Why it matters to you
Earning some extra money by Airbnb-ing your property is great, but how do you keep it safe from party animals? You could try the Party Squasher.
When it’s your house at stake, you can bet your bottom dollar that you’d be willing to be the party pooper. And now, you can be, thanks to a new device called the Party Squasher. It’s a small, discreet smart home product that serves as your eyes and ears when you’re not at home, and lets you know when things are getting out of hand.
Intended for use by homeowners who rent out their properties via services like Airbnb, the Party Squasher understands that for every exemplary guest, there’s another just waiting to throw a rager that is likely to ruin your new carpet. We’ve all heard the horror stories of Airbnb parties that have left tens of thousands of dollars of damage in their wake, and we all know that we don’t want to fall victim to such abuse.
More: Your next questions texted to an Airbnb host may be answered by chatbot
Enter the Party Squasher from BlueFox.io. The device counts the number of people in a home by way of signals emitted from their mobile devices. If the Squasher detects that there are more people on the premises than the owner permits (you preset your desired head count), the device will send a text. From there, you can decide what action to take, whether it’s to rush home (if that’s an option), send a neighbor to check on the property, or if worse comes to worst, call the cops.
Of course, you can also just try to ride it out, as the Party Squasher and its companion app will also give you trend information, showing you when people come and go from your home. Operation is pretty straightforward — simply plug the Party Squasher into your Wi-Fi router and download the app. You then set your detection range based on the property size, and how many people (which is to say, mobile device signals) are permissible.
“With the release of our external API, property management companies can now track tens, hundreds, or even thousands of homes at once, and be alerted if there’s an issue at any given property,” said Amanda Mills, the co-founder of Party Squasher. “The device’s estimations will let you know when there’s a crowd, but have enough wiggle room to avoid invading privacy.”
So if you’re looking to protect your home from a party (when you’re away), you can grab a Party Squasher for $149.