Prepare Your Home for Changing Routines and Temperatures
Your smart home runs differently in the fall than it does in the summer. The schedules that worked during long, restful days don’t hold up later in the year. Morning scenes may activate too late, shades stay open and let in the cold air, while your thermostat works overtime to keep you warm. A quick seasonal audit helps you isolate the changes to your tech routines that are needed and offers up a great opportunity to give your devices much-needed upgrades.
Test Your Network Before It Gets Crowded
As your household settles back into a more indoor routine, it's a good time to check that your network is holding up as it should. Streaming, video calls, security cameras, and smart devices all run at the same time throughout the evening, and it only takes one weak spot to slow everything down.
A speed test is a great way to prioritize network upgrades. Start with areas like a home office or media room where slow signals get noticed the earliest. If you notice dipping speeds in any areas, it may be time to add on a new access point or upgrade to hardwired connections where possible. We’ll advise you on ways to get stronger, faster signals throughout the property.
Prep Your Lighting and Shading for Shorter Days
Automated lighting scenes built around a June sunset will leave you in the dark before dinner come September. Update your lighting schedule to track the current sunset time, so porch lights and interior scenes turn on when needed. .
Motorized shades deserve the same attention. A shade schedule built for long summer days could result in shades staying open longer than they need to. This affects not only your home’s privacy but your comfort as well.
Fine-Tune Your Thermostat and Shades Together
A thermostat schedule set for open windows and ceiling fans doesn't hold up once the temperature starts dropping at night. Review your heating and cooling schedule now, rather than waiting for the first cold snap to catch your system off guard.
Shades that close automatically as the sun sets help hold in warmth overnight, easing the load on your heating system during the coldest hours. Checking that these two systems are working together, not running on separate schedules, is one of the more overlooked parts of a seasonal audit.
Update Firmware Across Every Connected Device
Your cameras, video doorbell, thermostat, and locks all run on software that gets updated periodically. Skipping those updates is how small issues turn into bigger ones. An outdated camera might miss a vital security patch and leave your house vulnerable. .
Set aside time to check for pending updates across every connected device. Those tucked in a closet or mounted outside are easy to forget, but they're often running the oldest software. This is something our team could handle for you remotely, so you never have to worry about it yourself.
Get Everything Ready for Holiday Hosting
With family and guests coming through the door more often this time of year, review who has access to what. Temporary codes for a dog walker, updated video doorbell alerts for deliveries, and a guest Wi-Fi network that doesn’t expose your vulnerable devices are go-to holiday upgrades.
If your system runs on the Alarm.com platform, update your scene settings for a busier household, from a lighting scene for guests arriving to an away mode that still lets a trusted neighbor check on a package. A system already dialed in for the season means less last-minute adjusting once your calendar fills up.
A seasonal audit is a small task that keeps your smart home working the way it should as the year's routines change. If you'd rather have a professional walk through your network, shades, thermostat, and firmware for you, Westco Security & Technology can handle the whole checklist in a single visit.
Contact our team here or send us a message below to schedule your system check before the holidays fill up your calendar.
