DIY Smart Home Halloween

By Kayla Eide en Smart Home. October 7, 2015. For homecontrolsblog.wordpress.com

Halloween is approaching and it’s time to scare your neighbors!

Luckily these days, it’s easier than ever to give houseguests a fright with smart home automation.

1. Creeky, Creepy Automatic Door

Imagine watching your haunted house guests jump in surprise when they reach to push open a door only to see it start opening by itself! Give them this ghostly experience by setting up an automatic door opener connected to a doormat sensor. You could also add an automatic creeking sound to amp up the creepy factor.

Things you need:

• Smart home controller
• Automatic swing door opener
• Door mat sensor

 

2. Spooky Sounds & Voices

Frighten your trick-or-treaters on Halloween by playing scary sound effects as they approach your front door. You could also self-record a scary story to play back while guests walk through your haunted house, and use a voice changer to spookify your scary story even more.

Things you need:

• Smart home controller
• Outdoor motion sensor
• Connected audio system

Cool apps:

• Android app: Voice Changer with Effects
• iOS app: Halloween Spooky Sound Box

 

3. Thriller-Movie Television Static

Conjure up memories of scary movies (like White Noise) and ghosts beyond our dimensions by setting up a television to automatically play static when someone walks in the room. Go even further by preventing them from changing the channel. They may flip it, but it automatically changes back to static! Yikes!

Things you need:

• Television
• Motion sensor
• Computer
• Slingbox (or similar device) to control TV via PC
• Smart home automation software
• Technical support may be required

 

4. Motion Lights & Electronic Decorations

Flash your lights, turn on your dancing goblins, and present the ultimate Halloween yard show for trick-or-treaters. Just plug all of your Halloween lights and electronic decorations into smart home modules, then set them to turn on by motion-activation.

Things you need:

• Smart home controller
• Motion sensor
• Plug-in lamp and/or appliance modules

 

5. Scheduled Spotlights on Scary Beasts

Do you have big, scary Halloween decorations in your yard, like a giant spider or a funny witch? Make sure trick-or-treaters can see your spooky stuff at night by setting up spotlights. You can put the lights on a smart timer and schedule them to turn on at night and off in the morning.

Things you need:

• Outdoor spot light(s)
• Smart home controller or timer
• Outdoor plug-in module

 

6. Dark, Foggy Walkway

Clouding the path for your trick-or-treaters could be the perfect touch of creepy to make your Halloween setup seriously spooky. Plug a fog machine into a smart module and program it to turn on when motion is detected.

Things you need:

• Fog machine
• Smart home controller
• Outdoor plug-in module
• Outdoor motion sensor

 

7. Haunted Dungeon Auto-Locking Door

Let’s set the scene for this idea. Your haunted house guests walk into a dark dungeon-like room. When the door shuts behind them, CLICK, they hear the door lock. Can you imagine the goosebumps rising on their arms? Perfect. To play this little trick, you can either actually lock the door by using a door sensor and an electric door lock to automatically lock the door when it shuts, or you can just play the sound of a locking door by setting up automated sounds (as detailed above).

Things you need:

• Smart home/security controller
• Door sensor
• Electric door strike

 

8. Flying Ghouls & Ghosts

Using a motion sensor and a basic motorized drapery controller, you can attach ghoulish Halloween decorations to a motorized pulley and automate them to rise upon motion-detection.

Things you need:

• Motion sensor
• Motorized drapery controller