ALARMINGLY GOOD SECURITY FEATURE
The gardaí reminded us recently to be vigilant regarding home security over Christmas, as there’s a 20% spike in burglaries in winter. Tech has started to help us make our homes a little more secure, though. Insurance firm Aviva has announced the Aviva Smart Home. This is an integrated system that lets customers control security, as well as lighting and heating, remotely from a smartphone or tablet. The kit provides front and back door sensors that are wireless and will trigger the alarm if a door is opened or the sensor is tampered with. There’s also a motion sensor and a glass breakage sensor. The zoned heating controls let you manage the temperature in different parts of your home, including the hot water. This feature allows for you to trigger the heating based on where you are, so you can get the house warmed up as you drive home from work. A smart smoke alarm is included and it can be reset remotely using your smartphone. To cap it off, two smart plugs are included that can turn on lights when you’re out or make sure that everything is switched off as you go to bed. The installation costs €249 and there’s a monthly subscription of €29.99, which includes 24/7 monitoring.