How Smart Devices Can Keep Your Home Safe
Protecting your Home with Smart Devices
Home security
Keeping our homes safe and secure is just as important now as ever, and often a top priority for many homeowners. There are a lot of ways to protect your home, but one way that is becoming more popular is using smart home devices. These smart gadgets can offer a number of features and benefits that can help make your home more secure.
Smart Door Bells:
One way to protect your home is to install a smart doorbell. Smart doorbells typically have motion sensors that can detect when someone is approaching your front door. They also often have a security camera that allows you to see who is at your door and speak to them through your smartphone app. When paired with a smart lock these smart home gadgets can do much to reduce security risks to your home.
Smart Locks:
The addition of smart locks will allow you to remotely lock and unlock your doors from your smartphone. With these two connected devices, you can better control access to your home typically setting up alerts so that you are notified when someone tries to access your door.
Many people leave keys outside the house for the family to gain entry for family members or service people to access the house, leaving the property vulnerable. Smart locks allow access without the need for keys and you can set up specific codes for different people so that you always know who has accessed your home.
Home Security Cameras:
Another way to secure your smart home is to install smart cameras. This smart device can be placed inside or outside of your home and can be used to monitor activity around your property. You can view live footage of your property from your smartphone app or computer and receive alerts if something unusual is happening.
Window and Door Sensors:
Window and door sensors are another type of smart home device that we can use to protect our smart homes. These sensors can be placed on doors and windows and will notify you if someone tries to gain access to the house or if windows and doors are accidentally left open at night or on leaving the house. You can also set up alarms that will sound if a window or door is opened.
Smart Lighting:
Not only is Smart lighting a great feature in the house allowing you to program mood lighting or switch off the lights by voice control it can also be invaluable for home security. You can use smart lighting to control the lights in your home remotely setting up timers so that the lights turn on and off at certain times. This can give the appearance of the property being occupied and help deter burglars from breaking into your home.
Smart Blinds:
Like the smart lighting, these are another really useful smart device that can also be put into action in protecting your house. By installing smart blinds you can remotely open and close them from your smartphone, computer or tablet. Scheduling the blinds to close at sunset and open at sunrise means unwanted visitors are not getting a clear view into your house on an evening. This can help to deter thieves as well as conserve energy.
Smart speakers:
Perhaps one of the most useful devices in a smart home is the smart speaker. These speakers can be used for a variety of tasks from playing music and turning off lights to setting alarms and adding items to your shopping list. But they can also be used as an intercom system allowing you to communicate with people inside your home even if you are not there. This can be really useful if you have kids at home and want to be able to check in on them or if someone has come to the door and you are not there to answer it.
Other Ways to Protect your Home
Of course protecting your home is not just about stopping thieves from gaining access to your home. Water damage to the home accounts for a huge number of insurance claims each year from burst pipes, leaking roofs and faulty appliances.
Water Detectors:
Water detectors can be placed in areas of the house that are susceptible to leaks such as the kitchen, bathroom, utility room or cellar. These devices will notify you if there is a water leak so that you can take action to prevent further damage to your home.
Smoke Detectors and carbon monoxide detectors:
Another type of smart home device that can help to protect your home is a smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector. These detectors can be placed in strategic locations around the house and will notify you if there is a fire or if carbon monoxide levels are rising. This gives you the opportunity to take action to extinguish the fire or to ventilate the area to clear the carbon monoxide.
Access away from home
Not only do the devices themselves offer protection for your home but also being able to access devices remotely via a smart phone app or a smart hub can give you an extra layer of security. If you are away from home and receive an alert through your IoT devices, that someone is trying to gain access to your property or if there is a fire, you can check the footage from the security cameras and if necessary call the emergency services.
What is an IoT device?
An IoT (Internet of Things) device is a physical object that can connect to the internet and exchange data with other devices. These devices can include everything from smart phones and laptops to wearable devices and home appliances. In order for an IoT device to be truly useful, it must be able to collect data from its surroundings and then communicate that data to other devices or systems.
Wireless Network
In order to have a truly secure smart home, it is important to have a secure wi-fi network. In today’s world, a strong and reliable Wi-Fi connection is essential. We rely on Wi-Fi for everything from work to entertainment, and a weak or unprotected connection can leave us feeling frustrated and cut off from the world. Fortunately, there are a few simple steps you can take to safeguard your home network and keep it running smoothly. Most routers come with some form of security-enabled, but it’s important to make sure that your router is using the latest security protocol. If you have any devices that are connected to your network wirelessly, be sure to change the default password for those devices as well. By taking these simple precautions, you can help to keep your home network safe and secure.
Passwords
First, be sure to choose a strong password that is difficult to guess. Your devices are likely to come with default passwords. Do not leave your smart locks, voice assistants and other devices on the default settings and passwords. Be sure to choose strong passwords and enable encryption on your router to keep your home network and devices secure and ensure hackers can not gain remote access to disable features of your security network. You should also change the password for your network on a regular basis, and use a strong password that includes a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. Consider hiding your SSID so that it is not broadcast to everyone in the area.
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication
To enable two-factor authentication or preferably Multi-factor authentication is to add an extra layer of security requiring more than one method of verification to access a device or account. This could include a password as well as a fingerprint or code sent to your phone. Multi-factor authentication makes it much harder for hackers to gain access to your devices and accounts.
Updates
Secondly, make sure to regularly update your router’s firmware to ensure that it is compatible with the latest smart devices and security protocols. Look out for new features, new technology and enable automatic updates for your home network. Check for new security patches and software updates for your various devices and your wi-fi to ensure hackers can not connect to your devices, and gain access to sensitive data.
VPN
Finally, consider investing in a VPN service to encrypt your data and protect your privacy. By taking these precautions, you can rest assured that your Wi-Fi will stay safe and secure. wi-fi network is likely to be what allows all of your devices to communicate with each other and with the internet.
Final Thoughts
Smart devices offer a great way to protect your home from thieves, water damage and fire. By taking some simple precautions, you can also help to keep your home network safe and secure.
You can start small, adding more devices to reduce the risk and protect your property. From doorbells and locks to security cameras and lighting, there is a device to suit every need. By taking advantage of the features that these devices offer, you can help to make your home more secure. Using a combination of smart devices, you can create a comprehensive security system.
