4 Ways to Extend Your Smart Home to Your Outdoor Space

A smart home doesn’t have to end where your siding does. If you love using smart home technology to regulate your home’s temperature or vacuum your carpets, then why not extend that experience to your outdoor space?

Smart outdoor features personalize your home-life experience and can make your home brighter, safer, and more convenient. Take a look at the four best ways to "smart home" your outdoors.

1. Smart Sprinklers

Tired of coming home from vacation to find a dry and brown lawn? Smart sprinkler systems not only remember to water the lawn when you forget, but they’re also an investment in efficient lawn optimization. 

A smart sprinkler system is controlled by a smartphone or other device using a Wi-Fi connection, meaning that you can change your water scheduling or monitor how frequently you water your grass through an app. Take a look at the perks of smart sprinkler systems:

• Predictable watering times: Smart sprinkler systems use your preferences to set watering times to ensure that your busy schedule never leads to a neglected lawn. Smart sprinklers will even adjust their waterings based on changes in sunrise and sunset times.

• Efficient watering: A smart sprinkler system uses metrics to create optimal watering conditions in your yard based on factors like local temperatures, soil type, and the pace of water absorbing into soil. 

• Adjust based on the weather: Most smart sprinkler systems monitor weather conditions for rain in order to adapt their schedules. You can also cut off your sprinklers through the app instead of running out into the rain to shut down your system.

• Water conservation: Water conservation from smart sprinklers saves homeowners money while reducing water waste. A smart sprinkler system can easily pay for itself in the form of reduced water bills. If you have a well pump, a smart system can reduce strain on the pump that could result from excessive watering.

• Utility bill rebates: Most modern smart sprinkler systems qualify for rebates on utility bills through the EPA's Watersense program.

2. Smart Outdoor Lighting

A smart lighting system makes both the front and back of your home look luminous and inviting. Here’s what smart outdoor lighting can do for you:

• Remote control: Smart outdoor lighting allows you to control lights from essentially anywhere using an app. 

• Set lighting schedules: Make your driveway, walkway, or porch more visible when you know visitors or delivery people are coming.

• Energy savings: Smart lighting can boost energy efficiency and utility savings with help from automatic nightly shutoffs. 

• Peace of mind: Motion-detecting lighting is a great security feature to ward off unwanted visitors.

3. Surveillance Systems

Who's that on your porch? You never have to wait for the knock at the door to get a good view of your visitor when you have a smart surveillance system. Here are a few reasons to invest in an outdoor security system:

• Instant replay: You can replay footage to play back any missed moments.

• Eyes from anywhere: Smart security systems allow you to watch what's happening on your property when you're reading in bed, at work, or relaxing on a beach 6,000 miles away.

• Always at home: In addition to making it easy to keep an eye on your property, smart surveillance systems let you patch through to virtually "answer your door" for anyone.

4. Waterproof Smart TV

Decks and patios are having a moment. If you have a covered deck or back patio that you enjoy sitting on, consider mounting a waterproof smart TV for cozy nights spent watching your favorite shows among the crickets. Here are some benefits of outdoor smart televisions:

• Durability: Keep in mind that you can't bring any television outside. You’ll need to invest in smart TV intended for the outdoors, so it can withstand rain and snow.

• Clear viewing on sunny days: Waterproof smart TVs built for the outdoors are designed to be brighter for added visibility in the sunlight. 

• Added ambiance: An outdoor television can look and feel extra luxurious if you mount it within view of a hot tub.

Keep in mind that you may want to have a smart outdoor television professionally installed to ensure that you have the correct outdoor outlet and load capacity in place. Most people who mount outdoor televisions also bring in pros to install an accompanying speaker system to boost the sound quality of the outdoor setup.