Smart home tech for monitoring your house while you're away

You've packed the car, buckled in your kids, and are all set to head out on vacation. But if you're worried about burglars, flooding, fires, and other disasters while you're away, your trip won't be relaxing.

Here's an idea: Remotely monitor and control your home from anywhere with smart devices. It's easy—we'll show you how.

At Asurion, we help you get the most out of your favorite tech, including smart home devices. Here's our guide to the best smart gadgets to keep an eye on your home while you're away.

Devices to help protect your home from intruders

Smart lights, locks, cameras, and other connected devices automate your home and make your life more convenient. These gadgets can also help secure your home when you're out of town. Here are some safety tips from our experts.

Set a smart light schedule to make it appear someone's home

Want to make it look like someone's in the house even when you're not? Start by programming your smart lights to automatically turn on and off at night. It's easy to do—many smart bulbs and smart plugs like the Wemo™ Smart Plug or the Kasa® Smart Wi-Fi Plug offer a vacation mode option.

Check out our guide to smart plugs and smart lights for step-by-step help.

Secure your home with smart locks

Smart locks are wireless devices that let you lock or unlock your door without a regular key. If you're sitting on the beach and want to let in a neighbor to water your plants and then lock the door when they're done, you can do so with smart locks like the Yale® Assure Lock 2 or the August® Smart Lock + Connect by using an app on your smartphone.

Plus most smart locks come with a built-in alarm and will lock someone out if they try the wrong access code too many times (that's not a very smart burglar).

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Watch your home from anywhere with smart security cameras

Keep an eye on your home—inside and out—with smart security cameras. Both indoor and outdoor security cameras, like models from Blink™ or Wyze™, stream live video to your phone, alerting you if there's an intruder in your house. Many security camera models will also store video clips in the cloud for you to review later.

Find out “who's there?" with a smart doorbell

Whether you're out of state or down the street, smart doorbells show you who or what is at your door by sending you an alert on your smartphone when someone rings or moves near the doorbell. Popular options include the Google Nest Doorbell™ and Ring® Video Doorbell.

Use your smart hub for remote monitoring

You may already use a smart hub to watch movies or videos at home. But did you know it can help you keep tabs on your home when you're away? A device like the Amazon™ Echo Show™ 8 can monitor for the sound of breaking glass or alarms and alert your smartphone. Other hubs, like the Google Nest Hub Max™, have a built-in camera so you can check what's going on in your house.

Smart gadgets to safeguard your home from smoke, fire, and flooding

A flood or fire is a homeowner's nightmare, especially when you're out of town. Here are some smart ways to avert disaster.

Avoid soggy floors with smart water leak detectors

If a storm hits at home while you're soaking up the sun on the beach, you won't worry about roof leaks or a basement flood with a smart water leak detector like the Moen Flo Smart Water Monitor or the D-Link Water Sensor. You can even install an automatic water shutoff (available from both of these brands), which can save your home from flooding.

Detect smoke or carbon monoxide

If there's smoke or carbon monoxide in your house, a smart smoke detector, like the Google Nest Protect smoke alarm or the First Alert Safe & Sound Smart Smoke + Co alarm will instantly send you an alert so you can contact emergency help immediately. Before you head out of town, make sure to check all connections and batteries on your smart detectors and all your smart home devices.