According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are four types of burglaries: unlawful entry without force (walking into an unlocked house), attempted forcible entry (trying to break a window or pick a lock), forcible entry (actually entering the house), and completed burglary.
You can deter the vast majority of unlawful entries without force simply by locking your doors and windows. The other three are harder to prevent, but that doesnโt mean you shouldnโt try. The FBI collected data on more than 2.1 million burglaries in 2010. The real number is probably higher since many victims donโt report incidents to police.
These sixย smart home security productsย willย make your home, property, and belongings safer โ day and night, whether youโre at home or not. Most importantly, theyโll protect what matters most: your family.
- Motion-activated Floodlights
Back in the day, โsmart securityโ began and ended with motion-activated floodlights. If you were concerned about prowlers on your property after dark, you installed motion sensors at choke points, hooked them up to your floodlights, and waited.
The problem with older motion-activated floodlight systems was their sensitivity. That resulted in way too many false positives caused by harmless animals. Newer motion-activated floodlight systems are better โ they react only to larger profiles, meaning theyโll be triggered by humans and bears, but not raccoons and opossums.
- Smart Doorbells
Tired of tiptoeing trepidatiously up to your door, peering out the peephole, and sighing to yourself: โWell, he seems alrightโฆโ
Get a smart doorbell and kiss those days goodbye forever. The best smart doorbell systems have real-time cameras that let you see whatโs going on outside your home in real time, converse with visitors on your threshold, and make informed decisions as to whether to let them in or not. If your home is burglarized when youโre not around, they also provide a valuable record of what went down.
- Infrared Cameras
Infrared-equipped trail cameras are great for catching sneaky burglars on your property after dark, especially when youโre not at home. Look for a motion-triggered model that automatically captures images when someone (or something) walks by.
- Smart Smoke & CO Detectors
How smart does a smoke detector need to be? Smarter than you think. The best smart smoke detectors sync with your phone, allowing you to monitor them from afar โ for instance when youโre at work and the kids are with the babysitter. You can monitor their battery life as well and proactively juice them up. No more waiting for that annoying chirp.
- Indoor Security Cameras
Tired of wondering what the babysitter is really up to? Worried that your โtrustedโ housesitters will bring over a couple (or a couple dozen) uninvited houseguests while youโre out of town?
With an indoor security camera, you no longer have to guess at whatโs going on behind your back. Most are small enough to hide in plain sight. Choose a model that allows monitoring from your phone, so that you can catch and ward off dangerous activity in progress.
- Smart Security Systems
Go one step further with a complete security system that alerts you whenever your homeโs perimeter has been breached, letting you assess the situation and determine whether to contact the authorities. Many have built-in indoor security cameras, so theyโre a cost-effective solution for families worried about โfriendsโ and strangers.
