Tech Tips – Page 5 – Welcome to MAX

Water Monitoring Devices

By Stephanie McLain, Claims Adjuster

If walls could talk, they may have wonderful stories to tell. If pipes could talk, you’d probably save a ton of money on plumbing costs. Well, a winner of 2018’s Best of What’s New Home Awards is here to translate your house’s pipes — Flo by Moen is the all-in-one security system for your home water. The world is changing: first you needed security for your home, then your car, now your water. This is a brilliant idea on preventing water damage, so hear me out.

To avoid water damage, you start with preventing it. The system is installed on the main water supply line to the home. Because it is installed on the main water supply line, the device can monitor all water entering the house. It has three sensors which monitor water flow, pressure, and temperature. These sensors, paired with some algorithms, are what enable Flo by Moen to detect and protect against leaks, burst pipes, and more!

Each night the system will run a health test. Flo can detect leaks as smalls as one drop per minute which more often than not go undetected until after there is extensive damage.

Your smartphone will act as your command center. This is where you will get alerts and shut off your water as necessary if you have a cell signal or are connected to Wi-Fi. Luckily, if you’re unresponsive, Flo by Moen is also smart enough to shut the water off itself should something catastrophic be occurring.

Similarly, you can purchase a Water Hero, which is also installed on the main water line and runs via your cell phone. With the Water Hero, you can set up “Home Mode” and “Away Mode” where the alerts are different depending on the mode.

For example, if the device is in Home Mode, the owner states he usually has it set to alert him if water has been running for 15 minutes and to shut it off if it’s been running for 20 minutes. Alternatively, if it is in Away Mode, he has it set stricter where if the water runs for 1 minute while away, it alerts him and if it runs for 2 minutes, it will shut the water off. These controls are completely customizable by the consumer.

For more information on how Wi-Fi water shut off valves work and two more products, check out this article from DIY Smart Home Guide’s website.

The Water Hero starts out at $649 and Flo by Moen is listed at $767.70 MSRP. Although these prices seem high, many customers note within the first 6 months they detect a leak they didn’t know about. If your home insurance deductible is $1000, avoiding just one claim will pay for the device and that is definitely worth thinking about.

About Stephanie

Tech enthusiast (not pro), photographer hobbyist, boy mom, animal lover, and Insurance Adjuster

When Stephanie isn’t at work she’s trying new things from food, tech, games, hair colors, etc. Stephanie and her husband of 2 years live with their 2 boys, 1 fostered cousin, 2 dogs, 1 snake, and 1 fostered bearded dragon. Her goals are to experience the best life has to offer. They like to explore as a family everything from the outdoors, new towns, new games, or even new concepts or ideas for the house.

No Endorsement: The products identified above are examples of smart home technology that may prevent water damage to homes. The information in this article about products is for informational purposes only. MAX Insurance has not purchased or tested and does not endorse, recommend, certify, or approve any product mentioned above. We have no affiliation or relationship with any manufacturer or supplier of any product described in this article. We make no representation or warranty with respect to any such product nor to its quality, reliability, or integrity. We do not vouch for the truthfulness or accuracy of any information from any third-party about its product. If you choose to purchase or use such product, it is at your own risk and you are responsible to use it in accordance with directions from its manufacturer or supplier.

Transitioning Kids and Some Adults to Autonomous Living

By Stephanie McLain, Claims Adjuster

When we first introduced the Echo to my boys, they loved it! They wanted to talk to Alexa all the time. They said Please and Thank you and Good Morning as if she were a new roommate in our house. It was the most precious interaction between tech and child. That slowly changed when Alexa took away their light switch.

The smart lights were a welcomed change because gradually turning on the lights helped my boys wake up happier and more refreshed. However, fully taking control of their lights to the point where there was now a guard on their light switch so that they didn’t accidentally turn it off disabling the functionality, really threw them for a loop.

My oldest son came to me crying confused and said, “I don’t mind change when it’s fun but why can’t we have our light switch? I don’t know why I’m crying but I just like the light switch.”

