When you go on vacation, it’s extra-relaxing to have a friend or family member keeping an eye on things at home.

This year, though, you could give your regular housesitter a break—and give yourself a new level of peace of mind.

When it comes to protecting, securing, and keeping an eye on your home, new technology can rival even the most diligent housesitter. A smart security system powered by Alarm.com watches your home around the clock, and can take proactive measures to safeguard your property while making it easy to check in anytime.

Here’s why Smart Shield Systems could be the greatest housesitter of all.

1: Housesitter or Smart Home Security?

Housesitters are great at keeping an eye on things, but they also have to earn paychecks, run errands, sleep and socialize.

A smart security system, meanwhile, can provide round-the-clock awareness. Connected sensors and devices can generate instant smartphone alerts about important activity at your home, letting you know if something is wrong or suspicious.

With 24-7 professional monitoring, a fire or break-in can be reported to a monitoring station, where a security professional can dispatch first responders to your home. It doesn’t matter whether you see an alert or not in order for you to be protected in an emergency.

2: It knows where the water main is

If a pipe leaks or bursts, how quickly could you get to the water main and shut it off? Wait… do you even know where your water main is? If you don’t, then your housesitter certainly doesn’t.

Protection from water damage is another area where technology now outpaces even the most diligent human. With a combination of water sensors and a smart shutoff valve fitted to your home’s water main, your Alarm.com-powered system is capable of detecting a leak and automatically shutting the water off to prevent damage from accumulating.

With the clean-up costs of a water leak potentially running into tens of thousands of dollars, this is one proactive safeguard you definitely want when you travel.

3: It’s always home to accept deliveries

You’re expecting a package while you’re gone, but you can’t expect your housesitter to put their schedule on hold in order to sit at your house, waiting for the doorbell to ring.

A doorbell camera, integrated into your security system, can make things easy. When the delivery person rings the bell, your app can alert you. Wherever you happen to be, you should be able to see them, talk to them, unlock your smart lock, and ask them to leave the package inside.

4: You can check in anytime—no calls necessary.

With time differences and busy schedules, checking in with your housesitter can be inconvenient. You might prefer not to bother them.

With Smart Shield Systems, though, you can check in whenever you feel that itch. Just open your app, select a video camera feed, and take a peek. You can also quickly scan the status of your locks, smart thermostat, system arming status, lights and garage door.

If you prefer to keep check-ins to a minimum, it’s easy to set up alerts customized to your preferences. Give your house-sitter a personalized keyless access code, and you can have an alert appear whenever they show up and leave, or only if they don’t show at all. You can even create video alerts associated with your smart lock to visually verify who’s visiting.

Safe travels!