Smart Yard

Most homeowners don't just live inside their homes - they live outside as well! Whether on the lawn, on the patio or in the pool, today's new smart home products extend the same comfort, convenience, and security outdoors as they do indoors. Here's a look at some of our favorites!

Smart and Secure

Homeowners can simplify their backyard watchfulness with a low-cost Blink XT wireless Indoor or Outdoor Smart Security Cameras. These unobtrusive, weatherproof units can monitor activity anywhere, whether you're watching your children or just keeping an eye on the food grilling on a barbecue. Powered by AA batteries that last up to two years, Blink XT cameras have built-in motion sensors along with the ability to record sound and send high-definition video to a smartphone or tablet. They can be purchased individually or in sets, and the addition of an available Sync Module lets you build a network of up to 10 cameras with no monitoring subscription service required. Ring Spotlight Cam motion-sensing security cameras are designed for exterior use, and they can be permanently wired and mounted for year-round outdoor sentry duty. Equipped with video and two-way audio capability, along with powerful LED spotlights, they allow home occupants to hear and see activity in both darkness and daylight, and also to challenge an intruder if necessary.

For all-around outdoor use, these units are also available in wireless battery powered and solar powered models. This allows them to be placed in out-of-the way backyard locations or areas where it is cost-prohibitive or difficult to run electrical wires.

Lighting the Dark

Outdoor living isn't limited to the daytime! Most homes have outdoor floodlights for home security in and around door and garage entries, but security lighting can also double as convenience lighting. Use it to illuminate outdoor kitchens, garden paths, pools, patios, or any other recreational use area. Smart outdoor lighting devices can also be linked to a smart home network.

The bright LED floodlights on Ring Floodlights will illuminate a 270-degree field of view, so one or two strategically placed units should be adequate for average yards. Homeowners can also set up activation time schedules and customizable "motion zones" that illuminate only when needed. What's more, their smart sensors can tell the difference between people and other moving objects like cars, animals or wind-blown branches, so they won't waste energy by powering on when they're not needed.

Once the sun goes down, outdoor lighting allows everyone to see where they're going while enjoying the evening air. Philips brings smart lighting outdoors with its new Hue Calla Outdoor Path Lights. Like Philips Hue indoor products, these weatherproof bollard-style lights wirelessly connect through a home's Wi-Fi network via a Philips Hue Bridge. The Hue Bridge enables smartphone and voice command through Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Apple HomePod devices, or other control networks such as Nest and Samsung SmartThings.

Hue Calla Outdoor Path Lights can be individually installed with a simple plug-in connection, or multiple units can be "daisy chained" together using available extension kits. With a maximum LED light output of 640 lumens, these lights are bright enough to illuminate a driveway or entryway, but can also be dimmed to cast a softer glow for path or background lighting. They can be preset to turn on at sundown and off again at sunrise, or to come on when you arrive home or when guests are expected. Like other Philips Hue lights, they will change color on command - with up to 16 million color combinations - for the ultimate in outdoor accent and mood lighting.

In addition, Hue Calla lights are UL certified for wet conditions and are built to withstand difficult outdoor environments, from dry and dusty desert-type locations to jetted water from automatic sprinkler systems. Their LED outdoor smart bulbs have a lifespan of up to 25,000 hours, so you won't have to worry about changing bulbs frequently.

BBQ IQ

Barbeque the smart way with an outdoor grill controlled by your voice or a smart device app! The Lynx Professional 36" Freestanding Two-Burner Smart Grill - available in propane or natural gas models - connects to an online database to supply the latest recipes and suggested cooking times, as well as answer basic questions about the food you're cooking. It features ProSear burners, so not only is the meal precisely cooked - you can add finishing touches with restaurant style sear marks while locking in flavor. A rear-mounted rotisserie is included for when you want to indulge in some juicy, slow-cooked BBQ.

Smart Sprinklers

A smart home outdoor network is made complete with automated functions like lawn and garden irrigation. Rachio Smart Sprinkler & Irrigation Controls can control and monitor watering with almost any existing sprinkler system on the market today, and it will integrate seamlessly with smart home platforms like Google Home and Amazon Alexa. This controller continuously updates local weather data to automatically adjust your lawn or garden's watering schedule. It can even predict watering needs based on thousands of weather data points, such as sudden heat waves or high winds that disrupt watering patterns. This saves water and also prevents plant damage from over- or under-watering, as well as sprinkler system damage from weather events such as sudden freezes.

Personalized to Your Preferences

Rachio provides the most personalized watering experience available by allowing a homeowner to set and adjust watering times based on a long list of parameters, including time of day and season, local water-use restrictions, the type of plants and soil in your yard, the amount of sun exposure in different locations, the ground slope and water runoff in different areas, and even the type of sprinkler heads used by your system.

Personalized for Your Protection

Beyond the controller itself, this made-in-America company also offers smart leak detection with a Rachio Wireless Flow Meter. This device is installed in sprinkler system piping to continuously monitor water flow rates. If it detects an anomaly, it automatically signals the controller to shut off the flow and sends an alert through a smartphone app. It can be set up to shut down the entire system or an individual watering zone. Rachio is the only platform that combines smart wireless control, custom watering scheduling and leak detection in one system.

Smart home also means smart yard, so why not be the first on your block to update your backyard with forward-thinking technology? The pros at P.C. Richard & Son can help design a smart yard plan to help you get the most out of any outdoor space. Get started today!