Smart homes make for more relaxing holidays
Fine, white sand between your toes, the calming sound of the sea, warm, golden sun rays on your face and a refreshingly cold beverage in your hand –
very little beats finally getting away on that holiday you’ve been looking forward to.
It’s all about relaxing and enjoying your time away so the last thing you need is stress or a constant worry in the back of your mind. One of the biggest worries that can creep into our minds is if everything’s okay back at home. Well, what if your home could basically watch out for itself, making sure everything is safe and ready to alert you only to events that potentially may be a concern. That would no doubt give you great peace of mind so you can focus on whether to opt for the sunlounger at the pool or take a stroll on the beach.
So, how exactly would your home take care of itself? To find out first hand, we caught up with two families as they go on their summer holidays: The Hanses, who live in a Loxone Smart Home and the Williams, who are living in a conventional house.
Ready, jet set, go.
The Hansen Family
David (36), Ella (33), Jack (3) and Sophia (3)
live in a Loxone Smart Home
The Williams Family
Michael (36), Martina (32), Jessica (8) and Andrew (4)
live in a conventional home
The adventure begins!
Hansen Family
The day starts before the family have even woken. 15 minutes before to be exact. The shading is tilting to let the gentle morning sun into the bedrooms to naturally wake the Hansen family. Coupled with the slow fade-in of each family member’s favourite music playing in their respective bedroom, the day is off to a great start and is bound to get better with the adventure that awaits.
Next, freshly woken from the land of dreams, the good vibes continue into the bathrooms where specific playlists can be heard on the multiroom audio. (Whoever said you can’t start listening to that road trip playlist before you’ve even left the house?)
Having already all started the day off on the right foot and with no worries in sight; next up is a cup of coffee.
Then, it’s time for the Hansens to hit the road. As they’re getting ready to leave, David pops the house into ‘Holiday Mode’ with just a few taps in the app.
He promptly gets a notification on his phone: “The window in the bathroom is still open”. Ella closes it and that’s it – let the journey begin!
Williams Family
Shrill alarm tones startle the Williams from their deep sleep. (Martina has been wanting to ditch the old-fashioned radio alarm clock for a while now…)
Still slightly dazed from their sudden awakening, the family ablute and get ready to leave.
Well, they start the pre-leaving routine that is. Martina starts going through the house to check that all the windows are closed; the basement light has been switched off; the TV is unplugged; the heating and hot water is off; and lastly that all the plug-in timers have been set.
One more thing to do; going across to the neighbours to leave the front door key with them.
What a surprise…the family are already running late. Albeit only five minutes. Anyway, now they can hit the road.
Off to the airport…
Hansen Family
With the reassurance that everything is okay at home, the Hansens can already start relaxing and soak up the excitement of their upcoming journey – before they’ve even reached the airport.
You see, when David put the house into ‘Holiday Mode’ a host of checks were automatically done for him, including:
- The shading was switched to automatic mode
- The house checked that all the windows and doors were closed
- All appliances were switched off
- The boiler schedule was adjusted
- The burglar alarm was activated
- Presence simulation was turned on
- …..
Now at the airport, there’s time for the family to stop for breakfast before they make their way to check-in.
Williams Family
Finally in the car on their way to the airport, Martina gets that nagging feeling…did she remember to turn off the iron amidst the panicked departure?
Unable to shake that thought, the Williams turn around ‘just to double-check’.
It turns out the iron was off – and although Martina’s conscience is now at ease, this little detour has eaten into their time. Not to mention put them on edge a little.
With raised stress levels, the family arrive at the airport and immediately make their way to the check-in desk. They’re met with a queue that would make any Brit proud.
By the time the family get to check-in, there’s zero chance of them being able to get four seats together on the plane.
Day one!
There’s been a thunderstorm
Being up-to-date with local news back home is easy thanks to the many apps available on our phones nowadays. At breakfast, families get a notification from a local news app that there has been a thunderstorm overnight in their home town, with several reports of flooded cellars.
