If you interview a convicted home burglar, he or she may tell you there is nothing you can do to deter them. This is simply not true. In fact, new smart home security technologies have the potential to undermine criminal activity and tip the scale in favor of homeowners.
To catch a thief
According to the FBI, 65 percent of home burglaries happen between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. while most consumers are not at home. However, smart home security systems can detect potential criminal activity while consumers are away from home.
Smart home security systems are increasingly among the best solutions available to deter such events, as they continuously capture everyday activity in and around the home and automatically send alerts to trained professionals at monitoring centers and to a user’s smartphone when there is a problem.
A test case
For example, a child generally arrives home from school around 3 p.m., does his homework, eats dinner, then plays basketball by the garage until 8 or 9 o’clock. If the alarm wasn’t disarmed around 3 p.m. and the child can’t be seen doing homework at the kitchen table via the video camera, the parent would be able to check in the system and notice that things are not as they should be.
The child may have gone to a friend’s house — or something much more sinister. However, through integrated video and audio technologies, homeowners and monitoring professionals can see and hear what is taking place in real time so the appropriate authorities can be alerted if needed.
Multi-functional
Most burglars report entering a home through open or unlocked doors and windows – or by forcing them open. Video surveillance cameras within your home can be programmed to send a live feed from the area in which the security alarm has been triggered. This real-time technology allows the operator at the monitoring center to keep you and first responders informed, enabling the authorities to respond quickly — and giving a burglar much less time to seek out valuables and escape detection.
Additionally, smart home security technology enables users to remotely control indoor and outdoor lights, lock and unlock doors, control thermostats and arm and disarm their security system from a smartphone, tablet or web-enabled device – ensuring optimized home security settings to deter criminal activity.
As new security technologies are entering the market daily, ESA members are committed to helping consumers navigate the world of smart home security. ESA has developed Alarm.org to serve as an online security resource for consumers and businesses. The site includes information about choosing, installing and operating an electronic security system, as well as security facts, news and tips.
Merlin Guilbeau, Executive Director & CEO of the Electronic Security Association, [email protected]