Guarding Your Home While You're Away

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Although my husband, Dan, and I have always loved to travel, I admit that there are definite drawbacks. Packing, for one. High gas prices, for another. Mainly, though, we dislike having to leave our beloved kitty, Ruby Azazel, behind. Of course, most of the time, that's not an issue; given how good a traveler she is and how easy it can be to find pet-friendly hotels along America's interstates, we usually end up taking her with us.

As I reported in a recent post [2], for instance, Dan and I spent part of March in the Los Angeles area for one of our annual film festivals, and as always, Ruby came along for the ride. Of course, we were still concerned about leaving our French Quarter pad behind – especially given our new landlord's penchant for entering apartments without notice. At such a time, it would have been useful – as I mentioned in a post about leaving your pets behind while on vacation [3] – to have an in-house security system.

Luckily, though, I'd received a serendipitous email less than two weeks before leaving for our trip. Natalie Pridham had invited me to review the Wireless N Day/Night Home Network Camera (DCS-932L), courtesy of D-Link [4]. According to her, this D-Link system ($129.99) allows leisure and business travelers to remotely monitor their home or small office, including kids, pets, other loved ones, and valuable possessions, while on the road. To keep tabs on what's happening back at home, users can set up the camera in an opportune spot, up to 16 feet away from the point of focus, and access the image via most PC or Apple computers, whether a laptop or a desktop, with wired or wireless Internet access. As the name indicates, the system incorporates automatic day/night infrared technology, which allows surveillance during the day, at night, or in low-light situations. Other advantages include 24-hour access, a digital zoom for up-close viewing, a built-in microphone, motion detection to trigger recording and send you email alerts, and a “mydlink” app that enables remote, on-the-go viewing via any iPad, iPhone, or Android device.

Intrigued, I agreed to review the camera system, and as Natalie had promised, it proved to be super-easy to set up, install, and use. Okay, true, it was Dan who actually set up the system, but honestly, all it entailed was unpacking the packaged contents (a compact camera, a base and mounting kit, an Ethernet cable, a power adapter, a quick install guide, and a CD-ROM), inserting the set-up CD-ROM, and running the installation wizard. Then, just like that, Dan and I were able to monitor our New Orleans apartment while we were 2,000 miles away in the City of Angels, ensuring some much-needed peace of mind during our frenzied festival weekend. Of course, if you do run into any trouble while setting up your D-Link system, bear in mind that round-the-clock installation support is available.

So, how do you keep tabs on your home or office while on vacation or a business trip?

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As always, I’m open to ideas for future posts. If you have any suggestions, burning questions, or destinations that you’d like me to explore in greater detail, please comment below or contact me via laura [at] wanderingsoles [dot] com.

Disclosure: While I occasionally accept free or discounted travel assistance when it coincides with my editorial goals, my opinion is never for sale, which means that everything written in my American Nomad blog and Moon travel guides is my unbiased reflection of the things that I see, do, and experience while traveling across the United States.

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Laura Martone is Moon’s American Nomad [5] and the author of Moon Michigan [6], Moon Florida Keys [7], Moon Baja RV Camping [8], and the upcoming Moon New Orleans [9], which will be published in fall 2012.