4 Ways to Winterize Your Smart Home

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Snow and ice covered the ground in 49 of 50 states this weekend so we think it’s safe to say that winter is officially here. Love it or hate it, the cold, wind, and snow that the season brings can have a challenging impact on both your home and daily routine. Luckily, winterizing your home couldn’t be easier thanks to a few connected devices and easy-to-set-up automations in the Wink app: 

Combat the threat of frozen pipes

The possibility of bursting pipes during this time of year is too high for any homeowner to take lightly. Avoid costly, inconvenient water damage by placing water sensors near potential trouble spots like the dishwasher or washing machine. We like the leakSMART Valve and Sensor Kit.

Connect the leakSMART Valve to your home’s main water supply and then place the Sensors throughout your home. Pair your valve and sensors to your Wink Hub, then using the Wink app, enable a Robot that will automatically shut off your home’s main water source if any of sensors detect a leak. 

In addition to leak detection, the leakSMART Sensors monitor room temperature so you can keep tabs on your home’s climate from afar (and remotely shut off your water supply if it gets cold enough to freeze pipes.

Keep your home well lit with Schedules

The days are slowly starting to get longer, but the sun is still likely setting well before you get home at night. With a Schedule in the Wink app, you can arrive to a bright home and make it appear like someone is there during those long work nights or (hopefully tropical) holidays. It’s easy to set up and will prompt all your connected lights to automatically turn on every night at sunset. Check out the lighting section of our partner product page for the full rundown of connected light bulbs that work with Wink. 

Avoid black ice on the front walkway with a motion sensor

It’s difficult and dangerous to detect ice and slippery surfaces in the dark. To combat the threat, combine the power of motion sensors with connected lights. The Ring Video Doorbell (which is great for seeing who is at the front door no matter where you are) can be connected with connected light bulbs on your porch with a Robot in the Wink app. From there, anytime Ring detects motion, the front lights turn on so your walk to the front door is safely lit. 

Save energy and money with a smart thermostat

Home heating bills skyrocket this time of year - it’s inevitable. Make your home more energy efficient (and save money along the way) with a smart thermostat like the one by Nest or ecobee. These thermostats let you adjust your home’s temperature from afar through the Wink app, learn your heating and cooling preferences over time, and automatically turn off when you’re away.

How are you using your smart home to tackle winter? Let us know in the comments — we want to hear!

Meet Wink’s Newest Compatible Security Cameras

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Whether you’re on vacation, or want to make sure your furry friend hasn’t made a mess while you’re at work, a smart security camera is a perfect (and easy way) to have peace of mind about what’s happening at home. Today we’re excited to welcome two new industry-leading products to Wink’s growing ecosystem of compatible cameras: NETGEAR Arlo and Ring Stick Up Cam. If you’re not familiar, here’s a short primer on each: 
 

NETGEAR Arlo

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NETGEAR’s suite of Arlo cameras keep every angle of your home and business covered so you can know with confidence that someone has your back while you’re away. Add your Wink-compatible Arlo camera to an existing Robot to trigger actions in other smart products if motion or sound is detected. Wink currently supports three Arlo models:

  • Arlo: Wireless and weatherproof, Arlo provides HD quality video wherever you want a second pair of eyes.
  • Arlo Q: With AC-power, 1080p HD video, 2-way audio, and enhanced night vision, Arlo Q ups the ante in home security.
  • Arlo Q Plus: Designed for business applications, Arlo Q Plus delivers flexible power and connectivity options, including an Ethernet port for smoother reliability.

Ring Stick Up Cam

We’ve big fans of the Ring Video Doorbell and are thrilled to expand our compatibility with Ring’s product family by introducing the Ring Stick Up Cam to Wink. You can mount Stick Up Cam anywhere to see, hear, and speak with your visitors. Customize motion zones and sensitivity to activate Stick Up Cam and have alerts sent to the Wink app. 

Creating a DIY Security System with Wink

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One of the main benefits of having a smart home is that you can use it to amplify your home’s security in new and meaningful ways. It doesn’t require expensive, professional installation or the monthly fees common to many third party security providers. With a few products and a baseline knowledge of the different features available in the Wink app, you can quickly and easily create your very own DIY security system. In this post, we’ll outline a few common security use cases, along with the products and setup instructions to get started.

1: AUTOMATE LIGHTS SO IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE IS HOME AFTER DARK

If you’re someone who regularly works late (or has a very active after work social life), it’s likely you’re pulling into the driveway or walking into the apartment after it gets dark. With Wink, it’s easy to create the illusion that someone is always home.

Within the Wink app you can create Schedules that prompt single (or multiple) lights to turn on and off at predetermined times. You can also sync a Schedule with Sunset, so that regardless of changing daylight hours throughout the year, Wink will always turn on a porchlight or living room lamp at dusk.

What you’ll need:

  • One smart light bulb (or multiple, depending on the size of your home)
  • One Wink HUB (if required to connect your light bulb with the Wink app) 

How to get started:

  • Check out our blog post on how to setup a Schedule for in-depth instructions here.

