How to Secure Your Home
Before You Leave for Summer Vacation

Summer travel season is here and nothing ruins a vacation faster than a call telling you something went wrong at home. The good news is that most of the things that can go wrong while you're away are preventable. Here's a complete checklist of what to set up before you leave.

Your Alarm System

This one is obvious but worth saying clearly. A professionally monitored alarm system is the foundation of home security whether you're home or not. When you're away it becomes even more important because there's no one there to notice something is wrong.

Make sure your system is armed before you leave and that your monitoring center has current contact information for you and at least one local emergency contact who can respond if you're unreachable. If you don't have a monitored system and you're about to leave your home unoccupied for a week or more, this is the time to get one.

Before you leave, walk every door and window sensor and confirm they're working. Check your panel for any open zone alerts. A sensor with a low battery or a door that doesn't fully close will leave a gap in your coverage while you're gone.

Smart Locks With Entry Codes

Leaving a key under the mat for a house sitter or pet sitter is a security risk. A smart lock that connects to your alarm panel via Z-Wave lets you create temporary entry codes for anyone who needs access while you're away. A house sitter, a pet sitter, a neighbor collecting mail, a contractor finishing work.

Each person gets their own unique code. You can see exactly when each code was used and from your phone you can create, modify, or delete codes remotely from anywhere in the world. When the trip is over you delete the temporary codes and access returns to normal. No keys to collect, no worry about copies being made, no wondering who still has a spare.

Because the lock connects directly to your alarm panel, locking and unlocking events are logged alongside your alarm activity. You can see a complete picture of who came and went and when.

Lights on a Schedule

An empty house with no lights on for a week is a visible invitation. Automated lighting on a schedule is one of the most effective deterrents available because it makes the home appear occupied.

Smart switches and plugs connected to your alarm panel let you set lights throughout the home to turn on and off at different times in different rooms. Living room lights at dusk, bedroom lights at 10pm, a kitchen light in the morning. You can vary the schedule so it doesn't repeat identically every night. A static schedule is better than nothing but a varied one is more convincing.

You can also control lights remotely from your phone if you want to turn something on or off manually while you're away.

Water Leak Detectors

Water damage is one of the most common and most expensive home insurance claims, and it frequently happens while homeowners are away. A slow leak under a sink, a washing machine hose that fails, a water heater that gives out. Any of these left undetected for a week can cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage.

Water leak sensors placed near the most common problem areas will alert your monitoring center immediately if moisture is detected. Under kitchen and bathroom sinks, behind the washing machine, near the water heater, under the refrigerator. Your monitoring center contacts you and if needed can dispatch emergency services to your home while you're away.

For around the cost of a single dinner out, water leak sensors are one of the highest value additions to any home security system.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detection

Monitored smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are essential any time but become critical when no one is home. A smoke detector that only sounds a local alarm is useless if the house is empty. A monitored detector alerts your monitoring center the moment it triggers, which means fire services can be dispatched immediately rather than waiting for a neighbor to notice.

If your current smoke detectors are standalone battery operated units, now is a good time to talk to your alarm installer about integrating monitored smoke and CO detection into your panel. Most alarm panels support this directly and the ongoing monitoring cost is minimal compared to the protection it provides.

Also check the age of your existing smoke detectors before you leave. Smoke detectors expire after ten years. An expired detector may not perform reliably in an emergency.

Cameras

Security cameras give you eyes on your property while you're away. A doorbell camera lets you see who approaches the front door and speak to them remotely if needed. Outdoor cameras covering the driveway, backyard, and entry points let you check in on the property any time from your phone.

When an alarm sensor triggers while you're on vacation, being able to pull up live camera footage immediately helps you understand what you're looking at before deciding how to respond. This also helps your monitoring center. When they can see live footage alongside an alarm event they can provide better information to emergency responders.

For a full breakdown of how cameras and alarm systems work together, read our article on security cameras vs alarm systems.

A Few More Things Before You Leave

Tell a trusted neighbor you're going. Ask them to watch for anything unusual and give them a way to reach you. This costs nothing and adds a set of eyes no technology can fully replace.

Hold your mail or arrange for someone to collect it. An overflowing mailbox is a reliable signal that nobody is home.

Turn off the water supply to your washing machine. Hose failures are a leading cause of water damage and turning off the supply takes ten seconds.

Unplug non-essential electronics. This eliminates fire risk from devices left on standby and reduces your electricity bill while you're away.

Set your thermostat to an appropriate vacation setting rather than turning it off entirely. In Reno summers, a home left without climate control can reach temperatures that damage electronics, furniture, and musical instruments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I control my alarm system remotely while on vacation? +

Yes. Most modern alarm systems including those installed by Kiwi Alarms allow full remote control through a smartphone app. You can arm and disarm your system, lock and unlock smart locks, view live camera footage, and receive instant alerts for any alarm events from anywhere in the world.

What is a Z-Wave smart lock and how does it connect to my alarm system? +

Z-Wave is a wireless communication protocol used by smart home devices to connect to a central hub or alarm panel. A Z-Wave smart lock communicates directly with your alarm panel, allowing lock and unlock events to be logged alongside alarm activity and controlled through the same app you use to manage your security system.

How do water leak sensors work? +

Water leak sensors contain moisture detecting probes that trigger an alert the moment they come into contact with water. When connected to a monitored alarm system the alert is sent to your monitoring center who contacts you and can dispatch emergency services if needed.

Do I need monitored smoke detectors if I already have battery operated ones? +

Battery operated smoke detectors only sound a local alarm. If no one is home to hear it the alarm is useless. Monitored smoke detectors alert a professional monitoring center the moment they trigger, ensuring that fire services are dispatched even when the home is empty.

How far in advance should I set up smart home security before a vacation? +

Ideally at least a week before departure. This gives time to install and test all devices, set up entry codes for anyone who needs access, and verify that remote access and notifications are working correctly on your phone before you leave.

Related reading: Security Cameras vs Alarm Systems  ·  Why Encrypted Sensors Matter  ·  Replace Smoke Detectors Every 10 Years  ·  How to Choose a Security System