Not sure where to start with home automation? A contact sensor can improve your home’s security by reporting any suspicious activity, but there’s much more you can do with it. Take a look at the ideas you should try at home with Homey.
Contact Sensor Inspiration
Are you leaving for work and not sure you closed all the doors and windows? With a couple of contact sensors and a smart home system, you can always rest assured that your property is safe. With Homey, it’s easy to check the state of your home manually or set up an automated warning with a Homey Flow in case things go awry.
However, there are also plenty of creative applications of door/window sensors that can make your home more comfortable and, most of all, smarter. We’ve put together a quick guide to help you get started and have fun with your smart home devices!
Protect the valuables
Did you know that contact sensors bring peace of mind even when they’re not mounted to a door or a window? Protect your possessions and lower the risk of damage with this neat trick – hide a contact sensor in a storage unit with valuables or inside your safety deposit box. It can then trigger a warning when anyone tries to break in. Childproof your home
An existing magnet, for example, the one found on a cabinet door or baby gate, can replace the magnet part of your contact sensor. This will help you secure a cabinet with dangerous cleaning supplies or even your bar, childproofing your home effortlessly. When you create this Flow, opening the cabinet will immediately update you on your phone, unless you press a hidden button only you know about.
Remember the meds
A contact sensor can also be of use when placed inside a medicine cabinet, reminding you to take your pills. The automation might be a bit more complex to set up, but staying healthy is definitely worth the effort.
Before you start with Flows, create a variable called “Meds Taken” in the Homey Smartphone App under More -> Logic. The variable will store the daily status of your medications.
Afterward, set up the following Flows. The first one will update the Meds Taken variable based on your cabinet being opened on a particular day.
The second Flow will send a 9am reminder if you haven’t taken your meds in the morning, and the third one will reset the status every day at midnight.
Mind the weather
Based on the current weather, Homey can warn you to close the windows when the outdoor temperature gets too high in the summer or too low in the winter. You’ll always stay cozy indoors, lower the power consumption of your AC or heating unit, and save money on utilities.