2: CONTROL WHO IS ENTERING AND LEAVING YOUR HOME

Our homes can be a zoo of activity with people constantly coming and going. While you can hand out keys to friends and family, a few smart products and the Wink app can make it much easier to not only see from afar who is at the front door, but when they’ve arrived and left. 

The Ring Video Doorbell and a smart Schlage lock (multiple models available) enables this. Within the Wink app, you can create a Robot that notifies you whenever Ring is triggered or when motion is detected (the sensitivity of the motion detector can be changed based on environmental factors near your front door). From there, you can see who is at the front door and if you have a Schlage lock installed, either unlock the door remotely to let the dog sitter, or ignore the pesky salesman and go back to your day.

What’s more, with a Schlage lock you can create separate user codes for the individuals you want to grant access to your home. Once the codes are established, Robots can be created to notify you when a particular user code is used. The activity feed of the Wink app will show you who and when someone comes or goes, so you can breathe easier. 

What you’ll need:

How to get started:

  • Create a Robot to send you an email and push notifications when Ring is triggered or detects motion. For step by step instructions on setting up a Robot, check out our blog post here. 
  • Create another Robot for when your Dog Sitter’s user code is entered. 

3: SURPRISE AND WARD OFF Possible INTRUDERS

In the unlikely and unfortunate instance that someone enters your home that you don’t want there, automating a few sensors and smart lights might just surprise them into running away. 

GoControl’s security suite comes with door and window sensors you can affix anywhere, and monitor their status accordingly through the Wink app. The motion sensor identifies movement up to 50 feet away, while the loud siren and flashing light warns intruders if the alarm is tripped.  

Say you’re going on vacation for a few weeks. Within the Wink app, you can set up a Robot that triggers your smart light bulbs to automatically illuminate if the motion sensor detects movement or the front door sensor is triggered. Take it the extra mile by having the siren go off as well. You’ll get alerts automatically on your phone so you can jump into action and investigate.

What you’ll need:

How to get started:

  • Create a Robot for when a door opens, turn on the lights and trigger the siren. 
  • Create one Shortcut that enables the Robot and one that Disables the Robot. You can find step by step instructions for using Robots and Shortcuts together here. 
  • Create a Widget for each Shortcut. Instructions for creating a widget can be found on the bottom of the Shortcut blog post here. 

4 Ways to Make Your Smart Home Part of Halloween

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Hard to believe, but Halloween is just around the corner. Whether you plan to be out trick-or-treating with the kids in the neighborhood, dressing up yourself, or hunkering down at home to hand out candy, there are a bunch of ways you can make your smart home part of the night!

Here are a few examples:

Turn your smart light bulbs orange: With just a few Philips Hue bulbs, you can really amplify your home’s Halloween spirit. Try adjusting those closest to your front windows to really get the mood going. Even better, if you have a porch, swap out the bulbs outside. Check out how Wink user Robert Czeizinger from Delaware is doing just that:

Use a door sensor to up the spook factor: If you have a sensor installed on your front door, try this party trick. Set up a Robot in Wink that triggers all the smart bulbs in the front of your house to turn on when the front door is opened (adjust them to orange for maximum effect). Then, make sure the lights are all off when a trick-or-treater approaches, slowly open the door when they knock, and voila! 

See who's at the front door before you answer: If you’re on candy duty, a smart doorbell like Ring can help you distinguish between trick or treaters and the inevitable ding dong ditchers. They feature a camera so you can see who’s at the door right from your phone...and decide if you want to get off of the couch.

Keep an eye out for pesky tee-peers: Let’s face it, they exist, and we may or may not have all done it at one point in time. If you have a smart camera, simply move it to a front window facing the yard. From there, you can quickly see what’s happening from your phone wherever you are.

If you have creative ways that you’re integrating your smart home into Halloween, we want to hear about it! Let us know in the comments.

Ding Dong - Ring is Now Wink-Compatible

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Today we’re really excited to announce that the Ring Video Doorbell is now compatible with Wink! Not only does this mark our entrance into the doorbell category, it gives Wink users a bunch of new ways to enhance their smart home security.

Ring Smart Video Doorbell

Ring Smart Video Doorbell

Ring lets you answer the door from anywhere using the Ring app on your smartphone. It features an HD camera to provide a clear view from your front door, two-way talk for clear communication, and sends motion-triggered alerts to notify you of arriving guests and deliveries. You can also review your recording history so you don’t miss any activity.

Ring Smart Video Doorbell in Wink App

Ring Smart Video Doorbell in Wink App

With Wink, you can now integrate Ring with the products you already have to provide even greater peace of mind that your home is safe and secure:

  • If you’re running late and receive an alert that your parents just rang the doorbell, you can visually confirm that it is indeed them through the Ring app, and then unlock the front door with Wink

  • On the flip side, a “Lock Up” Robot could be set up so that if you mistakenly leave the front door unlocked and someone presses Ring, Wink will automatically lock it.

  • You can even set up your Ring to trigger the front porch lights to go on when someone’s at the door!

Learn more or grab one today at Amazon or Home Depot