Fall is here, but that doesn’t mean hurricane season in the Lowcountry is over. The Atlantic season runs through November 30, and October storms still knock out power across Charleston and the surrounding area, from Mt. Pleasant to Kiawah Island.

Storm checklists usually stop at plywood and a full gas tank, but your home's technology needs a plan, too. One nearby lightning strike can send a surge through your AV rack and take out the processor that runs your entire home system. And if your internet drops while you're evacuated inland, you lose visibility of what's happening at home.

Protecting your system amounts to a small number of upgrades our team at Custom Home Sound installs and supports year-round. Don’t know where to start? Keep reading to see what you need to do before the next named storm shows up on the forecast.

Stop Power Surges Before They Reach Your Equipment

A direct lightning strike on your house is rare, but a strike down the street or the grid switching back on after an outage are not. Both can cause a voltage spike through your wiring. Your TVs, amplifiers, and control processors are the most sensitive things in the house.

Surge protection works best in two places. First, a whole-home surge protector at your electrical panel, installed by a licensed electrician, handles the big spikes coming in from the utility. Second, at the equipment rack, a dedicated power conditioner catches what gets past the panel. A surge can also come in through your cable or internet line, which runs into your home from outside. We take care of those as well.

It is common for a device to freeze after a power flicker, and our team is prepared for that. We install network-connected power conditioners and can restart them remotely, so a post-storm glitch doesn't have to wait for a service visit to get resolved. This is crucial in the days after a hurricane, when roads are blocked, and every service company in town has a long waiting list.

Keep Your Network and Security Online When the Power Drops

A battery backup, sometimes called a UPS, keeps your modem, router, and security system running through short outages. It also keeps everything powered before a standby generator kicks on, preventing hard shutdowns that can corrupt equipment. We size each UPS to your equipment's needs, so the gear you rely on most stays up the longest.

Your security system needs a way to reach you when the cable lines are down. Alarm.com panels communicate via cellular, so alerts still reach your phone when your home internet is down.

For a deeper look at the infrastructure behind your system, read our post on why your smart home needs a stronger network.

Check On Your Home From Wherever You Ride Out the Storm

Leaving the house during an evacuation is stressful enough without having to wonder what's going on back home. With the Savant app on your phone, you can check your home's status and adjust your whole-home control system from a hotel room. Lutron lighting schedules can keep a few lights on a normal evening routine, so the house doesn't sit dark and obviously empty for days.

Water leak and temperature sensors tied to your Alarm.com security system add another layer. If water gets in under a door, or your HVAC doesn't come back on after the power returns, you get an alert right away and can call in help before a small problem spreads. 

Our system monitoring service tracks equipment status in the background. When something drops offline after a storm, we often know before you do and can fix many issues remotely before you get home. 

Schedule a Storm-Readiness Check Before the Next Forecast

The best time to protect your system is before a storm is on the radar. Contact our team here or use the live chat below to schedule a storm-readiness check. We'll walk through your surge protection and backup power with you, then show you how to check on your home from anywhere.