Tips to Prepare Your House for an Extended Vacation
By Ring on May 24, 2024
From researching restaurants to booking tours and tickets, there’s always plenty to do before a long trip. While your head may already be 1,000 miles away, your home will need attention before you jet off. Here are a few tips to help prepare your house before your vacation.
Install a Security System
If you don’t already have a security system, consider investing in one prior to your vacation. Whether you’re crossing state lines or traversing the ocean, a Ring Alarm security system can help provide peace of mind that everything will be okay back home.
Once you’ve picked out an Alarm Security Kit that best fits your home, all you’ll need to do is set it up. Simply follow the instructions in the Ring App to get everything up and running before you head out on your extended trip.
With a Ring Protect subscription, sold separately, you can unlock real-time notifications on the Ring App and the ability to set Mode Schedules, which will automatically arm and disarm your system while you’re away.1 To ensure your Alarm stays online even if the power goes out, subscribe to Ring Protect Pro, sold separately, for built-in cellular backup.1 Plus, you can enroll in 24/7 Alarm Professional Monitoring, and real-time agents will monitor your Alarm notifications while you sightsee.2
Want to make the most of Ring Alarm’s features while you’re away? Read our step-by-step guide to protecting your home or business.
Set Up Lighting and Cameras to Stay Connected to Your Home & Your Pets
When the sun goes down, you usually turn your lights on — so it’s a good idea to keep up the routine while you’re away. Smart outdoor lighting from Ring enables you to set a schedule before you leave, so you can easily prep your smart home for vacation.3
Motion-activated cameras with built-in lighting help add another layer of visibility while you’re away. If activity is detected, your Ring Spotlight or Floodlight Cam will send you a notification, begin recording, and shine bright LEDs. You can also use your exterior cameras to check in on the weather or say hi to your neighbor when they stop by.
If you’ll be leaving your pets home while you’re on vacation, consider setting up a Ring Stick Up Cam or an Indoor Cam to help keep an eye on them. You can use Two-Way Talk to communicate with your pet, so they can hear your voice and feel connected to you even while you’re not physically present.
Set Timers or Schedules for Indoor Lighting
If you want your house to look lived-in during your extended vacation, set your lights to turn on and off when you’re usually home and awake. You can buy plug-in timers for lamps to set manual schedules or switch to smart bulbs for even easier control.
When you replace your traditional light bulbs with Ring A19 LED bulbs and connect them to a Ring Bridge, sold separately, you can easily set lighting schedules.4 5 So, if you typically get home from work around 5:00 PM, you can program your lights to be on from then until bedtime. You can even switch up the schedule from the Ring App or turn on the lights remotely if your house sitter is about to arrive.
Unplug or Adjust Appliances to Save Energy
Even if all your appliances are turned off, they can still use energy when plugged in. To conserve power, unplug anything that won’t be in use, like your toaster, game consoles, TV, desktop, and coffee maker.
While you’re unplugging electronics around the house, stop by your water heater and switch it to “vacation mode.” This simple switch will ensure your appliance doesn’t waste energy heating water you won’t use.
Another easy way to save energy while on vacation is to adjust your thermostat’s settings. If no one will be inside your home, you can choose a temperature much higher or lower than normal, depending on the season. But don’t turn it off entirely — you can risk excess humidity or frozen pipes.
With a Ring-compatible smart thermostat, you can set heating and cooling schedules and even adjust the temperature from the Ring App on your way home, so it’s comfortable when you arrive.
Shut Off the Water
The best way to prevent unexpected leaks on vacation is to shut your water off entirely. But if your sitter will need water to fill your pet’s food bowl or to water plants, that may not be an option.
With a smart shutoff valve like Flo by Moen, you can leave the water on knowing it will automatically shut off if a leak is detected. When you connect your device to the Ring App, you’ll get alerts if issues any issues arise, and you can shut off the water remotely if needed.
You can also connect Flood & Freeze Sensors to your Ring Alarm and place them in areas that are prone to leaks, like under the sink or washing machine. With a Ring Protect subscription, sold separately, you’ll get a notification on your phone if water or freezing temperatures are detected.1
Ask a Friend or Neighbor for Help
Before you leave, see if a trusted neighbor is willing to periodically check in on your home periodically. You can ask them to grab your mail and packages on the way in, so nothing sits out for more than a few hours. If you have small pets, ask your neighbor to check on them by ensuring they’re fed, walking them outdoors, and cleaning their rest area. Your neighbor can also water any plants you may have indoors or outdoors. Your neighbor can occasionally move your car in and out of the driveway to make it look like someone is home.
A few other tasks they can help include:
To prevent false alarms when your friend stops by, give them your Alarm code or add them as a Shared User on the Ring App.
No matter where you’re headed, Ring can help keep your home safe and sound while you’re gone. Bon voyage and safe travels!
1 Ring Alarm and all Ring Alarm accessories require a subscription for in-app features and digital notifications, including digital arming / disarming and integration with other Ring, Echo, Alexa, and third party products. Subscription sold separately. View ring.com/protect-plans for pricing and details
2 A compatible Ring Protect subscription is required to enroll in the Ring Alarm professional monitoring service. Professional monitoring service is available only within the U.S. (all 50 states, but not U.S. territories) and in Canada (excluding Quebec). Ring does not own its own professional monitoring center. Smoke and carbon monoxide monitoring is not available for a business or commercially zoned address. See Ring alarm licenses at: ring.com/licenses. Additional permit or false alarm fees may apply depending on your local jurisdiction. Additional charges may apply in areas that require permits or guard response service for alarm verification.
3 Batteries not included. Ships to the US and Canada (excluding Quebec). Requires Ring Bridge for smart controls. Sold separately. One Ring Bridge supported per household.
4 One Ring Bridge supported per household. Supports approximately 50 Ring Smart Lighting devices, including Motion Sensors (dependent on usage and other factors).
5 Ships to the US and Canada (excluding Quebec). Requires Ring Bridge for smart controls. Sold separately. One Ring Bridge supported per household.
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