There is no getting away from it: the nights are starting earlier and the weather has turned. It will be several months before the sun starts setting after 8pm again.
Not only does that mean winter is coming, it also means it is a good time to start looking at home security. Dark evenings are the perfect cover for potential burglars, so deterring any unwanted visitors is important.
Technology can help. From security cameras to smart alarms, there is something for all needs and all budgets.
Video doorbells
Security starts at the perimeter of your home and the easiest way to boost your home’s defences is with a video doorbell. Not only are they a good way to screen potential callers, but most of the video bells available on the market will allow you to talk to your potential visitors from afar, making it appear as if someone is at home even when the house is empty.
READ MORE
It can also be a good way to keep an eye on deliveries, and tell delivery drivers where to stash your packages so that, for example, they don’t accidentally go out with the recycling bin collection.
Choice used to be limited but it seems as if everyone is getting in on the video bell act now.
Before you buy, there are some things to consider. Do you need to pay extra to access historical footage? Will the subscription cover any other cameras in your home from the same provider? Can you install it yourself or will it require the intervention of a professional?
The first thing to consider, however, is video quality. Grainy footage and bad night vision will make your new security measure next to useless, while poor audio quality will make it frustrating to communicate with callers.
Those with smart home devices already in the home might want to look at the Google Nest Doorbell (€200), or Amazon’s Ring. You can link the bells to their respective smart displays so you can see who is at the door on your home hub, and both offer battery versions if you don’t want – or can’t have – a wired doorbell.
Amazon is the more budget-friendly of the two – you can pick up the wired version for about €60, with the battery and Pro options costing more. But you will also need an indoor chime or smart speaker, which increases the cost if you don’t want to be dependent on your smartphone when you are at home.
You will also need a subscription to gain access to historical footage, with Amazon only offering live footage free of charge.
Google’s bell can also be battery or wired, though the latter may require professional help. It has another advantage: it will process footage on the device, identifying packages, people, pets and cars, and you can choose what notifications you want to see. That helps to ensure you and your phone are not overwhelmed with data.
You get access to the past three hours of footage free; anything farther back than that will require a Google Home Premium (formerly Nest Aware) subscription, which costs €100 for the year and covers all Google cameras in your home.
For older people, the Doro Hemma bell (€170) can provide a feeling of extra security, with the option to link the bell to a family member. That allows calls to be transferred from the homeowner to a trusted friend or family member, so they can deal with the matter.
The bell doesn’t need a cloud storage service either, with support for a micro SD memory card to store footage.
Other options are Eufy, which offers the C30 (€90). The 2K video doorbell also uses local storage, which means no additional fees for accessing your footage.
Eufy products are not limited to one ecosystem, so they are a more versatile option for homeowners and you can connect them to Google or Amazon to use voice controls.
This does require a hub though, so you will need to factor that into the eventual cost.
Alarms
House alarms used to be a 50/50 bet. They would either be a deterrent to would-be burglars or a noisy signal that your home was empty and no one was coming any time soon to switch off the alarm.
Things are different now. From monitored alarms to smart systems that link into your home wifi, there are systems out there to suit all budgets. And with the technology available, you can keep a close eye on your home even when you are miles away.
You can do this in two ways: monitored alarms or smart systems that you can monitor yourself.
Most Irish people will remember Phonewatch from its days as an Eircom product but for the past 12 years it has been owned by Norwegian company Sector Alarm. The company offers a monitored alarm service, for which you pay a monthly fee, and has expanded its offering over the years from a simple perimeter alarm system to one that includes smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, security cameras, leak detectors and video doorbells.
Another option is HomeSecure, which was set up by former Phonewatch staff and is now, confusingly, owned by the same Norwegian company. You can set up different users with their own unique codes, and see at a glance if you’ve remembered to set the alarm, close the window or if someone has opened the door unexpectedly.
Some Irish companies are using Alarm.com’s system, a cloud-based smart alarm that includes schedules for setting the alarm when you are home at night, and can support other smart devices such as plugs, keyfobs, video cameras, doorbells and so on.
The technology comes from Alarm.com but the monitoring is carried out through your local alarm company, such as Action24 or Centaur Alarms.
Another option is Verisure, which offers similar services to the others – monitored alarms – but says it will also respond to potential medical emergencies and fires.
What if you don’t want the monitored element – or the monthly fee?
There are options out there that give you control over your home, and your budget.
Eufy has a home security kit (€180) that includes sensors for doors and windows, plus motion sensors and a keypad. You can install it all yourself, and monitor it via the app. It is easy enough to add extra sensors if you need them, rather than requesting an alarm company to come to fit them.
Yale offers a similar starter kit (€510), but you can add up to 100 accessories to the system. It also has the security of the Yale name to fall back on.
Cameras
Security cameras have also got smarter over the years, increasing their resolution and features. They can now detect familiar faces and will use AI to make alerts smarter and more relevant.
TP Link’s Tapo range of cameras are budget-friendly but still smart, while Eufy’s range of cameras will work indoors and around the perimeter of your home. Those two brands offer two-way communication through the cameras and, crucially, local storage, cutting out the subscription cost to access your footage.
Google has just unveiled new Nest cameras for both indoor (€100) and outdoor (€150) use. They come with 2K resolution, better field of vision and are built for the new generation of AI applications in your home. Instead of a generic motion detection, the cameras will be able to tell you what is going on – the cat jumped off the wall, for example.
You will also be able to ask Google Home for information on something that has happened in your home – what happened to the broken TV, for example – and it will give you any information it has along with relevant video clips. Those extra AI features will require the previously mentioned Google Home Premium subscription, however.
Smart locks
High-tech locks for your home have been around for a while, but the big question people ask is why?
There are some good reasons to upgrade the humble door lock. There is the convenience element. Some allow you to enter without keys, using bluetooth and an app on your phone to unlock the door. Others have RFID tags or fobs to grant you entry, or codes to punch in to unlock the door.
There is also more control than simply handing over a key. It means you can grant temporary or scheduled access for regular visitors, disabling it when it is no longer needed, and you can see who is coming and going from your home via the door’s activity. There are no keys to replace either, with the digital keys protected by your phone’s security, usually an additional Pin code on your phone, and easily disabled in seconds if you lose your phone.
Security company Yale offers several bluetooth and wifi-connected locks. The Yale Conexis L2 (€360) is a good option for those who don’t want something that screams “smart lock”. It looks almost like a standard Yale door handle, but it has an RFID reader on the front, and a wireless module inside that allows wifi connections. You can grant access through the app, unlocking the door on command, and it is compatible with most PVC and composite lift-to-lock doors.
Another option is Loqed (€300), which works in a similar way to the Conexis L2, but can also work with doors that do not lift the handle to lock. It also opens at a touch when it detects your smartphone is close enough, and if you forget your phone or it runs out of battery, you can open the door with a backup code. It also has a tamper alarm to deter intruders.
Smart home company Switchbot does something different: it can lock and unlock doors that use a key. There is no lock swapping here, so it is easier and quicker to fit. The Lock Ultra (€160) is the starting point, and it unlocks using fingerprint, auto unlock, your phone’s NFC, a voice command or through your smartwatch. It also has tamper alerts.
Upgrade to the Lock Ultra Vision Combo (€380) and you add facial recognition to gain entry to your home.
There are some things to be aware of before you make the change though. If you feel more comfortable with a key backup, you will need to look at the wider Yale range for a suitable option. Also, take note of how the lock is powered – usually AA batteries – and keep a stock on hand for when you get the inevitable low-battery alert. Most important is how secure the lock is, so look for high levels of encryption and accreditation for smart locks.
