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The idea of a smart home, which was once considered very far-fetched, has now become a reality. More and more homeowners are investing in smart home technology to be able to better control and monitor their homes.
Smart home security is a big part of smart homes because it helps increase security and makes the home a safer place to live in. Smart security devices such as smart alarms, smart CCTV cameras, and smart access control systems all work in tandem with one another to increase home safety and security.
When it comes to protecting your valuables such as cash, jewellery, important documents, passports, and items of sentimental value, smart safes are the best solution. They offer protection from threats such as theft, fires, floods, and natural disasters, and are incredibly feature-rich to provide seamless control and security.
Read on to find out all about smart safes for modern homes and how they combine security with technology to protect your valuables for years to come:
WHAT ARE SMART SAFES?
Smart safes are secure storage boxes with advanced features and functionality to keep your valuables secure from all kinds of threats. They are equipped with innovative technology that enhances their level of security and control.
What makes smart safes for homes “smart” is their ability to connect to the internet and integrate seamlessly with the smart home ecosystem. They use advanced technology and have security capabilities such as remote monitoring, biometric access, and tamper alerts to offer more than just secure storage.
The advanced features in smart safes help protect their contents from theft as well as damage. The security level is much more enhanced, making them a great choice for modern homeowners wanting to safeguard their valuables with much more convenience and control.
Along with personalised access, smart safes also allow you to easily access and manage the safe and its contents through a smartphone app. They can also send real-time alerts to your phone so that you can always monitor access and take immediate action, if necessary.
Homeowners can secure their prized possessions, such as jewellery, important documents, and items of sentimental value in these smart safes and can enjoy the many advantages that they have to offer.
Smart safes come in many types, shapes, and sizes. Since they can also be small and portable, needing no permanent installations, they can also be used by renters. Their portability also makes them suitable for people on the go.
Their enhanced security makes them a good choice for storing items such as medications that need to be kept out of the reach of children as well as certain individuals in the house. The level of controlled access that they provide makes them perfectly suited for such items and ensures that only authorised individuals are allowed to access the contents.
SMART SAFES VS. TRADITIONAL SAFES
Security safes have been around since the 13th century BC, with the earliest ones found in Egypt in the tomb of Pharaoh Ramesses II. These were made of wood and were secured with a locking mechanism that resembled pin-tumbler locks found in modern safes.
Safes found in ancient Rome were comparatively more advanced and used metal for construction along with more advanced locking mechanisms for security.
As the need for advanced security increased in mediaeval Europe, iron safes with secure locks were the safes of choice for nobility and religious institutions. They used these to protect valuables such as treasures, relics, and confidential papers.
Skip to the 19th century when modern, fire-resistant safes were designed to keep valuables safe from the dangers of fire. Initially, these safes were lined with asbestos, metal, or bricks for insulation from heat. Later, these materials were switched with non-toxic ones that provided more resistance to heat.
In the years that followed, safe technology saw an incredible advancement with traditional keys replaced with combination locks. Later, electronic locks and biometric authentication were also introduced to enhance both the security and convenience of safes.
Coming back to current times, the market is now filled with all types of safes with a range of security features. Modern safes are equipped with enhanced capabilities to cater to the advanced security needs of the modern homeowner.
Smart safes are built on the same foundation as traditional safes and are used for the same purpose, which is keeping your valuables safe, but their features are taken up a notch to provide added security and convenience.
Compared to traditional home safes, smart safes come equipped with advanced features such as remote monitoring, real-time alarms, and smartphone integration. They can also be connected to other smart devices in a smart home for a more interconnected experience and unparalleled security. These features make smart safes significantly more secure than traditional safes, and a great choice for modern smart homes.
KEY FEATURES OF SMART SAFES FOR MODERN HOMES
Smart safes are advanced storage devices equipped with advanced technology for better security and control. What makes them smart and a safer option than traditional safes is the barrage of features that help provide unparalleled security.
Here are some of the key features of smart safes for modern homes:
Remote Access
One of the highlighting features of smart safes is their ability to be controlled and accessed remotely via a smartphone app. This allows users to lock, unlock, access, and monitor the safe from anywhere in the world. All it needs is a smartphone app for the safe and a good internet connection.
This feature can be very useful for times when you are physically away from the safe and need to check up on it. It also allows you to change access permissions with a few simple taps for times when you need to grant or revoke access instantly.
Motion Sensors
To prevent any type of unauthorised access, smart safes are equipped with motion sensors that detect movement within a certain radius of the safe and trigger alerts to send to the safe owners.
The most common type of motion sensors are passive infrared (PIR) sensors that detect changes in the infrared radiation emitted by the objects near them. These sensors are connected to an alarm that gets triggered when movement is detected. They can also set off lights for more attention.
Real-Time Alerts and Notifications
To allow you to stay in the know all the time, smart safes send real-time alerts and notifications for all successful and failed access attempts. This includes details of when the access attempt was made, how many times, and by whom.
