With smart technology becoming more and more popular, it's easier than ever to keep our homes convenient, safe and comfortable. These days, there's a huge variety of gadgets that do exactly this without even entering the house, including the best security cameras and best video doorbells.
Outdoor smart home devices are specifically designed to operate in all weather conditions, including anything from torrential rain to scorching temperatures. However, this doesn't mean their lifespan is infinite. There are still many things we can do to keep them operating as they should, especially if used on a day-to-day basis.
Keep reading to find out the five things you can do to extend the lifespan of your outdoor smart home gadgets.
1. Keep them out of the sun
Like any piece of tech, it's important to keep your outdoor smart home gadgets directly out of the sun. Outdoor devices are designed to withstand sustained sunlight, but this kind of exposure does speed up the amount of time they're able to last.
Try to keep your security cameras or video doorbells under a porch or awning, and they'll certainly thank you for it.
2. Get rid of any dust and dirt
Keeping your outdoor smart home devices clean and well-ventilated is an important habit for prolonging their life. This is particularly significant if you live near a busy road or in a city, as dust and pollutants can easily settle and infiltrate the gadgets.
Once a week or so, take a microfibre cloth and just wipe them down gently.
3. Clear local storage regularly
One internal way of maintaining your outdoor smart home gadgets is by clearing local storage on a regular basis. If your device takes video or audio recordings, make sure to check them often and delete if not needed. This will keep the internal configuration working smoothly, and in turn, operating for longer.
4. Invest in insurance and warranties
There isn't necessarily a limit to how long your outdoor smart home devices can last, but without proper insurance or a warranty in place, you never know if you're purposefully shortening their lifespan.
If you're in the process of choosing a new device, go with a brand that offers a warranty or returns policy. Some even offer a lifetime guarantee which is ideal if you live in an area with extreme weather. If you already own your device, make sure it's added to your home insurance policy.
5. Keep them up to date
One of the best ways to increase the lifespan of your outdoor smart home devices is to keep them up to date and install any software update that becomes available. This is essential to improve the efficiency of your devices, especially if you use them on a day-to-day basis.
One way to keep on top of this is to check your device's app regularly and make sure all software notifications are turned on.
Check out our favourite outdoor smart lights for 2024 next.