Connected Devices Help Holiday Travelers Keep Home Sweet Home Safe

According to the FBI, a home burglary occurs on average every 20 seconds in the U.S.1, fortunately, the latest connected home devices can provide holiday travelers with remote access to monitor and manage a variety of functions to help keep their homes secure, no matter where their journey leads. November is the start of a very busy season for many. With family visiting for Thanksgiving, football in full swing, Black Friday shopping and frequent traveling, it is easy to let things slide at our favorite place, our home. Worrying about your home is the last thing you want to do while spending time with loved ones, and with today’s connected devices that can be accessed from anywhere via smartphones such as iPhone X or the Galaxy Note8, homes can easily be protected and controlled.

Almost one third of smartphone owners recently surveyed by U.S. Cellular said they use their device to control their home security system, lighting or other smart home technology at least once a day, with 48 percent doing so once a month or more2. Following are some of the devices that U.S. Cellular recommends for travel bound consumers to provide some peace of mind all is well on the home front.

Nest Cam Indoor: Never worry about what is going on back home again. Nest Cam allows travelers to look after the house 24/7 with live video and a 160-degree wide-angle view, all from a smartphone. It even provides phone alerts if motion or sound are detected, so homeowners instantly know if anything is amiss.

Nest Protect: While no one wants to deal with a fire or other issue when away from home, fast response time can greatly impact the outcome and help minimize damage. Just knowing that Nest Protect can send instant phone alerts for smoke and carbon-monoxide, while also calling attention to a low battery or sensor failure, can make it easier to relax and enjoy the time away.

Chamberlain MyQ Garage Door Opener: Ever been hundreds of miles into a trip and worried whether the garage door was left open? In the event that it was, or is opened at any point while the homeowner is away, MyQ Garage Door Opener will send an alert, and the garage door can be closed remotely via a Samsung Galaxy S7 or other tablet.

Incipio Commandkit™ Wireless Smart Lightbulb Adapter with Dimming: With this smart technology, there are no more worries about forgetting to switch off the lights or fumbling with multiple timers to control the lights to give the impression someone’s home. Simply use the app to toggle specific lights or an entire home with integrated Siri voice commands for effortless accessibility.

Ring™ Video Doorbell: This handy device enables home owners to respond to someone at the door, even when they’re not home. With Ring Video Doorbell, see, hear and speak to anyone who stops by the house, and always know when a package arrives.

Ranging in price from less than $20 to around $200, these devices can go a long way towards ensuring a more relaxing holiday.

1 FBI’s Uniform Crime Report for 2015 reports 1.58 million burglaries for the year, for an average of one every 20 seconds.
2 Between Nov. 10-17, 2016, a total of 701 online interviews were conducted among a nationally representative sample by Consumer Insights, in partnership with Maritz CX.

About U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular is the fifth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, providing national network coverage and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier offers coverage where the other carriers don't and a wide range of communication services that enhance consumers’ lives, increase the competitiveness of local businesses and improve the efficiency of government operations. For the third time in a row, U.S. Cellular has the Highest Wireless Network Quality Performance, according to J.D. Power’s twice-annual U.S. Wireless Network Quality Performance Study, and 99 percent of customers have access to 4G LTE speeds. To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or www.uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with U.S. Cellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.

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