These days, we hear a lot of talk about home automation for the interior of the house, but what about the backyard? Back and front yards require a lot of maintenance to keep them presentable year–round and comfortable to be in. While some people enjoy do-it-yourself garden work, for many, convenient automated devices can take the grunt work out of backyard upkeep. Automation can also add a new level of comfort and efficiency to your backyard experience. Here are five ideas for automating your backyard.

1)      Automated pest control

Consider adding an automated misting system to curb annoying mosquitoes and other insect pests. With these systems, unobtrusive misting nozzles are placed around the perimeter of the yard. The nozzles are programmed to release controlled amounts of pesticide at intervals throughout the day.

2)      Automated water displays

A water fountain can be a soothing, magical feature of any yard, but if the level of water in the fountain is not carefully and consistently regulated, the fountain can go dry and end up being a receptacle for twigs and bird droppings.  Many people find it a hassle to remember to manually fill their fountain or turn on the fountain pump. With automated water displays, the system can be programmed so that the pump turns on and off by itself at specific times of the day. The pump can also be turned on via a switch or remote control.

3)      Automated backyard lighting

Outdoor lighting serves a number of functional, safety, and aesthetic purposes, from increasing visibility on decks, walkways, and patios, to illuminating dark corners of a yard, to highlighting attractive features like a pond or garden statue. Automated outdoor lighting control provides an easy way to control different lights in your yard depending on the mood you want to set, the time of night, or the conditions in your yard. These systems allow for instant scene control in your backyard with the flip of a switch or via dimmers. Lights can also be programmed to turn off or shine with less intensity throughout the course of the night.