DESIGN IN DETAIL: CLEVER HOME SECURITY

While a basic alarm with a siren box on the front of your house remains an extremely effective home security deterrent, the latest modular smart home solutions give you the chance to monitor your home without the need for a costly installation.

Designed to be plug-andplay devices that require easy mounting and connecting to your Wi-fi, you can choose from smart video doorbells, all-in-one security devices such as Canary (canary.is), motion and window/door sensors and smart door locks.

The list goes on, but all these devices feed information back to a smartphone app, which then alerts you to unusual activity or simply that a courier is trying to deliver a parcel.

Compatibility is key with many smart home gadgets, and brands like Ring and Nest now sell a host of products that link with other smart devices such as Philips Hue lighting, meaning you can set up security ‘recipes’ such as a clever holiday mode that turns on random lights around the house if someone approaches the front door.