5 Ways to Ensure Your Home is Safe, Secure and SMART
There are very few things a homeowner dreads more than the prospect of a break-in. It’s not only the threat to our property that concerns us, but the very idea that the sanctity of our home can be so quickly undone by an unknown intruder.
That’s where the smart and secure home comes in.
A safe home is one we can leave and feel comfortable that it has the tools to keep everything and everyone safe when we’re not around. A safe home is one where, when you hit the lights off at night, you feel secure no matter what were to happen.
A safe home, therefore, is a smart home. One that uses the power of technology to create a protected home.
While technology has in some ways opened us up to more risk due to the connectedness of every device, it too has offered a number of ways to not only protect against cyber-intrusions, but has also helped to create high-tech guards against low-tech threats, like a standard break-in.
Using Devices to Protect Your Home
You can now employ all manner of devices in the effort to protect your home. Motion detectors, digital locks, wireless communication between you and your security devices, a direct line to authorities in case of unexpected intrusions – all these are staples of a safe home that provides security on unparalleled levels.
Everyone has the right to feel safe and secure in their home. The devices and techniques in this piece will ensure that when you shut your lights off and lock your doors, sleep should be easy to come by knowing that your smart home is on watch.
For those looking to protect their homes, these devices below will not only give you stronger defences, but peace of mind as well.
1) Multi-layered security
Contingencies and fail safes are the bread and butter of maintaining a secure home. The idea is redundancy; where one defence may fail, two others are in place to pick up the pieces.
That’s why multi-step locks and a security system can be essential to keeping your home secured at all times. Take the Honeywell Lyric Key Pad as an example. State of the art failsafe contingencies like those on offer at Honeywell Lyric will provide you with that extra bit of security to make your home truly a formidable defence.
Keys can be lost, stolen and fabricated, but with state-of-the-art keypads and other secondary backups, you can be sure that your house won’t be in danger due to house keys falling from your pocket on your walk home.
It’s exactly these types of redundancies and back-ups that can help make your house safer. And with the number of options that new technology has provided, there’s never been a better time to go out and get safe.
2) Let your devices watch for you
One of the key areas where a security system can succeed and people lag behind is in watchfulness. A security system will be constantly vigilant at all times, day and night, while you simply don’t have the time, energy or even the inclination to do so.
Which brings us to a set of devices that can help keep you safe and make your home smarter: motion detectors, glass break and window sensors.
In a situation where an assailant is attempting to break into your house, you’ll want to know as soon as possible and have your smart home react to the unwanted presence.
One of the best ways to accomplish that is to make sure that your house is outfitted with a variety of sensors – from devices that detect glass breaking to motion detectors – that keeps would-be assailants at bay.
Take for instance the Honeywell SiX Motion Detector which alerts you when a presence of 80 lbs. or over is detected stalking through your home.The 80 lbs. trigger is also great for allowing your pets to run around unencumbered, while an intruder won’t be as lucky.
The ability to obtain information as soon as it becomes available and therefore more readily react is critical in a situation where a person is attempting to break into your house.
These sensors provide exactly that type of instant feedback by giving you real-time updates on any and all abnormal behaviour around the points of entry in your house.
These updates can take on a variety of forms, from direct communication line to authorities, like in the Honeywell SiX door and window sensor, or real-time updates via an app, your home will be covered from all angles. Other products are able to provide situational awareness through the use of video monitoring end direct texting.
Let technology fill gaps in your home security. These modern-day devices will serve as the technological first line of defence for your home and family.
3) Keep your tech updated
As mentioned at the onset of this piece, while security technology has a number of ways to help us combat the age-old physical threat of an intrusion on our houses, a new and developing area in home-defence comes in the online realm.
While all these devices mentioned here are great ways to ward against straightforward attacks, they all carry that crucial vulnerability: wireless connection.
With hacking having never been more prominent not only in terms of frequency, but also in the sheer amounts of trouble that can be caused by a person with a keyboard and malicious intent.
As such, it is integral to your home defence plan that your house’s connectivity is never compromised. One way to accomplish that is to make sure that your programs, devices and all other electronics that could potentially provide a way in for an attacker are all up to date with the latest and best software tech.
In the online defence against hacking, the walls are constantly being redesigned in order to best suit the needs of those it defends. Instead of mighty, static fortresses being erected in the online space, we’re instead dealing with fluid bulwarks constantly being retooled, reconfigured and improved in order to match a similarly changing threat.
As such, ensuring your devices are always running on the latest and most secure software is a top priority when looking to prevent online hacks. The improvement we’ve seen in Z-Wave technology is a perfect example of an update coming to the rescue,and you’ll find the latest Z-Wave tech included on a number of Honeywell Lyric products.
4) It needs to be user-friendly
You don’t have time on the weekend to deal with shoddy interfaces and technical headaches; you definitely won’t have time to futz with button placement on a screen in the event of an emergency.
That’s what makes usability so crucial in this product more than most, and something that Honeywell Lyric excels at. Your smart home could be the Fort Knox of smart homes, but if you don’t know how to use it effectively or, worse yet, aren’t able to use it in a dire time of need, then what you’ve got is little more than fancy window dressing.
Being able to operate your devices and all the security measure you’ve put in place in a speedy manner is one of the best ways to keep your home smart and safe.
Honeywell Lyric provides training on their systems and also has a wealth of online information and videos to help familiarize the user with their devices.
A smart home does not mean a complicated one, and the online resources coupled with the training provided will allow you to have your house secured, safe and smart in no-time, and with little fuss.
Not to mention that older, less developed technologies can be an eyesore. You want your home to feel like a secure fortress, but you don’t necessarily want to have it looking like one.
Today’s smart home protection devices are sleeker, more affordable and more functional than ever, making now one of the best times to upgrade your home security system.
5) Find the setup that’s right for you
Knowing what you are and aren’t comfortable with is another key pillar to having a safe, secure and smart home.
If you want to feel secure with the innovative Z-Wave integrated locks on external doors, sophisticated security cameras and strategically placed sensors, there’s no better place to get started than Honeywell Lyric.
In the end, you need to be comfortable with the devices you’re using. Finding the right smart and secure home solution for you and your loved ones is key in order to not only be safe but feel safe. Learn more about our residential security solutions or give us a call to find out how we can secure your home.