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Tips for a Smart Thanksgiving at Home

Hosting Thanksgiving at home can get a little hectic between turkeys, guests and kids.

The good news is that your Alarm.com-powered smart home security system has some helpful tricks that can make things easier.

Here are five tips that you should consider setting up before Thanksgiving Day.

1. Open your door, save energy

From last-minute shopping runs to welcoming visitors, you'll be opening your front door a lot during the holiday. When your heating is running at the same time, you can end up paying to ‘heat the neighborhood.'

If you have an Alarm.com Smart Thermostat, now is the time to activate the ‘auto set-back' feature. When your front door's contact sensor detects that your door is open for a long time, your thermostat will automatically set back to save energy and protect your heating bill. As soon as you close the door, it starts up again.

2. Give guests anytime access

Are you hosting family members for several nights? As part of their welcome, give them their very own code to your front door.

Unique user codes let your guests come and go as they please, with no need for a spare key. They can also trigger a smartphone alert every time it's used. This is great if you're away from home and want to know who's coming and going.

Traveling for Thanksgiving? Click here for more tips!

User codes are easy to set up in your Alarm.com app, and come with the option of automatically expiring on a set date. 

3. Get proactive protection from fire danger

Between log fires and deep fryers, Thanksgiving Day typically sees an increase in house fires across the country. As well as being extra-mindful on the day, make sure that your home is protected in advance.

Alarm.com-powered smart smoke detectors don't just warn you about a fire: they proactively alert your monitoring station, who dispatch your local fire department. If you don't have smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed yet, now is a good time to talk to your service provider about adding them.

4. Know who’s at the door

Are you expecting family and guests to join you during Thanksgiving Dinner? Expecting any deliveries? Using a video doorbell, you can see who is coming up to your door, keeping you in the loop.

Alarm.com Video Doorbells can inform you when your friends or family arrive or if any important packages show up at your doorstep. With integrated two-way audio, you can let your guest know which door to enter from, and where to drop off their dish while you are busy in the kitchen. If you pair your video doorbell with a smart lock, you can even let guests in when you can’t answer the door.

5. Prevent false alarms

With friends and family visiting during Thanksgiving, it can be difficult to arm your system at night without anyone tripping it while you are taking your well-deserved post Thanksgiving meal rest.

Alarm.com Smart Arming will arm and disarm your system at a set time that works for everyone’s schedule or if motion is detected by your sensors. You don’t need to worry about teaching your whole family on how to disarm the system, your system will do it for you to prevent any early morning alarms!

We hope you have a happy, safe, and smart Thanksgiving!

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