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Smart home maintenance tips to keep your St. Paul system in top shape

December 16, 2024
Woman altering the position of a surveillance camera.

Maintenance is essential to numerous parts of our lives. You exercise to keep yourself in shape and take your car to the service shop so it operates smoothly. Your St. Paul smart home is no exception. Even though it requires less care than your vehicle, you still have to do a few things to keep components functioning as intended. It’s not challenging, and we’ll make the job even simpler with our smart home maintenance tips.

Clean Equipment Is Key To Reliable Function

Dust and dirt are hazards to sensors, video camera lenses, and all electronics. How effectively do you suppose your exterior surveillance will detect prowlers if it’s obscured by cobwebs? Your smart home won’t look so smart when it’s not operating as expected. But you can help by doing these basic maintenance chores:

  • Keep your surveillance lenses spotless by wiping them regularly with a microfiber towel slightly moistened with glass cleaner. Stay away from paper towels that may damage the lens, and never spray a liquid directly on the camera.
  • Prevent dust from accumulating on sensitive electronics. If particles work their way inside the outer exterior, it can damage those sensitive electronics and keep air from flowing. Even your central command panel's level, narrow top can gather dust.
  • When tidying up, do a brief verification to make certain your tools are connected firmly and situated properly.

It’s not hard to keep your smart home equipment clean, but you can perform a few extra tasks to maintain error-free functionality.

Do a quick test of your St. Paul security system

Have you not been sent a smartphone update in a while? Your system might be working well, and your house well protected, but it could also signify something is malfunctioning. How about finding out by doing a quick check of your devices? Here’s how to proceed:

  • Assume the role of an invader and see if you can set off your door and window sensors, motion detectors, or additional devices you have. You can often place your system into “test mode” to avoid notifying your monitoring company.
  • Launch your home security cell phone app and check the video stream. Determine if the images are crisp and the camera is aimed where it needs to be.
  • If you have automation set up, test it. Did the smart thermostat adjust at the specified time? Did your lights illuminate as you wanted?
  • Make sure batteries are replaced routinely. Many systems will even alert you when they’re low.

Assessments can be conducted infrequently or whenever you suspect a sensor is not operating correctly.

Is your system firmware current?

Those smart tools you have around your house don’t just function automatically. These connected instruments have firmware installed, so they operate properly. In many instances, the firmware will automatically update, but not every time. Run the updates as soon as they’re released (your system will likely alert you) to prevent errors or security issues.

Get a low-maintenance smart home in St. Paul from Vivint

Interested in a reliable, easy-to-maintain smart home in St. Paul? Connect with the home security specialists at Vivint. Featuring the latest in home surveillance and automation, we have the right system for your residence. Call (651) 240-6686 now to design your home’s security.