For years security experts have been giving the advice of not posting on social media when you travel.
It makes sense. If you let others know you are out of town, it can make your home a target.
I’ve always thought this was unrealistic, though. Even before the time of Snapchat and Instagram stories, people wanted to share things when they travel, in real-time.
Not surprisingly companies that are focused on home security have grown drastically the past five to ten years. Technology is making it easier and easier to safeguard your home. There are also the classic total home security packages, though they aren’t as affordable for the average millennial with student loan debt and other financial obligations.
I will go over some of the options for protecting your home while traveling, so that you can enjoy your trip and not worry about what’s happening back home.
Motion Lights
A while back I read an article that interviewed a security expert who had previously robbed home before joining the other side to help homeowners. One thing he said that has stuck with me is that home should have motion-sensing lights covering all the exterior walls of a home.
It may sound like overkill, but it makes sense: homes that have motion-sensing lights are less likely to be targeted than homes that don’t have them.
Amazon has a ton of motion-sensing floodlight options. Most people have at least one location, likely above their garage, that is wired for a floodlight. But what if you want more options and don’t want to pay an electrician thousands of dollars to wire additional lights?
My solution was to get battery-powered lights. I’ve been using Mr. Beams, which is really affordable and easy to install. I was skeptical about how long the batteries and the light itself would last, but even in Minnesota where you deal with the swings in weather these have lasted for multiple years without needing a battery change.
While you can get the single light version for $20 or less, and which work pretty well, I recommend getting the dual head version with two lights, which is pictured below. The lights are bright and fully adjustable.
WiFi Camera
I’ve spent a lot of time – perhaps too much – researching outdoor security cameras. Similar to motion-sensing lights, a home that has a security camera is much less likely to be targeted than a home without one. Plus it has the obvious added benefit of providing video evidence if anything were to happen.
I decided to get the Ring camera for a few reasons. First, it’s an easy install and storage is entirely on the cloud. You get notifications to your phone when motion is detected, and Ring starts recording as soon as it detects motion. (Don’t worry, you can turn these notifications on/off as desired). There is 1080p HD video, two-way talk, night vision, and a siren you can activate right from your phone.
There is a 30-day trial for the Ring Protect Basic Plan, and $3 a month per device after that. There is also a Ring Protect Plus Plan for $10 a month for an unlimited number of devices.
I’ve used Ring for the past year and I would definitely recommend it. I went with the Stick Up Cam, which is pictured below.
House Sitter
Most people don’t get a house sitter unless they are traveling for a long period of time (i.e. a whole month) or if they have pets. With how easy it is to find a pet sitter on a site like Rover, more people seem to be getting a pet/house sitter instead of boarding their dogs.
Having a house sitter not only helps from a security standpoint, but they also will notice if something goes wrong in your house. Growing up my parents’ basement flooded while we were out of town. Unfortunately for us, there was water in our basement for multiple days while we were gone, causing serious damage. If there had been someone staying at our house they would have caught it right away.
Private Social Media Accounts
While many people keep their social media accounts public, it’s worth pointing out that having private social media accounts will help limit the number of people who know that you are travelling and away from home. Whether to have social media accounts as public or private is a choice everyone has to make for themselves, but there are many who use their social media for business or a side hustle, making it necessary to keep public social media profiles.
As mentioned earlier, you could also post your vacation pictures after you are done traveling. I personally only know a couple people who have done this, and they recently started to share in real-time instead.
Total Home Protection Systems
While I prefer less-expensive options for securing my home like motion lights and security cameras, there are also traditional total home protection systems that you can sign up for, such as ADT and Xfinity Home. These will be more expensive, but they also offer protection that other systems simply cannot, such as sensing when a door or window is being open. There is also live 24/7 support who can help alert authorities.
These plans will likely run you at least $30 a month depending on the service provider, your home, and optional add-ons.
The added benefit of all these options is that they give you security even when you aren’t traveling. For example, you also have additional protection when you leave your house for work, to attend a wedding, or a night out.
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Those are some solid tips. When I decide to buy, motion lights will be a must.