How smart technology can ensure a safe home

From security cameras to automated blinds, there’s a lot we can do to keep the house safe while we’re away.

Automated blinds and lighting

Your parents may have made this old joke before leaving the house: “We’ll keep the lights on so the burglars can see what they’re doing.” Of course, this was a mental note to make the house appear as though somebody was present.

In the modern day, it’s simply not energy-efficient or eco-friendly to leave your lights on for days on end. Instead, you can use automated lighting systems to remotely control your lights to turn on at night. This is ideal for when you’re gone days at a time – and you can set them to ambient settings to keep energy consumption down.

The same applies with automated blinds and curtains. You can hide any valuables from plain sight by programming blinds to shut while you’re away. All you need is an internet connection and a device, for example, an iPad. An added bonus is that you’ll protect furniture from fading with natural sunlight!

High visibility CCTV

Clients with high value homes will benefit from a closed-circuit television system. This is ideal both for when you’re away, or if you’re in the home. Our CCTV solutions allow you to view all areas of your home at once. All you need is a handheld device to view multiple screens. This is great if you’re home alone, or if unexpected visitors approach around Christmastime.

Motorised gates

You can extend these systems to a motorised gate – offering you a camera view of anybody trying to enter your home. This offers better security than a simple audio intercom system, and you may be able to ask visitors to show their identity badge before entering. You’ll also have time to alert the emergency services if you do feel unsafe.

Biometric controls

At SONA, we believe in using intuitive keypads that don’t confuse their owners. For added security, you can take this one step further, using a keycard or even biometric system. This uses a fingerprint scanner to allow access only to authorised individuals. Some systems may use retinal scans, which is often complementary to a wider CCTV system.

Don’t forget cybersecurity!

Christmas is a time when you’re likely to be throttling your internet – streaming Christmas specials and listening to music. You may also be sharing WiFi passwords with your nearest and dearest.

Don’t forget, Christmas is also a key time for scammers to strike, particularly through phishing emails. Our secure solutions can offer you remote monitoring 24 hours a day. You should also employ your own best practices, for example:

• Changing WiFi passwords if you have given them out
• Never logging onto non-secure systems
• Deleting emails with links from people you don’t know
• Ensuring any purchases you make over mobile devices are on a secure connection.

Feel safe and warm this Christmas

Wherever you are this Christmas, home or away, you deserve to feel safe. If you’d like to upgrade the security in your home, speak to the SONA team today.