The owners are also notified if someone tampers with the safe and tries to pry it open. The alerts are sent to your smartphone in real-time, allowing you to take instant action if needed. Some smart safes can also automatically lock if any tampering attempts are made.
In addition to that, some smart safes also send alerts for low battery to notify you when the battery is running low and needs to be replaced. A low or dead battery can affect the safe’s effectiveness in protecting your valuables, which is why this feature can come in handy to ensure the batteries are replaced before they cause any issues.
Better Access Management
Since smart safes allow you to set unique access codes for different users, access management becomes much easier. This can be very convenient when there are multiple users for the safe and when more than one person has access to it. With this feature, you can know exactly who accessed the safe and when, which can be beneficial for times when unauthorised attempts are made.
It can also be helpful in times when you want to grant someone temporary access to your safe, such as the maintenance engineer. You can change the access codes as soon as they are done with their work and can instantly revoke access.
Sturdy Construction
Safes are only as strong as their construction and locking mechanism, and smart safes are top-notch in both areas. They have advanced electronic locking systems and sturdy steel construction to make tampering and forced entry extremely difficult.
They also have fire-proof and water-resistance capabilities that protect the contents of the smart safe from fires and flooding, both of which can wreak havoc on your valuables. The level of fire protection is determined by the safe’s fire rating, which is a measure of the degrees of heat and the number of hours of fire the safe can withstand.
Biometric Authentication
Biometric authentication refers to using an individual’s biometrics such as their fingerprints, retina scans, facial recognition, and voice recognition to gain access. It is an example of advanced technology used in modern security devices and is a standout feature of smart safes.
This access method is one of the most secure because biometrics cannot be lost, shared, or copied. This ensures that only authorised persons have access to the smart safe and its contents. Biometric smart safes can store more than one fingerprint, allowing access to family members as well.
Also, biometric authentication is extremely convenient to use since you always have your biometrics with you, compared with codes and combinations that need to be remembered. The same is the case with physical keys. You must carry them with you and the fact that they are the most commonly lost item in the world doesn’t help their case either.
SMART SAFES AND SMART HOME INTEGRATION
In a smart home, all the smart home devices are connected to offer a more seamless and secure experience, also called home automation. This enables all the devices to work in tandem with one another and helps secure your home in the best possible way.
Smart safes can also be integrated with the smart home ecosystem which includes connectivity with smart home security systems and voice assistants.
Your smart home security systems may include smart burglar alarms, CCTV cameras, smart door locks, and smart lighting. A smart safe, along with all these smart security devices can enhance your home security and keep intruders and burglars far away from your property.
Smart safes can integrate with burglar alarms to trigger a sounder, often accompanied by flashing lights, when movement is detected near the safe. In addition to that, when the burglar alarm detects unauthorised access in the house, the smart safe can activate its automatic locking mechanism to further enhance its security and keep its contents safe from theft.
Smart CCTV cameras placed near the safe can be used to monitor the area and provide live footage and recordings of any access attempts. In case of a failed access attempt or unauthorised access, the images and videos captured by the cameras can make it easier to identify the perpetrator.
The CCTV cameras can also use motion sensors to detect movement near the safe and send an alert or notification to the owner’s smartphone to take immediate action.
Smart locks installed on the main door of your home can be connected to the smart safe so that if the lock is breached and an intruder makes their way into your home, the smart safe can secure its contents by activating its locks and sending an alert to inform the owners of the intrusion.
Similarly, in case of an intrusion or unauthorised access attempt made at night in the dark, the smart safe can signal the smart lights to turn on so that the perpetrators can no longer hide in the darkness and to bring everyone’s attention to them.
Lastly, voice assistants like Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri can be used to control and manage the safety of certain smart safes. You can send voice commands to lock and unlock the safe and to receive any information regarding the safe and its contents.
CONTACT CALDER SECURITY
We, at Calder Security, are members of the Master Locksmith Association (MLA) and are familiar with a wide range of safes, cash boxes, and strong boxes. Our SSAIB-approved contractors can help you assess your security needs and recommend a suitable safe perfect for your requirements.
We offer professional safe installation services to not only prevent theft and fire damage but also ensure that the safe is secured in place properly, cannot be removed, and is not in danger of falling or damaging anything.
We also offer safe opening services since misplacing the keys, forgetting the code, or failure of the safe itself can all lead to the contents of the safe being inaccessible. By design, of course, safes are very difficult to access in these circumstances and you need a professional safe engineer to do it for you. Our Calder specialists can open most safes and restore them to full working order afterward.
When you need to relocate or remove your safe entirely, you can count on us to carry out the job with ease. In addition to that, our professional safe repair and maintenance services ensure that your safes are always in optimal health providing you with the best security.
Contact us here or call us at 0800 612 9799 to talk to our security professionals for more information on smart safes and how you can integrate them with your other smart home devices for a seamless home automation solution.
Photo by Immo Wegmann on Unsplash