Smart Home and Home Security Products
Evander can now offer smart home security products, packages and advice to help you keep your property safe in this new and exciting digital age. Smart home security incorporates new technology and allows you to control aspects of your home security remotely via your smartphone or tablet. This can include security cameras, movement and noise sensors, lighting and even the lock on your front door. These features can provide a wide range of benefits for your family and your home, some of which you may not have considered.
Being able to keep an eye on your home security, what your pets are up to, or whether your children have made it home from school safely – for example – can be invaluable.
Many smart home security products can be linked up to your digital assistant (such as the Amazon Alexa) as well as your smartphone or tablet, giving you further benefits and control.
An introduction to Smart Homes
What is a Smart Home?
A smart home is one which uses the internet to connect various devices to each other, both inside and outside, and allows you to control these features via your smartphone, tablet or even through voice commands. This can be as simple as being able to turn on a light remotely, or as complex as being able to see and communicate with someone at your door even when you are miles away, and choosing whether or not to unlock the door for them via your smart lock.
A smart home utilises the benefits of the ‘Internet of Things’ – a term which is used to describe items that can be connected to the internet so they can be used remotely and/or so they can provide information to the user and to each other. Putting the internet into every day, physical items can have a huge range of benefits and could make your home a more comfortable and efficient environment for all the family. If you have an Amazon Alexa or similar digital assistant, you’ll be happy to know that most smart home products can be linked up to this too.
How popular is Smart Home Technology?
You may be surprised to find that smart home technology has likely already found its way into your home. Over half (66%) of residential homes in the UK already have a smart TV, and a recent survey carried out on behalf of Smart Home Week found that 43% of people have at least one ‘smart device’ in their home; such as a thermostat, for example. These products are popular and as they are among the first smart products to become an everyday part of the average home, many may not realise that they fall under the ‘smart home’ umbrella.
When it comes to thinking about the future, 60% of UK residents would upgrade to smart tech rather than replace items with another standard product, which shows that smart home technology is seen as the inevitable next step, and is likely to become the norm in the years to come. In fact, 64% of survey respondents had spent money on smart tech in the last 12 months, spending an average of £250. Spending on smart technology is expected to increase by 30% over the following year – a further nod towards smart homes becoming a bigger part of modern life in 2020 and beyond.
How can Smart Technology help secure my property?
When it comes to why people want to invest in smart home technology, the Smart Home Week study found that 48% state safety and security as their biggest incentive, with 35% citing comfort and convenience as reasons to want smart tech in their homes. Thankfully, there are plenty of smart home products out there which can help you make your home safer and more secure than ever before.
Smart Home Products
Smart Security Cameras
Setting up smart security cameras in your home can provide a vast amount of reassurance as far as your home security is concerned, particularly for those who have experienced a break-in before. Being able to check on your home’s interior and exterior areas via your smartphone or tablet can be invaluable – you can see if your children got home from school safely, if your pets are behaving, or even identify someone who is looking around your property in a suspicious manner.
Some smart cameras include a two-way communication feature and night vision is also incorporated into many designs. Your phone will be notified when movement is detected and you can monitor the cameras at any time.
Smart Doorbells
Smart doorbells allow you to see who is at your door via a camera which is incorporated into the doorbell itself. You can check this from inside your home or from miles away, as all information is sent to and from your smartphone or tablet. Smart doorbells have HD picture quality and some will allow you to communicate back to the visitor via audio or both audio and visual, so they can see you as well as hear you.
The full scope of benefits you can get from a smart doorbell may not be obvious until you use one, but they can be a very useful piece of kit. For instance, they can help the elderly or those who struggle with fast movement to answer the door without having to get up, and it can help you to identify who is visiting your home while you are away.
Even if you are not there to answer the door in person, the smart doorbell has many practical uses. Being able to communicate with a parcel delivery driver while you are at work so you can ask them to leave the parcel in a safe place, for example, is preferable to having to make a separate trip to the post depot to collect it at a later date.
Smart Locks
One of the more futuristic devices available for your smart home is the smart lock. Gone are the days of having to remember your keys or worrying about leaving a key for a neighbour when you go away – smart locks can be opened via your smartphone or sometimes with a PIN or key fob. You can set up temporary access for trusted deliveries and monitor when it’s being locked and unlocked by others in your household (another way to keep an eye on the kids!).
Some smart locks come with an integrated camera or camera link-up capabilities, which can allow you to view who is at your door before deciding whether or not to unlock the door for them.
Smart Lighting
Smart lighting may sound more like a convenience issue than a security one, but being able to turn lights on and off remotely can have a very positive effect on your overall home security. This is especially true in the winter months when the nights draw in and you may leave for and return from work in the dark.
You may be delayed or decide to stay out longer than usual on short notice – being able to pop a light on will ensure that your home does not look empty and therefore appealing to thieves.
What if I don’t understand how Smart Homes work?
Having a smart home isn’t just for the wealthy few or for those who can understand complicated technology – smart homes are already here and they are for everyone. Products are being designed to be simple to use, so even if you’re not very tech-savvy, you should still be able to benefit from these smart products with ease. If you are able to use a smartphone or a tablet, then using smart home technology should be within your capabilities.
If you have concerns about installing and setting up your smart home products on your own, here at Evander we offer a full installation service for our smart home security offering and will happily help you to understand how everything works. With 47% of people finding smart technology a little overwhelming, we understand that support and guidance are needed as part of the process, and we’re happy to offer as much or as little assistance as you require.
Call us today on 0345 145 0130 or use our contact form for further information or to request a quote. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have about smart home security and how it can benefit your particular household.