One of the best feelings in the world is coming home after a long day at work where you can relax and be comfortable in the privacy of your own home. So imagine stepping into your house and you see lights automatically turn on, the temperature is already perfect, and music from your favorite playlist is playing softly in the background. This can all be achieved with smart home technology that isn’t too hard to integrate into your home. You just need a few smart devices to get started that can not only be used for when arriving home, but also for a wide range of other home automation scenes.

So, What's a Home Automation Scene?

A home automation scene can include one or more actions that are automatically performed by your smart home devices when triggered by a preset action or time of day. For example, you have a smart lock installed on your front door and most of your interior lights are connected to smart switches or modules, all connected to a compatible smart hub. For your “Arriving Home” automation scene, you set your trigger when you unlock your smart lock, which is detected by your smart hub that orders your smart switches to immediately turn on the lights. Or you can just have your lights turn on automatically at 5pm each night Monday through Friday - it's really that simple. Please keep in mind that most smart devices and smart home networks will require a smart home hub. Although, there are some W-Fi connected smart devices that do not require connection to a smart home hub.

There are also automation protocols to think about - basically how smart devices communicate with each other. Z-Wave, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Matter are the most popular communication protocols. Just make sure that your smart hub is compatible with whatever protocol your smart devices communicate with.

How Arrival Scenes Can Improve Comfort and Home Security

An "Arriving Home" scene is a great way to help you mentally reset from spending a long day away from home. It can also provide benefits for other family members and temporary guests that visit throughout the day. Below are some examples of different "Arriving Home" scenes that can be created to best suit your needs.

Evening Arrival Scene

Arriving home from work or from an exhausting day out means seeking immediate comfort at home. With some smart devices you can have the following happen as soon as you unlock your smart lock and/or have your smart devices activate at a predetermined time:

• Turn on the front porch, entryway, and hallway lights
• Turn on smart lights or set dimmable lights to warm, dimmed tones (around 60–70% brightness)
• Adjust the thermostat to a preset comfortable temperature
• Turn on your home audio system directly or via the smart outlet it is plugged into
• Have your blinds or curtains be closed for privacy
• Turn off your home security system

Family-Member or Guests Specific Arrival Scenes

There are ways you can create specific "Arriving Home Scenes"for each member of your family and temporary visitors, depending on the time of day or evening.

For Kids:

• Unlock the smart lock using a child-specific access code
• Once the door is unlocked, a notification can be sent to parents who are not home
• Turn on the study lamp in the children's bedroom
• Restrict the use of your smart TV so that kids don't ignore their homework or prevent it from turning on
• Turn off your home security system

For Spouses Who Work Late:

• Have the interior lights dimmed at a specific time
• Ensure exterior lights outside are on, specifically lights near your driveway or front porch
• Disarm the home security system to grant access and once the smart door is locked have your home security system armed again so you don't forget to activate it before going to bed
• Keep the house at a comfortable temperature

Guests or Home Maintenance Personnel:

• Unlock the smart door lock remotely or with guest-specific code
• Receive notifications of arrival and departure times
• Turn on specific lights
• Turn on HVAC systems to keep the temperature comfortable then turn it off when guests leave

Home automation scenes can also be activated using voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. Program each family member their own custom routine so that when someone says, "Mike is home" this phrase can trigger one or more smart devices to activate to accommodate personalized "Arriving Home" scenes. And you can even combine both voice assistants with other home automation scenes so you can experience the best of both worlds.

Enhancing the way you come home is just another reason why smart home technology is the perfect solution for transforming your house into a smarter, more secure, and personalized space for you and your family. To help you get started or to expand your current smart home, we put together a list of smart home automation devices and kits. If you're just starting out, you might want to consider adding a few smart devices to your home and expand your home automation network with other devices as you see fit. Our home automation kits are also great because they offer a little bit of everything to help create a customized smart home setup that fits your needs, lifestyle, and budget. 

Home Controls Z-Wave Smart Home Kit: Starter Kit

• Contains 2 Aeotec remote wall switches, 1 Shelly Relay Module, 1 Leviton Plug-In Module, 1 Ezlo Smart Thermostat, 1 Sensative sensor, and the Aeotec Z-Stick 7.

Home Controls Z-Wave Smart Home Kit: Lighting and Climate Control

• Contains 2 Aeotec sensors, 2 Aeotec remote wall switches, 1 Shelly Relay Module, and 1 Ezlo Smart Thermostat.

Home Controls Wi-Fi Smart Home Kit: Starter Kit

• Smart Home Wi-Fi Kit includes Linxura Controller, AprilAire Thermostat, Leviton Switch, and Leviton Plug-In Dimmer.

Home Controls Wi-Fi Smart Home Kit: Lighting & Climate Controls

• Smart Home Wi-Fi Kit includes Honeywell Thermostat, Leviton Switch, Shelly Smart Wall Plug, and Shelly Gas Sensor (LPG).

Yale Approach Lock with Wi-Fi Bridge

• Wireless smart door lock uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to auto-lock/unlock when a smartphone comes in proximity. Includes Yale Connect Wi-Fi Bridge.

Ecolink Z-Wave Plus Door/Window Sensor, Gen5

• Know when your door or window has been opened/closed via Z-Wave technology. Wireless range up to 100 feet (line-of-sight).

Shelly Wi-Fi Dimmer 2 Smart Relay, No Neutral

• Wi-Fi dimmer module adds Dim/Brighten control and precise power metering to connected light switches. Fits within electrical boxes behind light switches.

Ezlo Z-Wave Plus v3 Smart Thermostat

• Z-Wave 800 touchscreen thermostat commands HVAC systems with up to 3 stage heating and 2 stage cooling.

Music Distribution Systems

• Whole home audio installation products and wireless audio systems for homes or businesses.

Other Home Automation Products

• Smart devices connect appliances, switches, and other devices to a central smart hub, making it easy and secure to control them all from one place.

Other Home Security Products

• Smart home security systems (both wired and wireless) featuring professional-grade security controllers, DIY security solutions, video surveillance, access control systems, and stand-alone alert devices.

Other Compatible Smart Products

• Discover all of our smart wireless products in one place, with no filters by brand, ecosystem, or device type.

For more questions about how you can create "Arriving Home" scenes or add other home automation scenes to your smart home, talk to our team over the phone at (858)-693-8887 or email us at service@homecontrols.com. You can also check out other entries in our blog for more insights about smart home automation and security devices.