Getting Started
A property you only visit part of the year has a few genuinely different needs than your main residence, mostly centered around what happens to the setup while nobody's there and how smoothly it comes back when you return.
Using one subscription across two homes
Rather than paying for two separate subscriptions, review our connection limits guide to confirm your plan supports a device at each property, keeping in mind that simultaneous use at both counts against the same limit.
What happens after extended time offline
A device left powered down for weeks or months sometimes needs a restart and a brief reconnect once you return — our power outage recovery guide covers the right restart order, which applies just as well after a long absence as after a power cut.
Network setup at a less frequently used property
Internet service at a vacation property is sometimes a lower-tier plan than at a primary residence, so it's worth checking actual speeds against our router settings guide rather than assuming it will automatically handle the same load as your main home's connection.
Choosing low-maintenance hardware
A simple, reliable device that doesn't need frequent updates or fiddling is generally the better choice for a property you're not regularly present at — see our device guide for options that tend to need the least ongoing attention.
A quick checklist for arrival
Power on the device, confirm the internet connection is active, and check for any pending app update before settling in — running through this in the first few minutes after arriving avoids discovering an issue partway through your first evening there.