Since Lana created her little slice of ‘Santorini in Sydney’ over five years ago, a lot has changed. The global pandemic has meant much more working (and schooling) from home, her kids are now teenagers so their needs have changed and the family use the spaces in the house differently than they once did. So, would she change anything about her renovation? No way, rosé! But she’d definitely do a lighting plan next time! Over lighting the home with cool white globes to give it stark hospital vibes wasn’t her finest renovating moment. Thankfully that’s all sorted out now.

One thing Lana always wanted, but put in the too-hard basket at the time, was incorporating smart technology in her home, especially around security. Choosing and installing devices and setting them all up was Lana’s worst nightmare, so when she discovered she didn’t need to tackle the challenge of making her home work smarter and more efficiently alone, she called in the Optus O-Team who embraced the challenge. Good thinking, 99!

LIGHTS, CAMERAS… SHOW ME THE ACTION!!!

Lana has long wished for another set of eyes to check on her home and kids. Her home office is on the top floor of the house and if she’s on a Zoom call with the team, chances are she might not have heard her daily deliveries (believe us, there are multiple!) or Ruby’s latest Mr Winston purchase (if you know, you know) being dropped at the door. Worse still, is when couriers knock and leave without delivering the package, meaning another item to add to her to-do list to organise re-delivery.

For this reason, a home security solution was top of Lana’s wishlist of smart tech and the options have come such a long way in the past five years. If, like Lana, missed deliveries are your pet peeve, a video doorbell that notifies you as someone approaches might do the trick. Lana opted for smart security cameras with floodlights which are installed around the exterior of her house and she can check on any action from the smart display hubs in her kitchen and office or she’ll receive a notification on her phone if she’s out of the house.

Now she can keep an eye on the kids getting home from school, any unruly antics on the trampoline out back, unwanted visitors on the property and most importantly, the deliveries arriving. She can even speak through the cameras and ask the courier to leave the delivery on the doorstep.

HANDSFREE HELP TO ORGANISE MY BUSY LIFE!

If you ask Lana to sum up her day-to-day life in one sentence, the word ‘busy’ will most certainly feature. She’s a self-confessed workaholic, Mum and wife and a well-managed diary is key to her keeping all the balls in the air.

The same smart display hubs that help Lana manage her security cameras now also help her manage her daily schedule. With her calendar synced to the smart hub display on her desk, Lana can check her schedule with a voice command or a simple swipe, set alarms and notifications to keep her on track, and check the weather before choosing her outfit for the day.

We all know that Lana’s staircase is her pride and joy, she wouldn’t change it for the world, but its sheer size and the fact that it spreads over three levels of the house can make communication between the levels of the house a challenge. The broadcast function across all her smart devices means she can let the kids know when meals are ready or it’s time for school without the angsty yelling up and down the stairs.

DO YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR HOME SMARTER?

If you’re about as tech savvy as Maxwell Smart, be like Lana and leave the smart tech stuff to the experts, the Optus O-Team. The O-Team are the experts dedicated to making homes smarter. They understand that not everyone’s a tech guru and, even if you are, you might not have the time or energy it takes to smarten up your home.

Whether you want more peace of mind around security, entertainment for everyone in the family, or creating a space to help you concentrate (or all of the above, like Lana!), the O-Team can help

Here’s how the Optus O-Team can help:

Be your one-stop-shop for making your home a whole lot smarter.
Install your new smart devices, particularly the trickier ones like security cameras and doorbells (they’re licensed security experts).
Seamlessly integrate existing and/or new smart home devices and show you how to manage them through your phone and display hub.
Create routines and automation to enhance your day-to-day life.
Offer support online or over the phone.

LET’S REVISIT LANA’S HOUSE

Lana’s house was our sixth home reno but the first that wasn’t a fast flip. Five years on, we revisited her Forever Home, pulled out some never before seen footage from the archives and gave it a refresh. Don’t miss this special episode…