随着假期(holiday season)的到来，许多人将长时间远离家乡。因此，犯罪在每年的这个时候变得更糟——尽管空气中充满善意，小偷知道空置的房子很容易成为目标。
但是，如果房子(home didn)看起来不是空的怎么办？智能家居(Smart home)技术可以让您在家中呈现存在感，即使您在几个航班之外。
没有安全系统(security system)是万无一失的，但窃贼想要容易的目标。如果你让你的家变得难以轻易抢劫，大多数潜在的窃贼都会去其他地方。我们不打算在这里谈论安全摄像头，因为我们之前已经介绍过，这显然是首选威慑。
本文将引导您了解如何在假期保护您的家。我们之前介绍了如何保护您的智能家居设备(protect your smart home devices)免受黑客攻击，但在这里我们将讨论使用智能设备来保护您的家。
像往常一样移动百叶窗和窗帘(Move The Blinds & Shades As Normal)
智能(Smart)百叶窗可让您从远处打开和关闭百叶窗。白天打开它们，晚上关闭它们，感觉就像有人在家一样。拉上百叶窗可以将任何贵重物品藏在家里，但如果它们连续多天关闭，那肯定是你不在的信号。
但是，如果您打开百叶窗，请确保将任何诱人的物品隐藏在视线之外。例如，不要将昂贵的游戏机放在显眼(plain sight)处或将珠宝放在窗台上。您可以对智能百叶窗进行编程，使其在一天中的设定时间打开和关闭，或者您也可以通过手机自行操作。
使用智能恒温器(Use a Smart Thermostat)
在您离开时保护您的家不仅仅是为了防止不需要的元素进入 - 它也是为了保护您家中的物品安全(home safe)。
许多人在冬天外出时将恒温器降低到更低的温度以节省能源，但如果天气太冷，可能会损坏家中对温度敏感的物品。当您返回时，您还会燃烧大量能量，使您的家恢复到正常温度。
更好的选择是使用智能恒温器并将(thermostat and place)其置于“生态”模式(” mode)。此模式从互联网获取天气数据，并根据室外温度设置温度。它将防止您的家变得太冷（并防止您从旅行中返回不舒服），同时控制您的水电费。(utility bill)
将室外灯设置为正常时间表 - 但保持室内灯随机(Set Outdoor Lights To a Normal Schedule – But Keep Indoor Lights Random)
室外(Outdoor)灯应在白天关闭，晚上打开。这种模式的偏差，就像一直开着灯一样，表明没有人在家。
如果您有智能开关，则可以将其设置为“离开”模式，使其随机打开和关闭。如果你一直插着一盏灯，灯就会打开和关闭，就好像有人在家里一样。智能灯泡(Smart bulbs)可以做类似的事情。
将电视插入智能开关也是一个好主意，这样您就可以打开和关闭它。
安装安全系统(Install a Security System)
智能家居的主要好处之一是将智能安全系统(security system)连接到它是多么容易。安全(Security)系统提供了很多好处，例如您家的实时视频馈送、运动检测器、警报器等。
仅这些设备通常就足以阻止潜在的小偷，尤其是当它们从外面可见时。如果有人在家中拉响警报器，它会引起比大多数窃贼想要的更多的关注。
但是，您可以将智能家居系统(home system)链接到家庭安全系统(home security system)以获得更多效果。如果有人触发了运动传感器，家中的灯就会亮起来。你可以让灯光闪烁和频闪(flash and strobe)。它使您能够将安全系统(security system)提升到一个新的水平。
使用智能锁监控您的门(Use a Smart Lock To Monitor Your Door)
家庭安全系统(security system)包括门窗传感器(door and window sensors)，如果任一入口通道打开，它们会提醒您。如果您没有安全系统(security system)，智能锁(smart lock)也可以起到类似的作用。并非每个智能锁(smart lock)都会在门打开时提醒您，但如果门未解锁，它会通知您。
智能锁也是让您离开时可能正在看家的朋友或家人的好方法；您永远不必担心门不会上锁。在许多情况下，智能锁会在设定(set amount)的时间后自动锁定。如果没有，您只需轻按一下手机即可锁上门。
How To Use Smart Devices to Protect Your Home
With the holiday seаson upon us, many people will be away from home for long periods of time. Consequentlу, crime takes a turn for the worse at this time of yеar—for all the goodwill in the air, thieves know that an empty hоme is an easy target.
But what if the home didn’t appear to be empty? Smart home technology makes it possible to give the appearance of presence in the home, even if you’re a couple of flights away.
No security system is foolproof, but thieves want easy targets. If you make your home too difficult to easily rob, most would-be burglars will go somewhere else. We’re not going to talk about security cameras here as we’ve covered that before and that’s an obvious first-choice deterrent.
This article will walk you through how to safeguard your home for the holidays. We previously covered how you can protect your smart home devices from hackers, but here we’re going to talk about using smart devices to protect your home.
Move The Blinds & Shades As Normal
Smart blinds enable you to open and close the blinds from afar. Opening them in the day and closing them in the evening makes it feel like someone is at home. Drawing the blinds can hide any valuables inside your home, but if they are closed for multiple days in a row, it’s a sure-fire sign that you’re away.
If you open your blinds however, make sure any tempting items are hidden from view. For example, don’t leave expensive game consoles in plain sight or keep jewelry on the windowsill. You can program smart blinds to open and close at set times of day, or you can do it yourself from your phone.
Use a Smart Thermostat
Protecting your home while you’re away isn’t just about keeping unwanted elements out—it’s also about keeping the items inside your home safe.
Many people drop their thermostat to much lower temperatures while they’re away during the winter to conserve energy, but if it gets too cold it might damage temperature-sensitive items in the home. You also burn a lot of energy bringing your home back to its normal temperature when you return.
A better alternative is to use a smart thermostat and place it on its “eco” mode. This mode takes weather data from the internet and sets the temperature based on the temperature outside. It will prevent your home from getting too cold (and keep you from an uncomfortable return from your travels) while simultaneously keeping your utility bill under control.
Set Outdoor Lights To a Normal Schedule – But Keep Indoor Lights Random
Outdoor lights should be turned off during the day and turned on at night. A deviation in this pattern, like leaving the lights on all the time, signals that no one is home.
If you have a smart switch, you can set it to an “Away” mode that causes it to turn on and off at random. If you keep a lamp plugged in, the light will power on and off as though someone is inside the home. Smart bulbs can do something similar.
It’s also a good idea to plug your TV into a smart switch so you can turn it on and off.
Install a Security System
One of the primary benefits of a smart home is how easy it is to link a smart security system to it. Security systems offer a lot of benefits, such as live video feeds of your home, motion detectors, sirens, and more.
These devices alone are often enough to deter would-be thieves, especially if they are visible from the outside. If someone sets off the siren in the home, it will draw more attention than most burglars want.
However, you can link a smart home system to a home security system for even more effect. If someone sets off the motion sensors, the lights inside the home can come on. You could make the lights flash and strobe. It gives you the ability to take a security system to the next level.
Use a Smart Lock To Monitor Your Door
Home security systems include door and window sensors that alert you if either entryway is opened. If you don’t have a security system, a smart lock can serve a similar purpose. Not every smart lock alerts you if the door is opened, but it will inform you if the door is unlocked.
Smart locks are also a great way to let in friends or family that may be watching the home while you’re away; you never have to worry that the door will be left unlocked. In many cases, a smart lock will auto-lock after a set amount of time. If not, you can lock the door with a simple tap of your phone.
