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Using your Smarts – #NHSM17 Week 3

Getting to grips with smart security and all it can offer

Most people are familiar with the term ‘smart security’ now – using technology to enhance your security and maintain control of it while you’re away from the home. We have covered the topic before but by its nature, smart security is an ever-evolving thing.

The key drivers, according to recent research by Yale, for smart technology are energy saving (41%), security (23%) and entertainment (11%) and the 3 measures that people expect from a smart security system are an alarm, CCTV and smart door locks.

The beauty of smart security is the way you can access it using apps whether you’re physically at home or not. We recently covered a story where a family were able to watch their home being burgled from 120 miles away while on holiday. You could question whether this was a good thing or not but it certainly allowed them to raise the alarm while he was still in the house.

One of the interesting developments in this area is compatibility with home voice activated smart systems such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home. When connected to other smart systems you can perform a number of tasks using voice commends such as locking your doors, accessing CCTV cameras and controlling lights and curtains. However, for security reasons, it wouldn’t unlock a door in this way. You can even close your garage door. Lots of leading manufacturers like Philips, Yale and Belkin are bringing out smart-enabled products.

Some may argue that this is just laziness but wouldn’t it be reassuring when laid in bed at night to be able to check that the front door is locked without having to get out of bed or to be able to open the curtains without having to go downstairs if you’re ill?

What will the future bring for smart security? Inner doors that seal should the outer door be breached? Biometric locks commonplace in homes? What would you like to see? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page.