I grabbed him into a big hug and explained that change is scary and crying is acceptable. Children aren’t the only ones afraid of change. Many adults stay stuck in outdated ways because change is scary. Mind you, I did chastise my husband for making such a drastic change without warning the kids because you should always tell someone before just altering their life. Even if a light switch seems so minuscule that it won’t affect them, it’s a habitual part of life that may be drastically impactful. We ended up giving the boys their Christmas gift of their very own Echo Dot early so that they can control their smart lights with it from their bedroom which negates the need for a light switch and my son is beyond well-adjusted now. They now want to know what else can be controlled with their Echo.

Once you get past the initial shock, it’s amazing what world of opportunity that awaits you. If a child can talk through it and reason his way to understanding, so can an adult. It’s all about getting through those stubborn parts of yourself and finally being open minded. I know being open minded is difficult, but if you try, you’d be surprised. You have to do something 20 times for it to become a habit which means just because it is uncomfortable or unfamiliar the first 19 times doesn’t mean it’s not for you.

About Stephanie

Tech enthusiast (not pro), photographer hobbyist, boy mom, animal lover, and Insurance Adjuster

No Endorsement: The products identified above are examples of smart home technology. The information in this article about products is for informational purposes only. MAX Insurance has not purchased or tested and does not endorse, recommend, certify, or approve any product mentioned above. We have no affiliation or relationship with any manufacturer or supplier of any product described in this article. We make no representation or warranty with respect to any such product nor to its quality, reliability, or integrity. We do not vouch for the truthfulness or accuracy of any information from any third-party about its product. If you choose to purchase or use such product, it is at your own risk and you are responsible to use it in accordance with directions from its manufacturer or supplier.

Living with Tech

By Stephanie McLain, Claims Adjuster

Technology is evolving at an almost alarming rate while becoming pleasantly more affordable.

In 1984, the touch lamp was invented allowing its users to simply touch the light to power it on or dim it without the struggle of flipping or twisting a power switch.

In 1985, The Clapper hit the market as the most “modern” way to power on your electronics without the stress of standing.

The way my house is set up now thanks to my team of Sengled smart bulbs, the hub that controls them, and my Amazon echo; I can say things like, “Alexa, turn on the master bedroom lights,” and I am met with a chime and my lights coming on.

My favorite feature of all so far is that I can set an alarm with my lights. At whatever time I choose, my lights will gradually get brighter, waking me up naturally as opposed to the excessive amount of alarms I had set previously.

Embracing technology and the autonomous life is a gradual process, but starting with the lights is something to consider. Have you ever forgotten to turn the lights off? If you’re gone and you want to check, you just hop on the Alexa app and shut them off. These features work with other smart home devices too such as the Google Home. More control equals more security and more security equals better peace of mind. Who doesn’t want more of that?

About Stephanie

Tech enthusiast (not pro), photographer hobbyist, boy mom, animal lover, and Insurance Adjuster

The Heart of a Smart Home

By Sam Schoutko, Personal Lines Underwriter

The last blog post I wrote detailed what a smart home is, how you can implement it into your home, and how you really don’t need to be intimidated by it. Most of it was broad strokes though and I would like to give more specifics in a series of future posts. I want to start with the most essential piece of any smart home: your router.

Most people don’t have a clue about the internet setup in their home – the people from your internet service provider come and set it up then tell you the Wi-fi password and you are good to go. 90% of the time this suffices for your basic needs as far as connecting your laptop, cell phone, and maybe a smart TV. When you add more and more devices though it can tax the basic router* they provide you and sometimes you need to upgrade that portion of your home network in order to improve performance and range.

*Quick disclaimer: there are two main parts of any home internet network: the router and the modem. The modem is what receives the signal from your internet service provider (ISP) and switches it to an ethernet cable you can plug directly into your computer. Most people take that cable and instead plug it into a router which then broadcasts the internet via Wi-fi throughout your home. A lot of ISP’s provide the modem and router in one unit. You can bypass the wireless portion of the combo box and just use it as a modem while you purchase your own router (or you can purchase your own upgraded combo box). That is the setup I advocate for and do myself. There are many more details but I don’t want to get too technical.

In my home (just my wife and dog and I) we have 2 cell phones, 1 tablet, and 1 laptop. This is normal and probably would be fine for even the most basic router. On top of this I also have connected to the Wi-fi – a thermostat, 3 smart light bulbs, virtual dog walker, Xbox One, 2 smart TVs, Chromecast, dog cell phone, 2 Roku’s, a printer, Wi-fi dog kennel and an external hard drive (a few of those are jokes). While all that isn’t used simultaneously it is still taxing on a basic router and as such I have upgraded to something that can handle that type of traffic.

