Five tips for a smarter beach home

Five technology tips for homeowners living near the sea.

Beach homes offer amazing vistas and unique considerations for smart home technology. Jason Clarke of Custom Audio Video offers five tech ideas that benefit oceanfront living.

By Jason Clarke

1. Block out the sun

Window shades are sunblock for the home. The sun’s UV rays can damage home interiors; floors, furniture and artwork in particular. Automated window shades can offer UV protection with amazing arrays of fabric choices. Through smart-home programming and photo sensors, the shades can automatically close daily before peak sun, protecting interiors whether anyone is home or not.

2. Go for marine-grade

Any technology that lives in salt air every day of the year will have extraordinary wear and tear. Selecting speakers and lighting fixtures based on the durability of materials can go a long way in preserving these devices. Ask for marine-grade products for installations and upgrades.

3. Smile for the cameras

Know what is going on, even when no one is home. Exterior security cameras are a good idea for any home and doubly so for homes near publicly accessible beaches. Camera systems that can detect people approaching and send alerts to homeowners offer peace of mind and security. 

4. Go channel surfing

Amazing outdoor living spaces are a staple of beach-front homes. Outdoor televisions can add flexibility to a home, bringing traditional indoor entertainment out onto pool decks and porches. Key recommendations to look for in such a TV are brightness, to compete with sunlight, and also toughness. The more weatherized, the better. 

5. Turn out the lights

May through October darkness is key for the local sea turtle mating habitat. Using smart-home control of lighting, key exterior and beach-facing lighting that would disturb local turtles can be automatically dimmed or turned off, giving beach homeowners one less thing to remember and the turtles the darkness they need.