Your home in increasingly becoming more complicated and complex from smart phones to smart fridges everything is becoming so called “smart”. Technology for the home is becoming more widespread and cheaper by the year, so is it time you jump on bored the smart home revolution.
We have complied a small list of things you may want to add to your Christmas list.
Smart Locks
There are a variety of smart locks on the market, in this article we will focus on keyless smart locks, which remove the need to carry a set of keys. So, your are probably wondering how you can lock and unlock your door without a key. Well this very much depends on the smart lock you purchase. Some locks use a dedicated security app which allows you to open a lock by hovering your smartphone in front of the door, others use a fob or card system, while others use a code very similar to a keypad lock, however these are digital, allowing you customisation. You can in put temporary codes which work for a set period allowing you control of who has access to your home.
However, with new technologies there does usually come drawbacks too. These locks have proven vulnerable to hacking, this means strangers do have the potential to penetrate your home if they process the knowledge and know how, fortunately there are very few people with the technical skills to hack such a device. Another potential downfall is if your phone is stolen not only do the thieves have potential access to your home but also leave you with no way of getting into your own home without calling a locksmith, and as these locks have no keys, traditional locksmith techniques will not work, the locks would have to be removed usually by destructive methods, which would mean replacing the lock, making the whole process much more time consuming and expensive.
We still recommend traditional key locks until such issues have been overcome, however if you wish to jump onboard the smart home revolution this should definitely be on your Christmas list.
Smart doorbells
You may have seen such products advertised on TV such as HIVE, these types of products serve multiple functions.
- Motion sensor – motion sensors are installed into the doorbell which will send a message directly to your smartphone using your wifi signal when the sensor is either triggered or a visitor presses the doorbell.
- Security cameras – as seen in the adverts these doorbells come with built in camera allowing you to see the person at the door via your smartphone, the system again uses wifi to send the signal.
- 2-way intercom – When someone has pressed the doorbell or the motion sensor is trigged, this turns on the two way intercom system allowing you to hear and speak to the visitor.
- Duel powered – I thought it was worth a mention that many of these systems are dual powered and can run off their internal battery or can be connected to your existing doorbell wiring.
Smart Lighting
If you’re like most people, once and a while you will forget to switch off your lights when going to bed or leaving your home. This may be one gadget to invest in. We will look at a product called Switchmate. The idea behind Switchmate is to give you full control over your homes lighting whether you’re at home or out and about.
- The system uses powerful magnets which can be easily fitted onto the light switch itself, it doesn’t require any special skills or knowledge or an electrician and only take a couple of seconds to fit.
- The system switches on your lights automatically when you enter the home or a room
- The system times can turn on lights on and off automatically.
- You have complete control over your lights via an app on your smart phone.
We believe this or similar products are great and important for security reasons. As most homes are burgled when no one is home, by having lights switched on and off during the days give the impression someone is home and thus less likely to be broken into.
