What Is Smart Home Geofencing? How It Can Help You

See a number of ways geofencing can help make your smart home even more useful.

If you have a smart home, or use a number of smart devices, geofencing may be of use to you. But what exactly is geofencing, and how can it help you at home?

In terms of smart home technology, geofencing is the term used to describe a virtual perimeter surrounding your home. This "geofence" senses when you arrive at, or leave your home, allowing you to automatically activate or deactivate your smart devices.

This is also known as a geofence trigger, and is usually connected to your smartphone, as we almost always have our smartphones on us. You can also use your smartwatch to set off the geofence trigger. Either way, geofencing uses this device to determine your proximity to your home at any given time. If you leave the perimeter, geofencing can carry out certain actions, as is also the case if you enter the perimeter.

Smart home geofencing can use a range of wireless technologies to detect your presence, or lack thereof, including Wi-Fi, GPS,and Bluetooth. The geofence is typically not too large, as it only surrounds the perimeter of your home. So, the wireless protocol being used doesn't need to have long-distance capabilities.

But is smart home geofencing really worth your time? How can this technology benefit you?

Whether it's the lock on your door, your burglar alarm, or your security camera system, geofencing can make your whole security system easier to manage in your smart home.

When leaving your home, you can use geofencing to automatically enable all your security devices, meaning you don't have to worry about manually activating each device. On the other hand, when you arrive home, you can use geofencing to automatically disable your security devices, such as helpful smart lock technology, so that you can walk straight in.

On top of this, geofencing can automatically open your garage door to park your car as soon as your vehicle enters the dedicated perimeter.

We all know how expensive electricity is becoming, and excessive use of lighting can quickly send your monthly bill shooting upward. But if you're in a rush or distracted, it's easy to forget to turn off one or two lights, as well as other electrical devices like your TV or PC.

Using geofencing, you can ensure that your smart light bulbs are always off when you leave the house, while also enjoying the convenience of your lights being turned back on before you return. This can be especially useful late at night. After all, no one likes feeling around for the light switch when it's pitch black.

If you have other smart devices at home, you can also link them to your geofencing app to ensure they're turned off, or turned back on, when you come and go from your home.

Wouldn't it be nice if your central heating activated before you even walked through the door, or your coffee machine was already brewing when you step into the kitchen? With geofencing, this can become a reality in your smart home.

This is because smart home geofencing can also carry out set routines when you enter or leave your home. Maybe you want your TV to already be on when you get home to relax, or your oven pre-heated. If these devices have smart capabilities, they can be programmed to align with the geofence around your home.

Using geofencing, you can streamline your smart home's operations, making it easier to enable and disable certain devices when you are either absent or present. There are various smart home geofencing apps out there today that can help you set up a smart perimeter around your home. So, if this sounds like something that would benefit you, consider using this technology to make your life easier.

Katie has been writing about tech-based topics for two years, with a specific interest in cybersecurity, AI, and cryptocurrency. Katie has covered a variety of topics during her time at MUO, including crypto explainers, cybersecurity guides, VPN reviews, recent hacks, and software tutorials. With a passion for emerging tech, Katie is also excited to see what new devices and digital platforms the coming years will bring.