the holidays.

These home safety tips during the holidays can also be implemented throughout the entire year, providing you with an extra layer of security all 365 days.

3: Set up Alarm.com Places for your smart thermostat

You don't want to waste energy heating your house while you're away, but you don't want to come back to an icebox either. Our Places feature takes care of both, switching your smart thermostat between ‘Home' mode and ‘Away' mode based on your location.

Staying home for the holidays? Check out these fun ways to use your Alarm.com system.

In your Alarm.com app, you create a geo-fence: a ring on a digital map around your home. When you (and your smartphone) cross the geo-fence, Alarm.com switches your thermostat to ‘Away', turning down your heating to save money. When you cross the fence on your way back, your thermostat will switch to ‘Home' for a warm and comfortable welcome.

You can create several geo-fences, starting at a radius of one mile from your home. To have your house heated when you return, use a fence that equals roughly 30 minutes of driving time.

4: Don't forget to lock up!

Have you ever embarked on a road trip only to get half way there and slightly panic because you can’t remember if you locked the front door? It happens to the best of us. But now, there’s no need to turn the car around, frantically call the neighbor to check, or even spend the weekend obsessing over the thought. With arming reminders, you’ll gain peace of mind knowing all your doors are secure.

Before you head out the door, make sure that you enable an arming reminder in your Alarm.com app. If you forget to lock your door or arm your security system, Alarm.com will send you an alert. And with just the press of a button, you can secure your home from wherever you are.

If your system isn't armed, it can't automatically alert your monitoring service to an emergency, so it's an important alert to set up to keep your home secure.

5: Check in from afar

If you’re worried you’ll miss an important package being delivered or just want to keep an eye out for any unexpected visitors while you’re away, your Alarm.com Touchless Video Doorbell is here to help.

You’ll know if someone is at your front door before they even reach for the bell. Just open your Alarm.com app to see who’s stopping by and even have a two-way conversation with them through the doorbell.

Alarm.com Video Analytics takes security one step further by detecting whether a person, animal, or vehicle is approaching your home. You can also customize your notifications to only see what matters most to you, saving you from numerous notifications.

6. Stay on guard

Do you ever wish you could have your own personal security guard watching over your home when you’re not there? Your wish is our command. Alarm.com’s Perimeter Guard^™ proactive defense uses Video Analytics to notify you when people enter your property unexpectedly. And with an attention-grabbing combination of sound alerts and flashing red LEDs, the system will deter suspicious or unwanted behavior, stopping intruders in their tracks.

This all happens without you needing to lift a finger.

Head into your holiday vacation knowing Alarm.com has your back and is keeping a watchful eye on the people and places you value. All we ask in return is that you enjoy your trip and take lots of photos to share for years to come.