Hansen Family
David and Ella can relax. Their smart home would have informed them if one of the water sensors had triggered.
If the worst did happen, they would have been notified immediately and been able to let someone know to mitigate damage.
Since none of the sensors were tripped, they know everything back home is okay. Could you say the same? For extra peace of mind, Ella pops open the Loxone App and sees that everything is okay.
The Hansens were lucky. Day one is still off to a good start… The beach awaits!
Williams Family
The Williams begin to panic. Has their home also been affected?
Martina quickly calls her mother. It’s not good – her parents’ basement has flooded. Because of the chaos, her mother hasn’t had a chance to check on her daughters home – but she promises to do so as soon as possible.
Uncertainty lingers in the air – it’s breakfast on day one and their holiday isn’t off to a good start. The excitement of spending the afternoon at the beach has quickly dwindled.
Finally, the mother calls back. Lucky for the Williams, everything is fine back home. Whew!
P.S. The water sensor isn’t the only device that gives peace of mind
The Hansens would also be notified if smoke were to be detected, so they could call for help straight away.
Even still, not all security risks can be eliminated. Burglars often strike when a house is left empty with its owners on their travels. You can find out how the Hansen’s smart home deals with this danger in our blog about protection from break-ins in a Real Smart Home.
The long-awaited package
Both families are now lying on the beach when the doorbell rings at home. A long-awaited package is finally being delivered!
Hansen Family
The Hansens have known their postman for a while now. Before going on holiday, David set him up a one-time pin for the NFC Code Touch which gives him access to the garage (and only the garage). So this makes it easy for the postman to leave the package in a safe place until the family get back.
David could, of course, use the app on his phone to see and talk with any visitors at his front door. But he’s on holiday and he’d rather enjoy his time away with family, undisturbed.
Williams Family
With the Williams, the visit goes unnoticed. The postman knocked but with no answer and no way to leave the package in a safe place, he’s (understandably) not been able to deliver the package.
So, it’s back to the distribution office. Michael now needs to arrange a redelivery when the family are back or go and collect the package himself.
P.S. It’s not only for the postman
The Hansens can assign codes with unique authorisations for different people – all thanks to the NFC Code Touch. Their neighbour, who kindly feeds the cat, has access to the house with his code – but only if the home knows that the Hansens are on holiday, for example. When the Hansens return home, the neighbour’s code will stop working.
Heading home
Smart home or not, time flies when you’re having fun. There was no exception for our two families (even though one might have been more stressed than the other…)
Hansen Family
Before the Hansen family headed off on their summer holidays, David saved a calendar entry in the Loxone app, indicating when they would be leaving as well as when the family would be returning.
Their home subsequently made all the necessary adjustments during their absence, and more importantly in preparation for their arrival back home to give them a warm welcome:
- The ventilation was returned to normal operation
- Appliances were switched back on ready to use
- The comfort temperatures were achieved in each room of the house
- ….
Even on their return journey, the Hansens still don’t need to worry about their home – allowing them to enjoy their holiday, free of any house-related stress, right up to the last minute.
Actually, they can remain stress-free about their house even after they get home. That’s because their home takes care of 50,000 tasks for them each year, so they find themselves relaxing even when they aren’t on holiday 😉
Williams Family
The Williams aren’t home yet but their holiday is basically already over.
As soon as they leave the hotel, Martina calls her neighbour to ask them to turn the heating on.
On the plane, they are constantly wondering whether everything is okay back home.
Finally, there’s peace of mind as they walk through the front door and see that everything is in order.
But there is still the nuisance of getting the home back to normal:
- Opening the blinds
- Airing out the rooms
- Switching on the plugs for the appliances
- ….
Experience a Real Smart Home, live!
Ready to find out more? Come along to one of our free Smart Home Info Sessions to discover the advantages of living in a Real Smart Home and how it can remove so much worry when you’re on holiday. Alternatively, request a one-to-one consultation so you can discuss your smart home requirements with one of the team.
Click through on the button below to view the available dates and book your place