A digital revolution in home security
From apps to keyless locks, Helen Grange looks at advances in safety gadgets
WHO isn’t sick of crime? And isn’t it disheartening, to say the least, to hear that determined criminals are always “one step ahead” of any security measure you may have installed in your home?
Well, the good news is that technology has advanced to a point where it would take an unusually tech-savvy criminal to get away with a housebreaking without detection. It may be costly, but it’s much more possible these days to catch a thief, however clever his modus operandi.
The starting point for securing your home is the perimeter of your property, say the experts.
“Many people leave perimeter security to last. The home is critical, but avoiding property access at all is first prize,” says Hayley Elwen, spokeswoman for National Home Security Month, an initiative of lock company Yale, and a manager at ASSA ABLOY, Yale’s owner.
An electric fence is your best investment, she says, and if you can afford it, exterior beams or passive infrared sensors, connected to an alarm system and armed response provider.
Razor wire is also a worthwhile deterrent, she agrees, although we all know that a criminal with a pair of wire cutters or a thick blanket can bypass it.
As to your home, the name of the game today is to catch an intruder on digital footage, and to have digital locking devices on your entry points.
“There is a strong shift to smart products,” says Elwen. “Mobile security solutions (such as visuals of your home on your phone) are gaining traction not only for commercial spaces but for residential applications too.”
One solution is the Yale CCTV system, with a linked app, which allows you to see what’s happening at your premises, captured on cameras mounted on your exterior wall and inside your house, from any location anywhere in the world.
So, where you were reliant on only the armed response company reacting to an alarm before, you can now check on your own property. And while you are inside your home, you can check the cameras on your phone, TV or camera, without having to open a door or window to see what is happening, which can compromise your personal safety.
Just launched, and soon to hit the shelves, is the Panasonic Home Network System, a wireless system of sensors including motion detectors built into cameras, that send live images and notifications directly to your smartphone or tablet via a linked app, as long as you are connected to wi-fi or 3G. The cameras can even double up as baby monitors, equipped with built-in lullabies.
These cameras can also auto-adjust to night vision and have built-in speakers enabling two-way communications.
A cheaper wi-fi-enabled DIY CCTV camera option is the Guardian Eye Lite, by Vox Telecom.
Armed response companies, meanwhile, are being asked by homeowners nowadays to install video verification alarm systems. ADT offers one, which has all the features of a conventional wireless alarm system but has video cameras built into the passive infra-red detectors which, once triggered, generate a 10-second video clip that is automatically sent to the ADT monitoring centre. Appropriate action is then immediately taken.
As for door locks, these are also going digital, as they eliminate duplications and lost key worries. Similar to the locks you see at hotels, these are user-defined and require a punch-in code or tags and cards and can be deregistered if necessary.
Biometric digital door locks, which read programmed fingerprints, are also available on the market.
The latest door lock, activated by an app on your cellphone, is Mul-T-Lock’s new ENTR, a device that is mounted internally that allows you to open the door with one click.
Others who need access to your home can also download the app and be granted access by you, meaning better control of who enters your property.
Not to be left out, Chubb has come up with a solution for false alarms that are set off by load shedding.
Having noticed a spate of false alarms every time a suburb has a power outage, which then compromises its focus on any real incidents, Chubb is offering a solar panel that connects to the alarm system and battery and keeps it running.
It’s all very impressive, but just be aware that no matter what solution is introduced, there is always a criminal who can overcome it, says Elwen.
“Technology is a great help, but remember, the more layers of security you have, the safer you will be.
“Often in our quest for technology, the basics are forgotten.
“When you moved in, did you change the locks? Does anyone have copies of the keys?
“If you had to, can you break into your own property? If you can, a criminal can.”