There comes a time in every parent’s life when it’s time to start letting your kids venture out a bit on their own. This is a scary prospect for most parents – especially with the ever present danger of child predators lurking around. If the prospect of leaving your kids at home by themselves for the first time scares the daylight out of you perhaps it’s time to consider some serious upgrades for your home. Not only has home security technology come along way – it’s also a heck of a lot more affordable these days. The addition of some smart home technologies can go a long way to making your home more secure and keeping the burglars and unwanted visitors far away. This article takes a close look at what is happening right now with these technologies and where things may lead in the near future.
Initial Contact
Wouldn’t it be comforting if you could leave your 12 year old at home by themselves, but still be able to control who gets in and out of the house? Well that type of technology already exists in the form of smart doorbells. Video doorbells, such as the Ring Video Doorbell allow you to see and interact with whoever may be at your front door. All you have to do is leave strict instructions with your child letting them know that you will answer the door if it happens to ring and that they are not to open it under any circumstances.
A good video doorbell has a video camera and an intercom system built-in so you can interact with the visitor and determine if it’s someone you know or someone that might be a potential threat. If the person at your door is simply testing to see if anyone’s home they will quickly move on when someone answers their ring. This technology is only just in its infancy so it will be interesting to see where it goes next.
Deciding Who Gets In
With smart home technology you can do more than just interact with visitors on your doorstep – you can actually decide whether to let them in or not. A smart door lock such as the August Smart Lock gives you a lot of control over access to your home no matter where you are. Using your video doorbell and smart door lock in combination you can quickly decide whether to let someone in or not and give them access if you want. Everything is controlled through an app so it will work anywhere you have an internet connection.
With a system like the one from August you can even give different family members virtual keys. This is great for the kids who are often prone to losing them and it gives you peace of mind knowing that they can get inside safely. You can even provide neighbours temporary keys so that they can feed your plants and animals while you’re away. With a smart lock you really do have full control over who gets in your home and when.
Dealing with the Stealthy Type
The thing about burglars and anyone trying to break into your home for any reason is that there’s a good chance they won’t try to ring your bell or use the front door. How do you deal with these stealthy types that look for alternative ways to get in? That’s where a good home security system can really augment the great smart home additions we’ve already mentioned. You can choose an expensive monitored system if you want, but with the rise in smart technology you can also set up a system that you can fully monitor yourself.
A great example is the Trivision NC—335PW which allows you to monitor all sides of your home with a security camera system. This camera can send you email notifications when movement is detected and you can quickly tap into a live feed or review recorded video to see if anything suspicious is going on. After that it’s just a matter of contacting the authorities.
Bringing it All Together
Anyone of the technologies we’ve talked about in this article can make your home a lot more secure, but they work best when used in combination. A smart home that’s equipped with all of these technologies will keep your children safe and give you the peace of mind you’re looking for.
This is a guest post and infographic is by Joseph Mack from smarthomeSAGE, a blog that analyzes the impact that smart home technology has on home life.
These all sounds like good options for keeping your home a little safer. My son is grown, but I still like the idea of having the video doorbell.
We have a security system and I have to admit it does help me sleep at night.
I wanted a camera at the front of the house, then we could get a better view of the driveway.
We are looking at a doorbell camera, but only to screen if we answer the door or not. LOL!!
I have been looking into a camera type system for the house. I like being able to know what is going on at home even when I’m not there.
Wow! What a great idea. Sounds like a really good way to be aware of what is going on at home if your child is there on his or her own.
We just started leaving our kids home alone for an 1 or so when we’ve had a quick pick up etc. I really have been thinking about getting a security system or something in place to make me feel better.
We just got a security system ourselves and I agree it does help peace of mind. My son is 13 now and wants to be able to stay home at times. This has allowed us to feel more confident that we can be responsive if he has any difficulties.
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Traci
We need to install a security system in our home. A doorbell camera would be a great way to help monitor the house.
We just added a security system to our home, and it is amazing to have that extra feeling of being safe. We have a doorbell camera as well as a lock on all doors that needs a code. All is attached to our phone, so I can actually unlock the door and turn off the home alarm from my phone. It is amazing!
Nowadays CCTV camera’s plays an important role. I have also installed an HQ CCTV security system in my home and configured it with my mobile. Now I feel safe with my kids. The CCTV installed have lots of benefits and nowadays it is treated as a digital proof for any evidence.