A mother and father use SmartThings to keep an eye on their 3-year-old son–even when they can’t see him.

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“I’ve been a long-time Insteon and ISY user and I recently bought SmartThings after reading about it on the Web. I was hesitant to jump to a new system since I already have Insteon switches, but I’m in the process of building a new home, so the time was right to try something new. I found that the ease of use with the preset programs was interesting, as well as the use cases surrounding theSmartSense Multi sensor. I bought a Starter Kit and a GE Light & Appliance Plug-and-Control Power Outlet to start.  I didn’t really know what I would use it for, but I’ve quickly discovered so many uses–and they primarily involve my family.

First, I put the open/close sensor on the bedroom door and created a Mode at night called “Movie.” My wife and I watch movies at night and our 3-year-old sneaks out once in a while and either cries by himself at the top of the stairs, or sneaks into the family room where our backs are turned to the hallway. This is a big problem. The last thing we want is for our 3-year-old to see an inappropriate scene or hear vulgar language from the movie.

The best part is that the solution is so simple! When his bedroom door opens, the lamp in the family room turns on and we instantly know that he opened the door. This only happens when the system is in “Movie” mode. We’ve also just added the Dropcam integration found in SmartThings Labs and can now see an image capture of the hallway. I just ordered a Sonos and plan to add voice integration next.” – Andy

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Want to create Andy’s setup in your SmartThings home? Here’s how: