A smart home is a safe home

A smart home is a safe home

Home security is a field that modern technology has improved greatly. Once a simple case of lock and key, homes are now afforded the protection of closed circuit television, perimeter alarms and access control to prevent intruders. Home Security has never been more effective, and with the constant improvement of wireless broadcasting technology, you can even stream a live feed of your CCTV coverage on your mobile phone, ensuring you keep tabs on your property 24-hours a day.

But is modern home security technology worth the financial outlay? Is the equipment effective or is it a mere vanity project? Here we will explore two of the ways in which technology benefits the home security and what the best products are for those looking to update their own domestic security.

Access control

Losing your house key can be distressing and expensive. There is the worry that your misplaced key may fall into the wrong hands, leaving your home vulnerable to theft. To cover the damage you must pay to have your locks changed, which means money for materials and labour. What’s more, traditional ‘lock and key’ security isn’t as burglar-proof as we’d like to believe, as cylinder locks can be picked using the right tools.

The solution was not to try to make the traditional lock more difficult to break, but to move away from tradition and embrace technology. Access control security involves digital access tokens being used instead of a key for door entry. These access tokens will allow entry to your specific door through use of wireless proximity technology, and can be deactivated remotely if they are lost or stolen. Your doors will automatically lock when closed, and can only be opened from the outside with the use of an access token. This type of home security allows you to list the few people who you want to have access to your property, and offers peace of mind should anyone lose their token. If you’re unsure whether access control is the right option for you, security specialists such as Protect My Property will offer you a free site survey before recommending the best option based on your circumstances.

CCTV

CCTV is a very effective form of property security in that it deters intruders as well as captures them on film should they try to enter your building. CCTV allows the property owner to use crystal-clear images to identify an assailant. At very least, these images can be used as part of our insurance claim to prove that you were broken into.

For homeowners however, the issue was that they only benefitted from CCTV’s image capturing after the event, when a theft had already occurred. With the development of wireless and smartphone technology, a CCTV image can be transmitted to the property owner and the police as soon as motion is detected in the perimeter. This can prevent a theft or burglary from occurring if the police respond quickly enough.

Home security will continue to improve with the development of technology, and it would be unsurprising to see access tokens integrated into smartphones sometime in the future (similar to what we have seen with Apple Pay). As image recording becomes more precise and wireless broadcasting grows to be more efficient, we can expect to see security systems making it even harder for criminals to break into protected properties.

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