The idea is simple: an empty home should look lived in, and you should be able to check on it from your phone. Lights on a schedule, a visible camera and a smart lock cover most of it.
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Category 01 · 2 picks
The easiest way to make an empty home look lived in.
Read: The complete pre-travel home checklist →Set lights to switch on in the evening in a room visible from the street, and off around your usual bedtime. It takes a few minutes to set up and works for every trip after that.
Smart lighting
Lights that switch on and off as if someone is home.
Set a schedule before you leave and adjust it from your phone if the trip gets longer. One of the most reliable smart lighting systems.
Check current price →Smart plug
Turn any lamp into a smart lamp.
Plug in a floor lamp, set a schedule, and check from anywhere whether it is on or off. The cheapest way to start.
Check current price →Category 02 · 3 picks
See what is going on at home from anywhere.
Cameras may only film your own property. In Germany and the EU in particular, cameras must not cover public pavements or neighbours' property, and you may need to tell visitors they are being recorded. Check the rules where you live.
Outdoor camera
A battery camera that needs no drilling for cables.
Long battery life and motion alerts to your phone. Mount it, connect the app, and check in from anywhere.
Check current price →Indoor camera
Live view of your living room from your hotel.
Plugs into a normal socket, covers your main room and sends motion alerts to your phone.
Check current price →Video doorbell
See and speak to whoever is at your door from anywhere.
Motion alerts and two-way audio, so you can tell a delivery driver where to leave a parcel. The wired version needs no battery changes.
Check current price →Category 03 · 1 pick
Peace of mind about the one question every traveller asks.
Smart lock
Answer "did I lock the door?" from anywhere.
Fits on the inside over many existing cylinders, so often no locksmith is needed. Check, lock or unlock from your phone and give a neighbour temporary access.
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