How To: Keep Your Home & Business Safe With Smart Devices

We hear the buzzwords all the time. Internet of Things. Connected devices. Smart TVs and thermostats.

There’s no denying smart technology is on the rise. The worldwide smart home market is forecasted to be $53.5 billion by 2022 . The current estimated connected home technologies sales in the U.S. is at $1,485,000.

Smart technology can provide both home and business owners alike with peace of mind, convenience, and efficiency. However, it can be overwhelming to pick the right device for you from such a crowded market. And once you do pick the device you have to learn how to use it most effectively.

Below, our trained Brothers Locksmith technicians give some suggested smart devices to improve your home’s or business’s security, and how they work.

Smart Locks

Installing smart locks can be a great first step in home or business automation, and increase the security of both. For starters, a lot of smart locks will give you remote access, allowing you to check from afar if your door is locked. Never again will you have that “oh no, did I lock the door?” feeling 20 minutes down the road.

Additionally, smart locks can help you control who has access to your home or business in a more secure manner. With traditional keys, if you want someone to have access without your presence, you have to make a copy of the key. Eventually, there will be too many copies floating around and your security will decrease. 

With many smart locks, you can give someone a code to unlock the door. This code can then be changed periodically , to make sure only the correct people have access.

Some smart locks even go a step further, and allow you to give out time-limited codes . For example, you can give someone a code that lasts 15 minutes, or 24 hours. Then that code expires. This ensures people only have access for as long as you want them to.

Automated Light Bulbs

Setting light bulbs  to automatically come on at certain times of day can deter any potential thieves. You could set your lights on a traditional timer so they turn on and off at specific times each day. This will make it appear as though you are home even when you’re not.

If you’d like to step it up a notch, you can install smart light bulbs which are controlled remotely . These allow you to monitor which lights are on in your house or business, and turn any of them on or off from wherever you are. 

Motion-Activated Outdoor Lights

The same idea from above applies to outdoor lighting. If a thief is sneaking around your yard or the parking lot of your business, and they trigger a light, they’ll likely be scared off. The threat of being seen by neighbors, passersby, or someone inside the house or building is increased when a light shines. No crook wants that!

Smart Doorbells

There are some pretty high-tech doorbells available today. Many of them have video cameras built in, which is a great way to remotely keep an eye on your house. Even if you are home or at the office, you can use the camera to check on unexpected noise or knocking at the door.

Many of these doorbells can also send alerts to your phone if motion is detected . If someone is roaming around outside your home or business, you’ll get a real-time notification on your phone. Then you can open up the app, check the camera footage and make sure everything is safe. This way, you’ll be able to call emergency services immediately, rather than noticing something is wrong when you return to your home or office.

Smart Garage Doors

Garage doors with the right technology can also provide increased security for your home or business. Some smart garages will alert you when the door is left open and allow you to close them remotely . This is a great way to make sure no entries to the house are left open for thievery.

Similarly to the doorbells, some smart garages will also alert you of motion detected . Again, even if you are not home or inside the business, you can check the app to see what the motion was. If it is someone or something suspicious, you can alert the police sooner rather than later.

Security Systems With Connected Cameras

Security systems with connected cameras let you keep an eye on your home or business while you’re away. These smart cameras allow you to check areas like your living room, backyard, office space – anywhere you set one up. And, they allow you to do this any time, anywhere.

Some systems will even assign dates and times to its footage. So, say you wake up and notice an alert on your phone that motion was detected in your backyard at 3 a.m. You can check the footage from that time to see what the motion was. 

Another great feature of many smart security systems is setting virtual boundaries. You could set one, for example, to go a certain distance around your home or around a specific area of your office that needs added security. If that boundary is breached, you’ll be alerted.

Be Proactive

Smart home technologies come in a wide variety. No matter the device or system, though, they all have one thing in common – they’ll provide you convenience and peace of mind when it comes to your home or business’s security. Don’t wait until something happens to retroactively install better security measures, though. Be proactive and get started today, to ensure you and your family or employees stay safe!

We at Brothers Locksmith know it’s a very crowded market of smart technology. If you’re not sure which to try first, check this list of smart home technologies , which recommends good starter devices, such as smart locks and doorbells.

Or, contact your local Brothers Locksmith professionals today to learn more about what solution might be best for you!