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Smart home maintenance recommendations to keep your Bellingham system running properly

December 16, 2024
Homeowner altering the angle of a surveillance camera.

Maintenance is essential to various parts of our lives. You go to the gym to keep your body healthy and take your automobile to the shop so it functions smoothly. Your Bellingham smart home is no different. While it needs less attention than your family SUV, you still need to perform a couple easy tasks to keep components functioning smoothly. It’s simple, and we’ll make it even simpler with these smart home maintenance suggestions.

Clean Hardware Is Key To Reliable Function

Dust and grime are enemies to camera lenses, sensors, and all types of electronics. How well do you think your exterior surveillance will spot prowlers if it’s obscured by cobwebs? Your smart home won’t seem so smart if it’s not working as intended. But you can lend a hand by performing these basic maintenance tasks:

  • Keep your surveillance lenses spotless by wiping them periodically with a microfiber towel slightly dampened with a safe cleaning solution. Avoid paper towels that could damage the lens, and avoid spraying a fluid right onto the camera.
  • Avoid letting dust gather on fragile electronics. If debris get inside the outer exterior, it can damage those sensitive electronics and halt needed air movement. Even your central command panel's flat, narrow top can collect dust.
  • When tidying up, do a brief check to make sure your tools are attached solidly and positioned properly.

It’s not hard to keep your smart home devices clean, but you ought to handle a few extra tasks to promote error-free functionality.

Conduct a quick inspection of your Bellingham security system

Have you not gotten a smartphone notification in recent weeks? Your system may be working great, and your property well protected, but it may also indicate something is malfunctioning. How about finding out by conducting a quick assessment of your equipment? Here’s how to proceed:

  • Play the role of an invader and attempt to activate your motion sensors, entry point sensors, or additional devices you have. You can usually place your system into “test mode” to avoid notifying your monitoring team.
  • Access your home security smartphone app and check the video stream. See if the images are crisp and the camera is aimed where it needs to be.
  • If you have automation programmed, check it. Did the smart thermostat adjust at the specified time? Did your lights flip on or off as you wanted?
  • Ensure batteries are changed periodically. Numerous systems will even notify you when they’re getting low.

Inspections can be completed infrequently or at any point you suspect a device is not operating as it should.

Is your system firmware up-to-date?

Those smart gadgets you have around your house don’t just function independently. These connected instruments have firmware built in, so they operate as intended. In many cases, the firmware will update automatically, but there may be exceptions. Install the updates as soon as they’re available (your system should notify you) to avoid performance or security issues.

Get a reliable smart home in Bellingham from Vivint

Looking for a reliable, easy-to-maintain smart home in Bellingham? Connect with the home security experts at Vivint. Offering the best in home surveillance and automation, we have a solution for your residence. Dial (360) 968-8970 right away to get started.