The concept of home security goes back as far as early humans who began the domestication of wild dogs by feeding them scraps of leftover food from meals and allowing them to share the warmth of a fire. In return, the canines would sleep at the opening of a cave and alert those inside of any approaching danger. In many cases, the dogs would also attack said intruder in an attempt to protect their meal tickets.
Today, dogs are still great at guarding things like couches and alerting their owners of the dangers of falling leaves, passing school busses, and that pesky mail delivery person who keeps stopping by. Fortunately for Fluffy and Fido, many of the other home security duties can now be handled by technology.
The backbone of a good security system is one that uses cameras, sensors, and motion detectors to alert the homeowner of trespassers, break-ins, smoke or fire problems, carbon monoxide issues, and even water detection. The system is monitored by an independent team that can alert the proper authorities to investigate if any kind of alarm is triggered.
However, the really great part about current home security systems is that the homeowner can monitor and control a number of functions within that system via their smartphone or tablet. Smartphone home security provides users with the ability to view live streaming video from internal and external high-definition cameras, to alert them to potential problems or just to keep an eye on couch-potato canines. Smart doorbells not only alert you and provide a vidual when someone approaches your front door, they have a two-way communication feature that allows you can scare off “porch pirates” trying to steal delivered packages or provide special instructions to visitors—even if you’re at the office, the grocery store, or on vacation.
Speaking of people coming to the house, you can also remotely lock and unlock your front door with a smartphone home security system. This is a wonderful feature for opening the door for family members who have lost or forgotten their key or can’t remember the passcode. It’s also great for those times when you have a service professional coming over to check the HVAC system, fix an electrical problem, or drop off a major appliance delivery. It’s especially helpful if you’re having a home remodeling project done over the course of several days and you can’t work from home or take the time off needed to open the door in the morning and lock it back up when they leave.
Another great element you can add to your smartphone home security system is the ability to turn lights on and off, and make adjustments to your thermostat. If you’re on vacation and want to give the appearance that you are still home, you can remotely turn lights on and off at different intervals to make it look like your home is inhabited. If it’s dark out, you can turn lights on as you are arriving home to make it safer and easier to enter the house. You can also adjust the internal temperature of your home by turning the heat or air conditioning on just before you arrive or double check the temperature setting if you’re on vacation and can’t remember if you adjusted the temperature before you left.
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