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A Smart Home is a Secure Home
You’ve put time, money and energy into finding a home you love, and now you need to make sure it stays safe and secure. Luckily, smart gadgets have made it easy to protect your home and family, even when you aren’t there.
Our team at Primary Residential Mortgage, Inc. put together this list to help you defend your home against burglary, package theft, water damage and health hazards.
1. Change all the exterior locks
Replace your locks as soon as possible. Even if you trust the seller not to use their old keys, you don’t know who else may have copies.
While you’re updating your locks, you might as well spring for newer smart locks. That way you’ll be able to lock and unlock your door remotely so you never have to worry about whether you’ve left the door unlocked. Plus, if you do have trusted visitors stopping by while you’re out, you can let them in or give them a code instead of making copies of your physical keys.
2. Install smoke alarms and CO detectors
Home security is about more than protecting your property, it’s also about making sure your home is safe for everyone who lives there.
At the bare minimum you should have a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector on every level of your home and near any areas where people sleep.
If you’re willing to pay a little bit more, a smart smoke and CO alarm is a great investment. Smart alarms can alert you to smoke or dangerous CO gas even when you’re not at home—that way you can call the fire department or tell your kids to get out of the house if you get a notification while you’re at the office.
3. Place outdoor security cameras and motion sensor lights near entrances
Protect your home’s entrances with security cameras and lights. Cameras help prevent unwanted visitors from getting too close while lights keep the pathway lit to prevent slips, trips and falls.
In most cases, you’ll want a security camera near any doors (side door, back door, etc.) and near your garage.
You should also consider a doorbell video camera. Doorbell cameras let you see who is at your front door and speak with them if needed. Plus, they’re ideally positioned to discourage or catch package thieves—especially essential if you do a lot of online shopping.
4. Consider getting indoor cameras or motion sensors for dangerous areas
No house is perfect or completely childproof. Despite your best efforts, there are probably areas in your house that are a bit dangerous for kids or pets, whether it’s your garage, storage room, or cleaning closet.
Since you can’t always keep an eye on everything, motion sensors and indoor cameras are a great tool for protecting risky areas. That way, if your kids do wander somewhere they shouldn’t, you’ll know quickly.
5. Get smart plugs for lights and appliances
Smart plugs are an inexpensive way to turn regular appliances into smart ones. Get them for your lamps and small appliances. Plugging your lamps into smart plugs means you can control them remotely. Great for conserving energy or making your home look occupied even if no one is around. Smart plugs can also help you control appliances that could be a fire hazard, whether it’s your curling iron or toaster oven. Unsure whether or not you turned something off? Just check the app.
6. Install smart water leak sensors around your home
Water damage can be catastrophic and expensive. Stay on top of it by installing smart water leak sensors so you’ll know if there’s water filling your basement before it’s too late to prevent long-term damage.
Water leak sensors are helpful in high risk areas including:
- Kitchen and bathroom sinks
- Near your clothes washer
- Behind the refrigerator
- Under your dishwasher
- Near your water heater
- Behind your toilets
- In your basement and near any sump pump
While smart tech can’t solve every problem, these little upgrades can go a long way toward helping you protect your home and loved-ones.