Ever since the first locks were invented 6,000 years ago in Ancient Egypt, people have been investing time, money and effort in protecting their homes. The latest technology makes it easier than ever to secure your home. It can now go beyond deterring intruders to help protect the structural integrity of your home and keep it in optimum condition. The great thing about this technology is that you don’t need to be rich to make use of it. It’s increasingly modular, which means that you can buy it bit by bit and still make all the pieces work together, and overall prices are lower than ever. Moreover, installing it could reduce your insurance premiums.
Security monitoring
The simplest forms of home protection technology are security monitoring systems, but these are far more effective than they used to be. Most smart systems now incorporate multiple sensors governed from a smart hub that can sound an alarm, send a text message to let you know there might be a problem, or even stream video footage to your phone to let you decide on the best course of action, in addition to storing its observations so you have a record of what happened. Sensors can detect movement, sound or vibration. Some modern offerings are even smart enough to distinguish between humans and pets, so there will be no more being awakened at 4am because your dog got into the wrong part of the house.
When you’re on vacation
When you’re away for a while, there’s always the worry that people will notice that your house is uninhabited and try to break in. For some time, it has been possible to use pre-set devices to open and close the drapes, turn the lights on and off, and even turn the television on and off, creating noise.
Two things have now happened to advance this approach. The first is that you can now combine this technology with light sensors in a smart system that, for example, can turn on the lights earlier in the evening if darkness has come earlier because of a storm, giving a more realistic impression of the house being occupied. The second is that it’s now possible to control such technology from thousands of miles away – or even from another continent. You can also be warned if there seems to be a problem, no matter how far away you are, so that you can decide what to do about it. You can also arrange to have alerts sent to your neighbors if your security system detects something worrying.
A healthy environment
There are other hazards your home can face besides intruders. Smoke and heat detectors, sometimes connected to sprinkler systems, have been available for years now, but related technology is advancing quickly. Sophisticated temperature monitoring and adjustment makes it easier than ever to keep your home at the right temperature, whether you want it to be comfortable when you’re inside or cool enough to save energy but still warm enough to prevent slow, long-term structural damage when you’re away at cold times of year. Humidity monitors linked to humidifiers and dehumidifiers reduce your risk of feeling dehydrated, often making a marked difference to the quality of your sleep. They also prevent your home from getting too damp, so it’s less likely to be damaged by mold or rot.
Preventing infestation
One of the biggest dangers to the structural integrity of your home in infestation by rodents that tunnel through walls and chew wires or insects that damage wooden supports. You can now buy devices that reduce the risk of such infestations by producing sounds or vibrations that pests like this find distressing, discouraging them from establishing colonies. Keeping your home dry also helps to deter pests that need sources of moisture to get established.
Preparing for the worst
No matter how careful you are, you can never guarantee 100% protection for your home. What should you do to prepare in case something does go wrong? The single most important step you can take is to get a good home warranty policy in place. There are many different companies operating in this sector today and their products vary a great deal, so taking the time to find the right home warranty company for your particular needs is important. That way, if the worst happens, you’ll know that you’re going to get the financial help you need to get back to normal quickly and with minimal fuss.
With the right technology and a good policy, you can enjoy real peace of mind knowing that your home is as safe as it can be.
