TORRANCE TRIBUNE October 12, 2017 Page 11
(BPT) - Home safety is one of the top
priorities of homeowners and renters alike.
Your home should be a place to relax, play
and enjoy spending time with family and
friends.
1. Home automation and controls is exactly
what it sounds like: automating the ability
to control items around the house - from
window shades to pet feeders - with a
simple push of a button or voice command.
Homeowners now have the ability to make
sure they really did lock the back door or
turn off the lights. This trend is taking a
security system and turning it into a smart
home device, and consumers are loving it.
2. Solatube Daylighting Systems have
gotten even more innovative. They harvest
sunlight on the roof and shoot it down a
Five Hot Trends for the Home
tube of the most highly reflective material
made and into the home environment. Not
only do the residents experience natural light
during the day, with the NightLight they get
the soft glow of the moon at night. Solatube
integrated a small solar-electric system that
collects the sun’s energy by day to power
a NightLight that automatically comes on
at dark. You won’t have to turn on lights
for trips to the bathroom or navigate dark
hallways any longer.
3. Having a good indoor security camera
is now the cornerstone of any good home
security system. This allows homeowners to
watch live video footage of their home from
their smartphone anytime, anywhere. It also
takes the stress away when leaving pets at
home for any amount of time. Owners can
monitor and speak to their animals while
they are away. This trend is convenient, offers
peace of mind and may deter burglars.
4. You can think of geofencing like an
invisible fence serving as a virtual perimeter.
With it, homeowners can draw around
any location on a map and trigger actions
from their smartphone when they enter that
location through an app. A great example
would be an electronic notification sent
to Mom’s or Dad’s cell phone when their
child arrives home from school, triggered
by the child’s cell phone. This technology
also allows parents to establish a “safety”
zone outside of which their child is not
allowed to venture. The geofence sends
mobile alerts the moment their loved ones
enter or exit the area established, tracking
their children’s whereabouts. Overall, this
trend is making homes safer, smarter and
more efficient.
5. Home automation with GPS is less of
a safety feature and more of an added convenience
for homeowners. Home automation
uses GPS in smartphones to trigger assigned
actions. For example, when a homeowner
pulls into his or her driveway, the home alarm
is deactivated and the front door lights turn
on. This trend simplifies consumers’ daily
routines by putting the house to work. •