Home Automation: Your Lifeline to Sanity

If having kids per se hasn’t caused you to completely lose your mind yet, those days are bound to come when they get a day off from school, and you’re faced with the ambivalently dreadful choice of taking them to work with you or leaving them at home. Although we’re still waiting on the days where we’ll have robots to look after our kids, we have the next best thing: home automation. In case you didn’t know what that is, home automation basically refers to the practice of linking various parts of your home and its appliances to your phone or computer so that they can be controlled remotely – it’s safer than a robot and does a much better job than a babysitter.

Linking everything in your home into a manageable network can be time consuming and expensive, but luckily, home security companies are beginning to include home automation in their packages. For instance, ADT’s home automation package, “ADT Pulse,” gives you the ability to receive email and text message notifications when someone enters your home, and even video clips as well. You can also set your doors to lock and unlock at various times, affording you the peace of mind that comes along with knowing that your child is safe.

Not only does it save you money on hiring a babysitter to look after your kids, but on your other bills as well. For example, home automation also gives you remote control over your lighting and thermostat, allowing you to optimize your energy efficiency. You can also turn off the TV or the computer when it’s past your child’s bed-time. With a home automation system, you can leave your kids at home without having to worry about what they or their babysitter is doing. You know what they say: less anxiety leads to a more productive day, and when you’re more productive, you’re a happier person. And when you’re a happier person, you’re less likely to lose your sanity.