In the age of modern technology, installing a home security system is becoming as commonplace as installing air conditioning. Due to COVID-19, people have spent more time in their homes than ever before. This has led to an influx of new threats.
With more delivery people coming to doorsteps and an increase in cyberattacks, there is a dire need for security and safety measures to be installed in the home. This is where smart home security becomes a necessity, even in a post-pandemic world.
The Importance of Keeping Your Home Safe
Smart home security systems are important for various reasons such as being able to monitor the activity inside and outside of your home, whether that be cameras on your doorstep or strengthened cybersecurity.
Keeping your home safe and secure should be your number one priority to set your mind at ease. Not only is the home a place of downtime and rest, but for a lot of people, it is now an office and a school for their children as well. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in February of 2021, almost 1 in 4 people worked from home.
In the same month, 82 percent of schools offered remote instruction and 42 percent of students decided to learn remotely. With lockdowns and spending more time indoors, children are constantly using chatrooms and social media apps, which increases their risk of being exploited.
Parents should beware of sex offenders on media platforms and should work towards creating a sound cybersecurity system that ensures children’s safety. Not only is online safety an issue, but in-person safety as well. Even pre-pandemic, more people have been shopping online and having groceries delivered right to their door.
This can cause unease as more people are exposed to the home. It is important to look at the latest trends in home security in the U.S. to see how smart home security works to make our homes a safe space.
5 Latest Trends Home Security in the US
1. Voice Control And Visual Recognition on AI
Voice control and visual recognition are two great features that can ensure the safety of the home. Through having voice control, members of the home can talk to those on the doorstep through cameras or doorbells with video security. Some doorbell security systems can even use facial recognition to recognize specific faces of family and friends.
Through this technology, people can see and easily communicate with delivery drivers and strangers without unlocking their doors. Lights can even be switched on if a person is spotted within the vicinity, alerting the person that someone is home. This can lead to less stealing from doorsteps and fewer break-ins of the car and home.
With certain mobile apps, you can even have eyes on your home from anywhere in the world and can monitor the movements around your home. Voice control and visual recognition allow users to be knowledgeable on who exactly they let on their doorstep and who they decide to communicate with.
2. Child-Friendly Features
Many people use smart home security systems that are a central hub for many different aspects of the home. This includes keeping track of things like carbon monoxide and smoke alarms, the temperature of faucets, and safety gates for stairways and windows.
With the rise of new technology, there are multiple ways to ensure that your home is child-friendly externally and internally, including becoming hyper-aware of the increase of cyberattacks.
3. Cybersecurity Protection
With the increase of more devices on your home network comes an increase of susceptibility to data breaches from security and cyberattacks. Nowadays, all of our information is stored online whether that be our social security numbers, banking information, or personal documents.
Not only is our information online, but our children’s as well. Many schools have turned to Zoom calls and video messaging platforms due to COVID. In order to protect ourselves and our children, it is pertinent that we install security systems that protect us from illegitimate sites.
4. Predictive Data Analysis
Protection from illegitimate sites can come in the form of predictive data analysis. Predictive data analysis is cybersecurity that has the capability to predict what is going to happen in the future based on what has happened in the past.
Instead of letting you know that your computer is filled with viruses, predictive data analysis can let you know what sites and programs will cause the viruses. This way, your information isn’t exposed to illegitimate sites.
Through your security system, you are predicted and warned away from sites that may be trying to steal your information and exploit you. Setting up strong cybersecurity can provide you with a predictive data analysis that can protect you as you work from home, or as your child attends school online.
5. What to Do if Your Home Is Compromised
If your home is compromised and your data has been breached, it’s important to make sure you take action immediately. Since some sites store your personal information, your identity and savings could be at risk. You should first close your credit cards and change all of your passwords for your online banking.
If you suspect that your social security number has been compromised, there are certain actions you can take. A fraud alert should be filed on your credit reports. You will then have to wait for your credit reports to come back and track them carefully to find anything that reflects behavior other than your own.
If you stop receiving your mail or are receiving phone calls about purchases you have not made, it probably means your accounts have been hacked and need to be closed.
Conclusion
Smart home security isn’t a far-away futuristic goal, but one that is feasible in our modern age. It is a technology that not only makes our lives easier but safer as well. Who wouldn’t want to feel as though they are well protected and safe in the comfort of their own home?
As we spend more of our time indoors, it is time that we protect ourselves from potential security threats and live without fear of our homes being compromised. If being stuck at home has taught us anything, it’s that our homes need to feel like a haven when times get tough.
Technology is becoming a well part of our lives. It’s making a lot changes in our daily lives as well as our home equipments.