Your milk is about to expire. How do you know? Your smart fridge just let you know. This technology isn’t available at most houses yet, but it will be soon. Every day, an average of 5.5 million smart devices are being connected in homes around the world. According to Gartner research there will be 6.4 billion of these “Internet of Things” devices by year’s end, and 20.8 billion devices by 2020. Automated homes are the wave of the future, and the future is here.
Smart home door locks, smart home thermostats, smart home security systems and cameras: you’ve heard the phrase smart home be thrown around, but what does it mean?
A smart home means an automated home. Tasks are done automatically without the owner manually having to do anything. No more leaving the key under the mat. You can remotely unlock your door from an app while at work to let in your housekeeper. Your smart thermostat “learns” that you leave for work every day at 8:30 AM. Following this pattern it turns down the air while you’re at work and then cycles back on so it’s the perfect temperature for when you get home. Saving you money, around an average of 33% (using this smart thermostat) in the process.
Simply put, an automated home security system means your home is programmed to your lifestyle needs, wants and preferences. Want your lights to come on when the sun goes down, regardless of if you’re at home or not? Maybe you need to let someone in, but you can’t get to the door? Or, for budgetary reasons, do you want to set your home’s temperature to optimal settings only when someone’s in the house? All of this, and more, are some of the conveniences that come with an automated home system.
With a smart home and an automated system, you can arm and disarm your security system and camera system according to a schedule, remotely control camera monitoring and recording, manage your temperature settings, turn lights on and off, lock and unlock doors, and manage major appliance controls. Just set it and forget it.
Over the last few years, there have been remarkable upgrades made to home surveillance cameras, which is good news considering that most home invasions originate through the front door, back door or garage. Simple security methods at these access points can do a lot to deter potential burglars, prevent home invasions and keep your family safe.
But it’s not just home invasions homeowners need to take be wary of anymore. According to a report released last month, more than 23 million Americans have had packages stolen from their front porch and outside of their homes. And, often, the only way to catch these “porch pirates” is to have them captured on video through home surveillance cameras.
Good news, though. Homeowners can now equip their homes with video monitoring and surveillance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, that is accessible to them from anywhere in the world. And while most high-tech security systems used to come with a high price tag, home surveillance and top-of-the-line home security equipment is now surprisingly affordable.
To start, you just need to know what features you need, what features you want and find the product best suited for you (and your budget).
HARD-WIRED CAMERAS
One of the first questions you’ll need to ask yourself is, “do you want a wired or wireless camera?” Both work well, and both have individual pros and cons.
It’s true; security isn’t confined to home or business locations.
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Of all the keypads and interfaces that Fortress Security offers for your home and business security solutions, by far the most popular is the Honeywell Tuxedo Touch control panel. So today we’re taking a closer look at the features and capabilities of our most popular control panel, in the first of a series of security product reviews that will help you choose the right products and services for your family’s home and lifestyle. Read More »
