I’ve had a love of home automation stuff for a while and probably waste more money on it than I should. Along with that, having aging parents has put this front of mind as I look to the future and how we are going to help them.

Lots of stuff that has come out in the past few years that I think will make it possible for elderly people to stay in their homes longer on their own.

I’m interested to hear if any of you have done home automation stuff and what you like.

A couple of things I’ve installed recently:

Ring Floodlight - This is a pretty slick camera we put on our garage (it is detached and behind the house). Pretty slick and easy set up, great camera clarity. I get notified on my phone and computer any time someone walks up to the garage. Smart enough to distinguish people versus cats, etc. Really like this one. I haven’t done the doorbell because it is so BIG. When they slim it down I’ll probably do it.

I got this because late last year two guys came and kicked in the door of one of my neighbors. It is on a somewhat busy street and a nice neighborhood. She was in the house and was on the phone with 911 when they came in and saw her. (She saw them snooping around her back yard, they kicked in the front door.) They turned around and ran, so fortunately she was safe but traumatized.

The next thing is a Schlage Sense deadbolt on my backdoor. I was hesitant to put a keypad on my house as I think after a few years numbers start to get worn down and after about 10 guesses a thief could figure it out. I got this one because it also is synced with my phone and Apple TV so I get notices when the door gets opened, and it will detect forced entry or attempts to crack the code and set off an alarm. Kind of cool to ask Siri to lock my door, or Alexa. I can also open the door remotely too.

I also have a smart thermostat and am thinking of installing some water detectors.

As I think about my parents if they (and I) can be assured their house is locked up, they can easily yell for help, lights are off, etc. it will make life easier. I need to do some investigation but a key thing might be a sensor if the stove gets left on, etc.

Long post... what have you guys done that is worth considering?




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk