We all know smartphones are handy for sending emails, watching videos,checking the weather and of course speaking with friends and family, but did you know they can also be used to protect your family, home and business?
Alarm companies – as with nearly every industry – are finding ways to use smartphones to make their services easier to use and even more valuable.
Forget to turn on your security system when you left the house? Not a problem. There are applications that let you activate your alarm right from your phone – no matter where you are.Your smartphone can even remind you to turn on your alarm system when it detects you’ve left your property without arming it.
The opposite, of course, is being able to turn off your system when you’re not there. This comes in handy when a repair man needs to come by in the middle of the day. You don’t want to leave the alarm off all day, but you can’t be there to let him in. Having the ability to remotely let him in can prove to be very helpful, and it’s completely possible.
Some apps even allow you to control your garage door – even when you aren’t in the driveway.You can check the status of your garage door to see if you’ve left it open when you left the house that morning and,if so,you can close it remotely. The app will also notify you when someone else opens the garage – alerting you of any unexpected visitors to your home.
If that isn’t advanced enough, certain security system phone apps allow you to watch live video of your home or business. This is a great tool when you are on vacation and don’t have anyone to keep an eye on your house. You may even be able to set it to record during certain hours of the day, or set it to notify you if motion is detected or an alarm is triggered. You can use this feature to see if someone is coming up your driveway or just to check that your children have safely arrived home from school.
Another benefit newer security systems offer is the opportunity to save energy. Some apps allow you to adjust the thermostat while you are away to make sure that your home is always at the most efficient energy-saving temperature.You can also control the lights in your house with a simple touch on your smartphone.
Other home security systems use your smartphone’s GPS to detect when you’ve left for work or have come back home. If you set this feature up, your system can automatically adjust your air conditioning to the proper setting without you even having to think about it.
With these features, you can always be up to date about what is going on at your home and your business. You no longer have to worry that you didn’t leave your home as secure as possible. It’s amazing what technology can do to keep you safe these days. Who knows what the future will bring to the security industry.
Photo Credit: Flickr/Cheon Fong Liew
