Keeping Your Home Safe While You're Away This Holiday

For the past several years, I've always lived in what I considered to be fairly safe apartment building. Yes, I'm in the city, but there's a fob to get in the building, a front desk person, and then my apartment, which is always locked.

Well, I found out the hard way that might not be enough this past summer when I was moving out of my old apartment. Amidst all the trips down to the car, I accidentally locked myself out. The front desk person wasn't around and I resorted to asking every person that came through the front door if they might have access to the master key safe. No luck...until one strange neighbor said he would be able to get right into my apartment with a credit card. Then he did. In one second flat. And I realized that even in a secure apartment building, things can still happen.

OOMA HOME SECURITY

That's why when Ooma Home Security contacted me about their products, I didn't write it off just because I'm in a building rather than a house. With wireless motion detection sensors and an app that lets you check on your home remotely, Ooma Home Security is an easy solution for all of us urban dwelling millenials who are willing to sacrifice a bit of idyllic suburban safety for living in the heart of the city. It's super easy to set up, all the sensors can be mounted with adhesive strips rather than nails, and don't we always prefer something that can be run through an app?

'TIS THE SEASON FOR TRAVELING

This, of course, is the best season to look into installing a home security system. With the holiday season upon us, we're all heading out each evening, running in and out of town on the weekends, and likely taking some time off around Christmas and New Year's.

All this time out and about means it's the perfect time to look into how you can make your home safer. It's also the time of year when you don't want to have to tie yourself to an appointment time to be at the house waiting for someone else to come set up a security system — which is exactly why the DIY setup of Ooma is so great.

AN EASY WAY TO PROTECT YOUR HOME

You'll set up the motion sensor on a book case or any other possibly high traffic area of your home. Have a pet? Just set it above their usual path. The door and window sensor easily sticks on to let you know if a door or window has been opened or left ajar. You can even get a water sensor to let you know when there's water in your home — a useful feature when it's cold enough out for pipes to burst.

When there is motion detected, log into the app to check out the situation. You can then call 911 through the app from anywhere in the world. Hopefully you'll never log in to see a real emergency situation, but it's good to have that security blanket.

AND, BECAUSE IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT THE APP, MY OUTFIT...

You know I love a good athleisure outfit when I'm just hanging around the house, and this is one of my favorites. The leggings are from Zella and I get asked about them every time I put them on. I was a little apprehensive about the detail — is it cool or weird? — but decided to go for it and absolutely love them. The sneakers are one of my go-to pairs from New Balance. This color combo is perfect for fall and winter. And I picked up the hoodie in Louisville, KY last weekend from a shop that carries all gender neutral clothing in the softest fabrics ever. I'm obsessed.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

Watch the videos below for more information on how to use Ooma in your home! With the holidays rapidly approaching, you can feel confident leaving your home with Ooma protecting it at your fingertips.