Smart homes of the type encountered in futuristic science fiction movies are no longer a thing of speculation. There are more high-tech products available to consumers than ever before, and the Internet of Things (IoT) – that is, the ability for appliances and other objects to connect to the Internet – means we can innovate in new and exciting ways.
We’ve definitely entered the age of the smart home. In 2016, the billionaire co-founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, gave himself a new personal project. He set out to develop a sophisticated digital butler for his home that could do everything from the controlling the lights and music playing in the background to granting access to guests at the front door based on facial recognition. You can read more about Zuckerberg’s passion project here on his personal Facebook post, or in this recently published Vanity Fair article.
To be fair, we mere mortals may not have the coding chops (nor the nearly infinite resources) of Mark Zuckerberg. And while we may not be able to build a fully functional digital assistant from scratch, there are still a few new and exciting ways that you can boost your home’s IQ and prepare it for the next wave of smart-home technology. We’ll go over a few of those steps and strategies in the space below.
Begin with a Smart Home Hub
Today, one of the biggest obstacles to overcome in turning your house into a smart home is finding a way for your various smart devices and appliances to integrate. There are so many products from various developers out there, and they don’t always communicate with each other so well.
The best way to deal with this issue is to invest in a smart hub for your home. However, the problem consumers encounter with many hubs currently on the market is that they aren’t very versatile. In many cases, they take a proprietary approach to building a smart home and only work with a limited selection of appliances. One of the most versatile hubs available is the Samsung Smart Things Hub. It interfaces well with a variety of systems in your home, bringing all of the controls and information together in a single app.
Be Mindful of Security Concerns
Anytime you relegate control of your home’s systems and appliances to a machine, you run the risk of compromising home security in Perth. There was a story trending on Reddit last year in which a person had equipped their home with smart locks, which could be controlled with voice commands via the owner’s iPad.
When a neighbour came over unannounced to borrow a cup of flour, they simply called out, “Hey Siri, unlock the front door!” And that’s exactly what she did. Smart locks offer a high level of security and convenience, but leaving your tablet or smart phone within earshot of the front door is tantamount to hiding a spare key under the welcome mat.
With that in mind, it’s important to be mindful of security concerns when you are preparing to take your house online. This is where Castle Security comes into play. We offer several high-security solutions for smart homes. We’ll go over a few of them in the space below.
Top Security Solutions for Smart Homes
When it comes to making your smart home more secure, be sure to take the following considerations into account:
- Install a Smart Access Control System
Castle Security offers a variety of access control systems for homes and offices. We’re particularly impressed with the Gallagher Controller 6000, which is able to integrate with other systems to enforce access rules, monitor its area and make offline access decisions when necessary. You can dictate who can access your property, as well as specific regions inside.
- Insist on Secure Home Automation in Perth
We also provide our clients with a variety of tools for home automation in Perth that are designed with security in mind. Residents can control the lights and appliances through a single tablet, which they also use to view CCTV footage from home security cameras in Perth and interact with the home security system. On this front, we’re particularly excited about Honeywell’s Tuxedo Touch, a graphic touchscreen controller that integrates security and home automation in highly sophisticated ways.
- Equip Your Home with Smart Locks
We mentioned one of the downfalls of smart locks above, but it’s important to note that the problem that arose had less to do with how the technology worked and more to do with the carelessness of the user. Smart locks usually come with a Bluetooth key fob that you can use to lock and unlock doors remotely. They also come with a downloadable app that you can use to gain access to the house and monitor the access of others. Some smart lock systems also allow you to grant passes to other people so that – for example – the neighbour would be able to enter your house in the afternoon (but at no other time) to water your plants while you are on holiday.
- Invest in Smarter Alarm Systems
Modern alarm systems in Perth are getting smarter by the year. If you’re running an outdated alarm system, this is a great time to consider upgrading to a smarter version. We provide Perth with Home security alarm systems that are able to keep your house secure whilst allowing more versatile access and monitoring for residents.
In 21st Century Smart Homes, Everything Is Connected
We’re currently on the cusp of major developments in terms of smart home technology. As the technology continues to improve, we’re sure to see even more exciting innovations in the coming years. Along the way, the experts at Castle Security will continue to update our product inventory to ensure that our customers are protected by the smartest, most versatile security systems currently on the market.
If you think it’s time to give your home or business security system a ‘smart’ overhaul, give us a call. We’ll arrange a no-obligation consultation to show you how we can boost the IQ of your home security system.