Home security is always on people's minds, whether they are homeowners, renters, live in the city or out in a rural town -- everyone wants their home to be safe. With heightened feelings of insecurity rampant, many Americans do not feel safe, despite the fact that crime rates have been steadily falling since the 1980s. Home invasion crimes, in particular, have experience a steady drop. But a few very public tragedies have shaken the confidence of many and, in light of the fact that we can't be home all the time, people are turning to private companies in increasing numbers.
Luckily, home security might just be as easy as using an iPad or iPhone.
The Age of iProtection
Technology is all around us. We use it every day for everything, from staying in touch to entertainment to earning a living. It makes sense that people are using their iPhones and iPads to better their home security. We've gotten to a point where it's out of the ordinary to not have our phones with us, so we might as well start using them to protect our homes while we're away.
Older, dated security systems can be difficult to use, easily bypassed, and often give false alarms. Everyone with a home security feeling has experienced the heart stopping shock when someone else in the house trips the alarm in the middle of the night and had trouble trying to punch the code in. How many false alarms, calling the police and getting worried when the security system was set off accidentally, does it take before home security becomes the story of the boy who cried wolf?
Other methods are just as faulty. Having a dog is great for home protection, but people in the city can't keep large guard dogs and they may need protection the most living in areas with more break-ins. Posting stickers and signs warning burglars that there is a security system might ward off break-ins, or it might tell them exactly what brand of system they have to get by, and maybe they know exactly how to bypass it.
Technology is doing its best to put the control back into the homeowners' hands. There are tons of smart phone compatible apps and gadgets that are making home security easier to manage, more effective, and more exact.
The Best Home Protection Apps
So how can we turn our phones into a home security system? Here are three simple ways that this familiar technology is being used in new and helpful ways:
What This New Tech Means for the Future of Home Security
All of these apps and devices are moving us forward to safer homes, fewer false alarms, and more control for homeowners. There's no more worrying if the security system is turned on and people are immediately alerted if the system does do off while they're away. We use our smart phones for everything else, why not use them to protect our homes and families, too?