There’s No Need For A Robot To Secure Your Home With Tech
What does ‘home’ mean to you?
Is it the safe, warm space you can escape to after a hard day at the office? Is it a place that allows you to relax and foster your skills at your favourite hobbies?
Home can mean a lot of things. Real Simple invited responses on the above question and received some amazing answers:
“The sensation of peace on a cozy, rainy Sunday; the feeling of relief when you pull into the driveway after a long trip; a quiet kiss on the head of a baby asleep in my lap; and the warmth of my husband’s arms. Home has been many places for me over the years, but its comforts are defined by simple, blissful moments like these.”
Home is somewhere where care is found naturally and a place where memories are cultivated. It’s a place of real emotional connection. Homes are special to us for that reason.
One message or idea we are constantly given is that of the ‘home of the future’.
Since the early 20th century, the concept of the ‘home of the future’ has been something that has been explored consistently throughout time. Through tech or gadgets, we may find ways to make home – more of a home. Gadgets and ideas will be developed that make living at home much easier. Experimental designs were the norm of such concepts that originated gatherings like the ‘Future Homes Fair’.
The home of the future was probably defined best by a cartoon known as The Jetsons. A simple cartoon that took the architectural designs of the 1960’s and transplanted them into the mid 21st century. The concepts of the future home came through the cartoon – ideas like an automated home and robotic security. Ideas and concepts that are being realized today.
An automated home? The very concept seems so far away, but right now it is happening and you can get in on it. Starting with a hub like Amazon’s Alexa, you can automate nearly everything in your home and even control it with your voice. Nest can detect fires and regulate the temperature of your household. There are even lightbulbs that you can control with a smartphone and cookers that automate based on pre-loaded instructions.
Simply put, there’s plenty you can do with technology in your home. So much that it’s beginning to look like the future, right now.
Going back to that concept of home we spoke about. Home is a place to feel safe. What does safety mean though? For some, it can be shelter from hazards, for others – it can be a full savings account. For all, it probably means knowing that there is a specific place in the world you can retreat to to feel protected. That’s your home. Home and safety are symbiotic concepts that exist within each other. You can’t have safety without an idea of home, and you can’t have home without the feelings that safety brings.
It’s time to link it all up. How can technology foster feelings of safety within our home?
Starting at the door, there are plenty of options. The door is the gateway to our property, and it should remain that way. There exists a group of items known as smart locks that rely on various methods that can allow you to unlock your door. Now, these locks can either replace or supplement the existing deadbolt lock on the door. For safety’s sake, it’s worth supplementing instead of replacing. Many smart locks can work with smart home hubs such as Nest and Alexa – meaning the act of locking your door can be completely automated. Kwikset’s Kevo is a smart lock that can do many things for your door. Not only will you never have to wonder if your door is locked (you can see via a companion app), you can remotely let people into your home and secure doors that you have left unlocked. What’s more – many smart locks come with a built-in alarm should someone try to pick the lock or force the door.
You can add a lot more to a ‘smart door’ than a lock. A doorbell camera can allow you to inspect people at the door of your property and even spot criminals who might be casing the house prior to a break-in. Linking a doorbell camera up with a smart lock is a genius move, as you can see who is requesting access to your property before you decide to open the door with your smartphone.
There is one small device that links all this tech; the phone in your pocket. The smartphone brings countless uses and ideas to the table and in this instance it is in the form of home security mobile apps. Protecting your home when you aren’t even in the property is something that will allow you to achieve a peace of mind previously unheard of.
We have touched upon security cameras already by talking about doorbell cameras, but there are other options. Traditional CCTV is widely available, but you can also purchase a Nest camera for the interior and exterior of your home that can broadcast a live feed to your smartphone. The Piper NV allows you to speak remotely through the camera, which is a great way to monitor your pet.
If you don’t want to monitor your house or if you don’t have the time to manage every aspect of your home security – then smart security systems like the Vivint Sky exist that can replicate all the effects of the above gadgets, but be managed remotely by a team of professionals. This will cost you monthly via a subscription, but it can get an extra set of eyes on your property.
You can replicate the home of the future right now, and there isn’t an expensive robot in sight. Secure your property and make it a home, once more.