Keeping your home secure is incredibly crucial. Most of your possessions are stored here, and the people you care about will almost always be there too. This makes the idea of a break in into a terrifying one, with a lot of people having no idea where to start when they’re trying to make their place more secure.
To help you out with this, this post will be exploring the technology behind keeping a modern home under lock and key, giving you the chance to start working your way towards a technological fortress.
The Locks
The locks on your home are one of the most important features to consider when you’re improving security. Older and cheaper examples don’t meet the standards of a lot of the options on today’s market, making the locks which you already have a security risk.
Companies like Yale have worked very hard to create automated locks for homes. Not only do they have the quality you’d expect from a company like this, but they will also offer features which you’ve never had before. Imagine getting a notification on your phone when your front doors opens; you’d never have to worry again.
The Doorbell
For a lot of people, the idea of being scared to answer the door is an unfortunate reality. Not everyone lives in nice areas, and there are always those out there who are willing to perform a scam, making it hard to trust those who come to the door.
Modern doorbells often have cameras and speakers inside them. Giving you access on your smartphone, this enables you to see exactly who is at the door without moving.
Along with this, though, they also let you have long-range conversations with the person outside your door. This makes it possible to pretend you’re home when you’re far away.
The Windows
It would be horrible to live in a home without windows, as the place would be extremely dark all the time. These portals create a big security risk, though, with glass being brittle and easy to break, and a lot of criminals having the conviction to go through with this.
Window shutters for homes can be controlled remotely, covering up the glass sections of your home when you’re not in or have gone to bed for the night. This makes it just about impossible for someone to gain access through the windows, and will make most people feel far more comfortable about their chances of staying secure.
CCTV
In the past, CCTV systems were far too expensive and intrusive for most people to have at home, making them something which only businesses had access to.
The world of modern technology has changed this, though, with loads of examples of CCTV cameras coming in a rock bottom prices. Best of all, these products can often be controlled by a smartphone, giving you yet another security feature which can be controlled when you’re away.
Alongside the cameras themselves, modern CCTV comes with a range of clever software. Facial recognition and movement detection are two crucial elements of this, giving you the power to receive notifications when someone the camera doesn’t recognise is in your home.
This is a great way to ensure that you’re always aware of the state of your place, and that you never have to worry about being caught out. It’s worth reading some reviews before choosing your CCTV, just in case you find a useful feature.
A Trick Of The Light
When someone is breaking into a house, they won’t often plan too far ahead. It’s unlikely that they’ll know whether you’re home or not, with most of these criminals being opportunistic, attacking homes which look empty.
While this makes it scary to go away, it also gives you the chance to try a technique which has worked well in the past. Using a series of intelligent timers attached to your lights, you can create a pattern which will have them turn on and off in a way which makes it look like someone is home.
Even if they don’t see anyone inside, this will usually be a big deterrent for a burglar. If you have neighbours you can also give them access to your home so they can turn on lights and make it seem like someone is still at home.
Some Scary Sounds
People have been building mutually beneficial relationships with dogs for hundreds of years, with these animals providing protection in return for food and shelter. Unfortunately, though, when you’re not at home very much, it can be hard to find the time for an animal like this, and this means that you can miss out on their security benefits.
Most criminals will turn around before they see a dog, though, with the sound being enough to scare them off. Having a motion sensor which trips a speaker to play barking and growling noises will send most people running away.
Spare Keys
It’s common for people to give out spare keys to their home to those they care about. Not only does this provide you with a means to get into the place if you ever get locked out, but it will also make them feel welcome.
Having loads of keys floating around is very bad for security, though. Instead, a digital key safe can provide you with much better protection, giving you the chance to keep a key outside your home without risking it falling into the wrong hands.
You can find lots of examples online of key safes which look like normal garden ornaments, making this a great route to go down when you want to give others access.
Importance of Security
Security is always going to be a concern for homeowners, no matter how far technology takes it. You have a lot of opportunities to change the way you protect your home, with loads of products hitting the market, but it will never feel as though you’re finished.
To make this a little easier, it could be worth talking to a home security consultant. People like this can offer advice and ideas, while also helping you to set everything up, making whole job far easier, and giving you the chance to relax.
Until next time, thanks for reading and stay safe.
Helen, Nial and Lewis.
Welcome to Pikalily, an award-winning food, travel and lifestyle blog. We are Nial and Helen, a happily married couple from Northern Ireland, who share a passion for food and travel among many things. We became parents to our beautiful boy Lewis in 2017. Follow our adventures through the blog.
