How You Can Embrace a Smarter Home Security

If your house was built over five years ago, and you have a security system in place, chances are its missing out on the latest technology. Sure, your system provides some peace of mind in that that something is monitoring your house when you’re away.  You likely have sensors attached to windows and doors, and a control system that can be armed and disarmed.  When armed, your system can notify a monitoring center about a door or window that has been unexpectedly opened or broken.

If you have one of these systems, they are not very smart by today’s standards. And they can be fairly cryptic.  Does your system illuminate a red light on a panel that corresponds to one of your doors when it’s opened?  If you have multiple outside doors in a large house, you need a cheat sheet to know which one – typically not what you have on you when the monitoring company calls you to say the number 6 door has been opened with the system armed while you are away.

Thankfully, the combination of today’s electronics, smart sensors, software, and cloud connectivity pack current security systems with far more intelligence than ever before.  Let’s explore the latest in home security system features that you will want for your Minnetonka MN home.

SEE ALSO: Here’s What You Should Want In a Modern Security Camera

EVERYDAY USEFULNESS

The typical security system of the past was designed to protect against the unexpected, like a fire or a break-in. For the most part, all it could do was trigger an alarm and a call to a monitoring company.

Today’s technology is far more useful and can protect you in many more ways.  For example, video doorbells can give you a view of who’s knocking at your front door – and allow you to talk to the visitor remotely if it’s someone you don’t recognize.  If the video feed available on a touch panel or your smartphone shows that it’s your neighbor with the cup of sugar you asked to borrow, just a button press will open a smart lock allowing you to let her while you’re in the kitchen. 

With smart security cameras, you can know when your kids are home, or see if the dog is getting into trouble – again.  Unlike yesterday’s security systems, you know what’s going on at all times, and not just when something unexpected occurs. 

PROACTIVE MEASURES

Some situations are not emergencies but can become big problems if left unattended.  You want a system that can proactively address these issues. For example, a water sensor that detects a leak can trigger a command to turn off the water at the source to prevent a minor leakage from becoming an expensive flood. If you leave the garage door open when you left the house in a hurry, you can be alerted, or it can be programmed to close automatically.  If a carbon monoxide leak is detected, the HVAC system’s smart thermostat can shut the system down to avoid the spread of the gas.    

PRACTICALITY

Do you still have a system that has a beep and a countdown that starts when you arm and disarm the system, giving you a short period to enter the code?  Forget the rush to make sure you don’t accidentally set off the alarm and get a call from the monitoring company.  Today’s systems use newer technology to make all that so much easier.  Bluetooth connectivity and geo-fencing – detection of your location based on your smartphone’s GPS – are two methods used for automated arming and disarming of alarms. Should you want to do it manually, an app on your smartphone serves as the remote control so that you can arm and disarm your system remotely for a service call or any other situation. 

Smart locks are another security and convenience feature.  You can have real-time status and control over all your entries to your home.  An app on your smartphone can tell you of any door that isn’t locked or shut – including your garage – and secure them with just a touch. Temporary codes can be easily programmed for limited access, providing far greater security than physical keys that are easily copied. 

RESILIENCE

Many of the old-school security systems could be easily defeated because they relied on landlines.  If an intruder found the control box is outside your house where telephone lines come in and cut the wires, remote monitoring could be disabled.  Modern systems connect through the cell phone network, which allows for a wireless data connection that can continuously monitor your property. 

Smart security systems can add more intelligence when connected to Alarm.com, which offers comprehensive monitoring and management powered by modern cloud computing technology.  Through Alarm.com you could get system status, remote system arming and disarming, control smart locks, and much more, in a system that provides a holistic view of security on your property, putting you in total control.

Let us design a home security system that provides the level of protection and control you want.  Contact us or click the button below to chat with one of our security professionals today.