HOME SWEET (AND SAFE) HOME:
HOME SECURITY SYSTEMS, PART 3
EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS IS THE THIRD PART OF A SERIES ABOUT HOME SECURITY.
When it comes to home design and decorating, knowing the latest trends is a good thing. Even those with classic, traditional taste can use information about what’s new to be sure that their home stays up-to-date. When it comes to home security, and smart home technology, the same is true. Homeowners who prefer a traditional approach can still benefit from the security of knowing that their on-site security measures such as electronic monitoring systems like cameras and alarms, are linked and available to them at all times through their phones. Joe Phillips, managing partner of Smart Technology Solutions says about today’s technology, “It’s for everybody, and it’s become inexpensive and controllable by you.”
Coming from a government contracting background, Phillips has seen the technology used today in smart homes change from something that most people didn’t even know about, and couldn’t dream of affording even if they did, to an option which is accessible and relatively easy to understand. To those of us who grew up having to change one of the three channels on the television by getting up, he says that although we may have experienced some frustrations dealing with technology, we “Shouldn’t let that holding us back from using it.”
How to get started? Like other experts in the field, Steve Bernicklau, president and owner of Home Security Systems, who contributed extensively on the topic of electronic home monitoring systems in the first article of this series, says that the first thing homeowners need to do is decide what they want from their home security or smart home system. Phillips puts it this way, “Decide what you want to control.” Most people want to manage home security systems, lights, garage doors, and thermostats, and purchase items that have this capability built in, or purchase aftermarket options. The second step is where companies like Smart Technology Solutions, which has been mainly commercial but now plans to branch into residential tech support, can really make an impact. Step two is to have your Wi-Fi signal assessed, because that is the key to the rest of the system, and everything you want to control with it. The third step is to install devices that can communicate with each other, using your Wi-Fi and a central device such as your phone, to create a secure, smart home. With this step, you have officially entered into that 21st century ‘internet of things’ that we’ve all heard so much about.
Systems, such as the Preintrusion system developed and sold in Albuquerque, that according to owner/operator Peter Darrel Kindig, that can activate warnings and alert law enforcement before an actual breach of the home or business occurs, also use Wi-Fi and communicate with the homeowner or law enforcement via Wi-Fi signal. But how secure is the router that runs the whole show? Phillips says that,
Again, this is an area where some expert advice comes in handy because they can analyze the system for weaknesses and show the homeowner that there are steps an individual can learn to protect themselves and all their wireless devices from hacking.
Our world is connected as never before because of advances in wireless technology, which opens up ways to make our daily lives more convenient, allow us to communicate both with each other and with the devices we use, and to not only protect our homes but to control how that protection operates. Technology that was once considered ‘space age’ is now contained in our cell phones, which are such a part of our lives that we might not know what to do without them. When bringing our homes into this 21st century space, however, it pays to consult a company that can help us understand and tie it all together to create a seamless, efficient, safe, smart home. There are many Albuquerque grown companies to help us in this endeavor, which makes sense for a state as famous for its technology as for its stunning natural beauty.
“There are a lot of bad actors, and many security breaches are no longer physical, but instead are cyber-attacks.”