Why is a smart home good for your kids?

In this blog article, we will take a closer look at why a smart home is worth considering for families with children. Used correctly, a smart home system can make everyday tasks easier and more efficient for family households of all sizes.

How families can benefit from having a smart home

The idea behind smart homes is that most devices and processes around the home should be able to take care of themselves without any intervention from the people living there. Of course, you don’t have to completely exclude any human involvement to make your home a bit smarter – but that’s something we will come back to later. For now, here are some of the smart home ideas we have in mind:

In the morning:

• Set your smart blinds or shutters to open at a certain time to wake your children up gently with natural light.
• Set the lights to come on gradually at the same time, so your children won’t trip over any toys lying around when they get up.
• Why not turn on a playlist with some favourite tunes to get everyone in a good mood before breakfast?

Before school:

• Make sure the garage door is open when it’s time to head off to school or nursery, either by setting it to open at a specific time or simply by pressing a button inside your house.
• Use the app to make sure your front door is locked when you go out – one less thing to worry about when you’re busy trying to get everyone out of the house!
• You can also set the lights to turn off, the blinds or shutters to close and any electrical appliances to switch off automatically when you close the door, for extra security and peace of mind.

During the day:

• With a sun or temperature sensor, you can make sure your blinds and shutters are closed to keep the temperature down inside your home, creating a pleasantly cool environment for you to come home to.
• An automatic blind or shutter system can also help protect your furniture from fading due to sun exposure.
• If you have any pets at home, you can keep an eye on them while you’re out via smart security cameras.

After school:

• Your children can let you know when they get home by pressing a button on a Somfy Scenario Player just inside the door, which will pass on the message to you.
• You can set the blinds or shutters to open and the lights to come on when your children come home, which is useful when it’s dark outside and will make your kids feel safer.
• If you have a security camera outside as well as one in the house, you can check and reassure yourself that everything is OK with your children.

In the evening:

• If the kids have done their homework and there’s time for a little TV, you can activate a scene that automatically pulls down the blinds in the living room, switches the TV on and dims the lights.
• Set the TV to switch off at a certain time as a signal that it’s time to get ready for bed.
• Increase your chances of a good night’s sleep by lowering the temperature in your bedroom before going to bed.
• You can also set the lights to dim while the kids listen to a bedtime story through your smart speaker at a low, gentle volume.
• Use the smart home system to make sure the roller blinds in your children’s rooms are already pulled down and their ceiling lights are switched off before they go to bed.
• If your children have trouble settling, you could try playing some calming music or white noise through your smart speaker.

At night:

• If your children wake up in the night to go to the toilet, a motion sensor will make sure the hallway and bathroom lights come on at a low level so they can find their way more easily.

Of course, there are all kinds of other smart features and automation options you could try – the suggestions above are just a start. These scenes and automated processes are easy to apply in a smart home and will free up a lot of time for you, as well as making everyday life that little bit easier for everyone in your household.

Getting started on setting up your smart home is easy. You can find more information here >