BBC Focus - 09.2019

W H Y W O U L D I WA N T A ‘ S M A R T ’
SECURITY SYSTEM?
Home security no longer means slapping a
big, ugly box to the side of your house, nor
does it demand an expensive professional
to hardwire your new system in place. e
smart home has ushered in a DIY security
revolution: you can now build a decent
security system in less than 30 minutes, with
your smartphone acting as the controller.
Smart home security systems beat traditional
ones not just by eliminating hey installation
fees and long-term contracts, but in sheer
convenience too.

WHAT DO I NEED TO GET STARTED?
Smart home security encompasses a wide
range of gadgets, from cameras to doorbells,
sensors to smoke alarms – but don’t let it
overwhelm you. Sure, maybe you want the full
Fort Knox, but for the humble homestead a
couple of indoor cameras and sensors can do
the trick. Most smart home systems revolve
around a hub, which connects to your Wi-Fi
and talks to all the other ‘smart’ devices
around the house. Cameras and motion

sensorsarethemostcommonofthese,but

you canalsoaddwaterleaksensors,smoke

detectorsandglass-breakingsensors.

WHAT’SSOSMARTABOUTTHEM?

Smartsystemsgiveyoumoreinsightinto

what’shappeningthantraditionalsystems,

includingnoticationsonyourphone

whensensorsaretriggered,andvideoclips

of anysuspectactivitytakingplace.Using

yourphoneyoucanarm/disarmthesystem

remotely,and,if youhaveanysmartlocks,

lockyourdoorswiththetapofanapp.Some

smartlocksevenletyoucreate‘virtualkeys’

so friendsandfamilycanenterthehome

whenyou’renotthere,whilecamerasand

doorbellscanbetrainedtorecognisefamiliar

facesandletyouknowwho’sknocking.

SHOULDI BUYAPACKAGESYSTEM?

It dependsonyoursetup.Companieslike

SimpliSafeoercomprehensivesystemsmade

of a centralhubanda fewsensors,withthe

optiontoaddcameras,keyfobsandsirensas

desired.If you’renotsurehowmanydevices

you need,lookoutfor‘starterkits’.eseserve

as a greatjumping-opoint,andareoen

bettervaluethanbuyingindividualdevices.

Andwhilemostsmartsecuritysystemsare

designedtokeepdrillusageandcable-running

to a minimum,somedooerprofessional

installationshouldyoustillwantit.

WHATIFI RENTORLIVEINAFLAT?

Smarthomecompaniesaregradually

adaptingtorentersandat-dwellers.Still,

you’llhitsomelimitations.Forexample,an

outdoorcameramightnotbeanoptionin

a sharedbuilding,andyou’llwanttocheck

withyourlandlordbeforechoppingothe

deadboltforsomethingsmarter.Luckily,

somesecuritysystemsworkgreatforats

too, asdomanyoftheindoorcamerasand

sensorsyoucanpickupindividually.We’re

evenstartingtoseesmartdoorbellsthatare

perfectlydesignedforapartmentliving.

HOWIMPORTANTAREHOMEKIT,

ALEXAANDGOOGLEASSISTANT?

is mattersmoreif you’rebuyingdevices

piecebypiece,asyou’llwanta certain

amountofinteroperabilitytokeepthings

runningandreducethenumberofapps.

Myadviceis tochoosethesystemthatbest

worksforyourhome,andworryabout

therestlater.Luckily,manymajorsystems

supportbothassistantsanyway.If you’re

a die-hardAppleuser,youcanbuilda

decentsecuritysystemarounditsHomeKit

platform,thankstoa growingnumberof

individualdevicesthatplaynicely.

ARETHEREALOTOFONGOINGFEES?

erecanbe.Mostsystemsoera level

ofserviceforfree,butsomewillrequire

monthlypaymentstoletyoustorevideo

footageinthecloudoraccessspecial

featureslikepersondetection.Youdon’t

needallthebellsandwhistles,butyou

shouldconsiderpayingforprofessional

monitoringif yoursystemsupportsit,so

youcandispatchtheauthoritiesif needed.

Payingforcellularbackupis alsoworthit,

incaseyourWi-Figoesdown.

IF YOU’RE GOING ON

HOLIDAY, OR ARE JUST OUT

AT WORK ALL DAY, YOU

MIGHT BE TEMPTED TO

BUY SOME SMART HOME

SECURITY. TECH EXPERT

HUGH LANGLEY GIVES US

THE LOWDOWN

“Somesmartlocks

letyoucreate‘virtual

keys’sofriendscan

enterthehomewhen

you’re not there”

SMART HOME SECURITY

Troubleshoot

HUGH LANGLEY (@H u gh Lan g l e y)

Hugh is editor at The Ambient, which is dedicated

to demystifying smart homes, and Wareable,

which covers wearable technology.

RADAR