2020 has been the year of the upgrade.  Many of us sent home during the early months of the pandemic spent our first month fixing things.   Home repairs ranged from gutter cleaning to window washing, picking up clutter and setting up home offices.  During this process we realized that our internet needed an upgrade, the router powering our home wireless network hadn’t been replaced for many years, our laptops were outdated and it seemed like everywhere we looked there was technology that needed to be improved.  For those facing the impending 3G sunset we looked at our old security panels and thought “I’ve got to be eligible for an upgrade, right?  Its about time for a touchscreen…. and maybe we should add a smart door lock...  and one of those video doorbells… it would be nice to have a camera on the driveway… and we never put smoke detectors in the kid’s rooms…. And..  and.. The list keeps going.  As you look at your home and consider all the things it COULD do, talk to your security and smarthome provider to find out what’s possible.  Maybe, just maybe, your new upgraded security and home automation system could be the thing that finally makes 2020 great...

Wherever you find yourself on the scale of sanitization, one thing is certain: There’s more cleaning than ever before. That’s why we love the Qolsys IQ Panel.  It includes a feature called “Bluetooth Disarming” which was originally designed for hands-free convenience, but in today’s new normal hands free is more than just convenient, it’s safer.  Simply pair a smartphone with the IQ Panel over Bluetooth and the system deactivates itself as soon as that phone gets in range.  In addition to disarming the security system, use smart home rules to unlock the front door, turn on lights, and resume thermostat schedules.  Now when you come home the only thing you’ll have to touch is the door handle.  Bluetooth Disarming TRULY makes less to sanitize.  

Imagine just getting home from the DMV.  To be safe, you tried not to touch anything, but there were some things you just couldn’t help, like the pen to sign the forms, the credit card machine to process the payment, the renewed license you got back from the person who verified your identity, and the paperwork and receipts you were handed at the end of your visit.  Any one of those items could have come in contact with something that could make you sick, and to be safe, you plan to wash your hands as soon as you get home.  As you approach the front door it unlocks automatically.  You touch the door handle but DON’T have to touch the keypad.  You step inside and lights turn on automatically, thermostat fires up and the security system is already disarmed.  The first thing you do after placing things on the counter is to wash hands, and then, just to be safe, perhaps sanitize the car door, the steering wheel, the controls in the car, and my door knob.  Its a lot of work, but knowing that the Qolsys IQ Panel lightened that load by making my lock, lights, and thermostat all hands free…. Its a good feeling… thanks technology!  (Alexa, buy more Clorox wipes….)