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IoT and Home Security

Home security is one of those topics near and dear to many homeowners, especially when families are involved. Everyone wants their loved ones to be kept safe, as well as their property secure. While there are numerous burglar, fire, and smoke alarm systems to choose from, there’s an innovation that takes home security to the next level while offering homeowners an unprecedented amount of control and access.

That innovation has come to pass through something called the Internet of Things, and it’s changing the face of how you run and protect your home. Here’s what the Internet of Things is all about, and its practical applications in the world of home security.


Home security benefits from the Internet of Things by upping the access and control available to homeowners

The Internet Of Things Defined

Imagine, if you will, your refrigerator, your pet’s microchip, your burglar alarm, your thermostat, your smoke detector, and the lights in your house, all with their own sensors, Internet connection, and unique IP address , linked to the Internet. These “things” send streams of data without anyone having to actively do anything. In return, you can use your laptop, tablet, or smart phone to control many of them remotely (with certain exceptions such as the cat, which is independent and will only do what it wants, when it wants, because cat).

That is the Internet of Things (or if you want to be really cool, the IoT) at work. Welcome to the future!

How This Influences Security

Pause and consider the ramifications of everything in your house connected to a network that you can easily access no matter where you are. You can be half-way across the country and yet still make sure that all of your doors are locked, all alarms are activated, all appliances shut down, all pets are safely inside, and the house is a comfortable 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The peace of mind factor alone is priceless.

If your property is equipped with security cameras, these can be part of the Internet of Things as well. Of course, you need to make sure that the cameras are properly installed, as the article “The Dos And Don’ts Of Installing Home Surveillance Cameras” shows. You can use your tablet to check out the camera feed for potential problems, and then send whatever commands you need to the various systems and appliances in your house in order to set things straight. All of this, of course, is happening courtesy of the Internet of Things.

Better Security, Better Control

What the Internet of Things ultimately does is to turn your house’s systems, selected appliances, vehicles, and even household pets, into “smart” devices that can be interacted with in ways never before imagined.

Consider the typical nightmare scenarios that some unlucky homeowners can experience, where something goes wrong in the house but everyone is miles away and in no position to rectify the problems. In fact in most cases, no one’s aware that there’s even been a problem until they come home to a house with frozen pipes or a malfunctioning furnace.

But in a house filled with IoT-friendly things, a homeowner can be tipped off by an internal sensor about a sudden drop in the house’s interior temperature, signaling a possible furnace malfunction. Maybe the solution is as simple as sending a reset command, and can be done using a tablet.

In any event, the Internet of Things promises to step up home security by offering improved communications and control. Naturally, there are issues to consider, such as how privacy is affected, something raised in the article “How Safe Is The Internet Of Things.” But in the long run, security issues aside, don’t be surprised if the number of “things” that can be controlled increases as the technology gets better.

Written By

Born in the Boston area in 1959, I started writing in 1985. I live in Nashua NH with my wife and three cats. We have four kids in our blended family. I am an utter geek who's into gaming, horror, SF/fantasy, the Red Sox, trains, running, history, and a bunch of other things.

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