Multiple Uses for Home Security Solutions

Most people think of home security in terms of protecting their home from burglary. Today’s advanced home security solutions accomplish that goal more effectively than ever. But that’s not all they do. Thanks to modern technology and the Internet, home security solutions have gotten “smart.”

The Interactive Home

As security expert Peter Rogers explained in his Five Predictions for the Home Alarm Industry in 2013, industry leaders are continuing to offer more interactive services.  We believe home interactivity is the wave of the future, integrating multiple areas of functionality, including home security.

Take, for example the newly evolved "Infocommunications" movement, defined on Wikipedia as the convergence of telecom and entertainment:

Info communications is the natural expansion of telecommunications with information processing and content handling functions including all types of electronic communications (fixed and mobile telephony, data communications, media communications, broadcasting, etc.) on common digital technology base, mainly through Internet technology.

Consumers now have internet-connected TV's, on which they can not only watch their favorite broadcast content, but also surf the Web and check their email. In other words, they can interact with their TV, integrating multiple activities in a single device.  In the home of the future, it's likely that a single interface, such as the home alarm system, could control all aspects of the home's functionality, from communications to security to utilities.

Home Security Solutions and Home Automation

Luckily, you don’t have to wait for the “future” to find a home security solution that integrates your utilities. Advanced solutions such as the system from FrontPoint Security can automate features such as your lights, thermostat and small appliances. The interactive nature of the security solution’s control panel allows you to manage all functionality remotely, through any device that’s connected to the Internet. In other words, if you own a web-enabled smartphone, you can control both your home security and your home utilities from anywhere in the world, any time of the day or night.

Besides the obvious convenience of this remote functionality, your advanced home security solution also offers energy conservation – and the related financial savings. For example, you don’t need the lights and the heat on all day while you’re at work, yet you hate to come home to a cold, dark house. With home automation, you can turn the heat up or down anytime, or set the lights to run on a schedule.

There are also security benefits to home automation. For example, you can turn lights on and off, even when you’re away on vacation. The crooks will think someone’s home, and stay away. Or you can control your door locks with automated keypad entry, and change the entry codes when certain visitors are no longer authorized (contractors finished with their work, irresponsible babysitters, annoying in-laws, etc.)

Streaming Video

The best home security solutions now include a video option. You can place one or more wireless video cameras in strategic locations around your home, driveway or backyard, then view the live footage anytime you like. The video will stream over the Internet, 24/7. Of course it will be hosted on a secure, password-protected platform, where no one but you will have access to it.

Another option is to set your cameras to record video anytime they detect motion. You’ll receive a text or email notifying you that a video clip is available to view. The system will store all the clips for your viewing convenience.

The security benefits of video are clear. But for many customers, the primary benefit is the video’s ability to keep them connected to the home and family. Many families use cameras as pet- or nanny-cams.

Staying Connected

Customers often cite “staying connected” as one of the best side benefits to owning an interactive home security solution. It’s the perfect way to accommodate a hectic, mobile lifestyle. Interactive solutions are equipped with mobile apps, for up-to-the-minute info on what’s happening at home. If any security sensors trigger at the house, you’ll receive instant notification. Again, you can access and control your home security via your computer, tablet or smartphone. Log into your online portal to check status and history. Customize your user access codes to track exactly who is entering or leaving the house.

Geo Tracking

The latest in advanced mobile apps for security solutions is known as “geo tracking” or “geo services.” Geo stands for geographic. If you opt for geo services, your home will know where you are, based on your cell phone tracking signal. The home can then “act” accordingly, based on commands you program in. For example, it can automatically signal you if you moved outside your “geo fence” (a pre-determined distance from your house) without arming your security system or closing the garage door. It can automatically disarm your system right before you return, as it tracks your approach. This technology is fairly new, but promises to have many convenient, time-saving applications.

So, how much do you have to pay for all this amazing functionality? Advanced home security companies like FrontPoint offer all of the above just as affordably as many of the more basic systems. For more information, please visit our website at www.frontpointsecurity.com.