It does not matter how new your neat smart home toy is if your router is not up to the task of supporting it. If you have a sprinkler system and have a Wi-fi controller in your garage for it but you don’t get a signal in your garage you might need to get a new router that is strong enough to punch through the walls and reach it. Maybe you have all new smart light bulbs in your home or smart outlets and the number of items connecting makes your video streaming lag a great deal. There are a myriad of problems that can be fixed by simply just investing in a good router.

There are way more technical details about your home network that vary from situation to situation and the point of this blog post isn’t to fix everything or get into the nitty gritty of home networking – it’s to get you thinking about it. Keep in mind that a good reliable router is the most important part to the start of any smart home and most likely the first thing you need to invest in. Think of it as a cornerstone to everything you need to build on – with poor speed and range from your router you won’t be able to utilize all the neat items you purchase to make your home more convenient.

In future posts I would like to detail different examples of smart home products but I started with this one because I feel it is the most important. I hope it helps you on your path to a smarter home!

About Sam

Sam enjoys spending time with his wife Krista and their Siberian Husky, Ecko, while not at work. Krista is a wonderful cook and baker so their relationship works well as he is a wonderful eater of the food she cooks and bakes. They enjoy keeping up to date on the latest movies and traveling to see family. As new homeowners, there is always a project to tackle around the house as well.

Photo by Sean MacEntee

What is a Smart Home?

By Sam Schoutko, Personal Lines Underwriter

The term “smart home” is bandied around nowadays and most people don’t have a good idea what it actually means or how their home can become a smart home. If you aren’t familiar with technology it sounds daunting, complicated, and expensive. It is somewhat expensive and it can be complicated but it doesn’t need to be daunting. Hopefully I can help explain a little about smart homes to the average person that makes them easier to understand and implement in your own home.

Let’s start with a common myth about “smart homes” and that is in order to be called a “smart home” every element/system/appliance of a home needs be controlled via your phone or a computer. While this is partly true it definitely isn’t the whole story. Did you know that when you enter Bill Gates home you can set a climate profile for yourself and the home tracks which room you are in and automatically adjusts the temperature in that room to whatever you set? As you walk from room to room it changes the temp based on who is in the room. Would we all love to have a home that does that? Of course! Is it practical for anyone but the 1% of the 1%? Of course not.

The point of a smart home is to make common features of a home more accessible and easier to manage remotely. Remotely can mean from another part of the country to just not wanting to get off the couch to turn the lights on. There are many elements to a smart home – security, climate control, doors, lights, appliances, voice commands, etc. Could you upgrade everything in your home at the same time? Yes, but that would cost thousands of dollars and probably isn’t even necessary. All you need to do is identify which of these features matter to you. You don’t have to upgrade them all like Mr. Gates.

When I bought my first house I decided that I wanted a thermostat that connects to the internet and I can monitor from my phone. It knows where I am at any time, it automatically learns my schedule and adjusts the temperature in my house for when I’m gone to conserve energy. This has helped me save money and made my life more convenient and it was just a small part of my home that was upgraded – I didn’t need to retrofit everything.

It is important to identify what matters to you. Do you have kids that get home from school while you are at work? Maybe a remote webcam that sends a notification to your phone when there is motion in front of it so you can see they made it home safely is what you need. Do you need to let guests into your home while you are gone? A Wi-fi garage door opener works for that. Do you work long hours but want to come home to nice meal already made? You can actually buy a Wi-fi crockpot that you can control from your phone. Do you go out of town for long stretches of time? Get smart lights that will turn on every evening for a period time to make it seem like you are home and deter would be burglars.

The possibilities go on and on and the list of items you can add to your home grows every day as more products are developed.

You know the saying “there’s an app for that”? Today that applies to your home as well as your phone – there’s a Wi-fi connected smart device for that. Not quite as catchy of a phrase but it gets the point across. Don’t allow it to overwhelm you – you don’t need to upgrade everything at once. You just need to figure out what meets your current needs the best and you can slowly develop your own smart home piece by piece over time.

About Sam