5 ways smart home tech keeps you safe

Your home is meant to be a safe place, and it shouldn’t be difficult or expensive to keep it that way. Traditional home security technology was functional, but not phenomenal. Systems were an investment and difficult to repair or replace. Now, smart products have introduced new and innovative ways to secure your home, including some not-so-obvious IoT products that are thwarting would-be criminals.

Catching the Criminal

Security cameras are an age-old fixture that have been reinvigorated by today’s technology. Nest is one company that has continued success because of its simple DIY installation and rich features.

Since Nest is a connected system, alerts can be sent directly to your phone if the system detects movement or a person in the home. The 24/7 live streamings mean you can easily check in on your home at any time and the built in microphone feature lets you communicate directly with whomever entered your home.

The cameras are high quality enough that when break-ins are captured (and several have been), the police can often utilize the clips to aide their investigation. For intruders, there’s no escaping Nest by damaging the camera – all footage stays safe in the cloud.

Lighting the Night

In addition to giving you a sense of safety and security, lighting can have a real impact on crime in your area. Exterior lights make it extremely difficult for burglars to sneak around without drawing attention and having interior lights on and in different patterns deter break-ins by indicating someone is home.

We can agree that this type of lighting is important, but lighting that stays on all the time indicates no one is home. This is where a smart lighting system like Deako can help. Use schedules to program lights to turn off or on at sunset and sunrise. You can also use the scheduling feature on your indoor lights to mimic your daily behavior. For example, create a schedule that turns the dining room lights on at 7 p.m. and off at 8:30 p.m. Just set it, forget it, and enjoy your worry-free vacation.

It’s features like schedules and how they can be used for security that make smart lighting more than just an aesthetic addition to your home.

Preventing Package Theft

With the Ring Doorbell, you have a better ability to know just who came knocking. Ring is motion-activated and sends an alert to your phone whenever someone is at your door.

This has been particularly useful when it comes to package theft. As of 2017, 30 percent of Americans had a package stolen. With 91 percent of homeowners having packages delivered at least once a month, there’s a huge need for safe delivery.

Now that Ring is gaining more recognition, the system itself acts as a deterrent to these stoop shoppers. If thieves are still bold enough to try it, the system catches them on camera. The Ring also functions like a digital neighborhood watch by allowing users to share video clips and information with those in their area if they experience a theft.

Don’t Forget the Deadbolt

Smart locks give you full power over the keys to the kingdom. Bluetooth lock solutions like August allow you to control access privileges from the app – no more handing out keys and scrambling to get them back.

If you forget to invite someone to the app or they don’t have their phone with them, you can always unlock the door remotely. After they leave, you can check-in from the app to see if your door is closed and locked.

The added plus is that your phone is now your key, significantly lowering your chances of locking yourself out.

Detect a Silent Threat

Smoke detectors have always been a joke in my family because of the finicky one we had in our home that went off a the slightest burn of the morning toast, but obviously reliably detecting fire or dangerous gas is no laughing matter. In the event you’re not home, detectors can’t do much for you – this is where smart features come in.

Like most other smart home products, Roost sends a notification to your phone when it detects smoke or carbon monoxide. If you use the company’s smart battery, you can also get notified when the battery is low, saving you from those annoying little chirps.

Save by Keeping it Safe

Smart technologies like these that adapt to your home and your lifestyle help to keep your home and your family safe. They are simple to install, easily integrate into your routine, and on average, cost about $150 per type. The peace of mind they provide is priceless.