Chances are you have a smartphone. You probably have a smart TV. Maybe you even have a smartwatch. Isn’t it time for a smart home?
If you don’t know what a smart home is, it's the connection, programming and monitoring of all the smart devices in your home. Smart homes are a network of devices and services that make up the part of the Internet of Things that will most intimately affect most people’s everyday lives. It may sound futuristic, but this technology is available now, and you can use it whether you subscribe to a monitoring plan or not!
Smart Devices?
When we say smart devices, we're talking about smart thermostats, lights, locks, cameras, water leak detectors, doorbells, smoke alarms, door and window sensors, security systems, appliances, garage doors and even solar panels on your roof. All of these devices can all be controlled with a home control device, an app on your phone, or with your voice using a device like the Amazon Echo.
One type of smart home system that uses Amazon Echo is the Vivint Smart Home. The name of the intelligence behind the Vivint system is "Sky, first true smart home assistant". Sky actually learns your routines from your behavior. For example, it will “know” when you are usually home, and adjust the temperature in your house accordingly.
With a Vivint Smart Home, you can:
See who is at your door and talk to them while you are away on vacation
Unlock your door when your kids forget their keys, even from work
Turn on the heat or AC in your home from your car while you're stuck in traffic
Be alerted when someone walks onto your porch
Turn on your porch lights when you're coming home after dark
Let in and monitor repairmen working on your house while you are away from home
Go back and see who “started it” when your kids get into a fight
Check to see if your kids are actually doing their homework when you are not at home
See how much power your solar panel has created that day (and how much money you saved!)
Shut off the coffee maker or iron you accidentally left on
Control motion sensor lights
Get a warning if the carbon monoxide in your home reaches a dangerous level
The customizable Vivint Smart Home package lets you easily manage your smart home from anywhere. The Vivint Sky app is available for your Apple or Android smartphone and your Mac or Windows laptop. Vivint Smart Home comes with professional installation and 24/7 monitoring. Packages can be customized to include features like a doorbell camera, Ping camera, outdoor camera, smart locks, garage door control, thermostat, and voice control with Amazon Echo.
Did we mention that the Vivint Smart Home is smart? If one of the cameras detects motion at a time when there normally isn’t anyone at home, it will send you a notification on your smartphone. When you see a notification that says “Looks like your living room camera detected some motion” you can take a look at the camera to see what it is seeing. You can even back up the footage a few minutes to see what you might have missed!
The best part of a Vivint System is that the longer you have it, the smarter it gets!