I am sure many of you can relate – the life of a full-time working parent can get rather exhausting. After a long day of work, it’s not uncommon to hit the ground running; shuttling kids to practices, making dinner, attempting to get in a work out, assisting with homework, bathing the kids, bathing yourself, reading stories, and prepping your life for the next day.
Up until about a year ago, it was also not uncommon that when the madness of the day had ended and it was finally time to turn in for bed, I had forgotten to lock the doors, or turn out the lights, or adjust the temperature. With each “to-do” that entered my already-crowded brain, it would take numerous visits to my bed before I could actually call it a night.
Then, I found my solace. It is called the “Goodnight” button.
In the world of home automation, there is this amazing thing called a “scene.” It’s a combination of events that are activated at the touch of a button – or automatically based on time of day – and are pre-specified and personalized to your life. But I refer to them as my home’s helping hands.
When I decided to set up the “Goodnight” scene on my Control4 system, I took into consideration all of the tedious tasks aforementioned. Now, using the Control4 App on my phone or the keypad button inscribed “Goodnight” next to my bed, I put my house to sleep with a simple touch. All the doors in the house are locked, any interior lights or televisions are turned off, the temperature is set back to a comfortable sleeping temperature, the alarm system is armed, and the perimeter lights of my house turn on (and turn back off in the morning).
This “Goodnight” button is my favorite “scene” so far. However, I also have a “Goodbye” scene and a “Entertain” scene that are quite close contenders. With a press of the “Goodbye” button on my way out the door, the house does similar events as it does when I put it to sleep, with a few minor tweaks. And my “Entertain” scene sets just the right mood when we have guests over by reducing the kitchen and living room lighting to 60%, kicking on our favorite playlist of music on the overhead speakers, and closing the shades at sunset.
With how crazy life can be, it has been so nice automating my life in a few ways. My smart home system has been nothing less than an investment in my sanity.
After all, the sweetest dreams are in the smartest homes.
Provided by Smart AV, from Toll Brothers Smarthomes