What even is smart home security? 

While sunning yourself on a beach somewhere, the last thing you want to be worried about is the safety of your home.

What’s the best way to keep an eye on things while you’re away? Well, a smart home security system could be the perfect answer.

And it can be controlled by your phone too. That means you can check out what’s going on at home wherever you are. If that happens to be a Go Roam destination, it won’t cost you any extra to check it either.  Sounds good, right?

Not entirely sure what a smart home security system is? We’ve got everything you need to know right here.

Chances are, you already know a little bit about smart homes. They’re more popular than ever with a quarter of UK households now using smart devices.

And although being able to turn your lights off without getting out of bed is super-handy – it’s not just about convenience.  There’s a whole range of smart accessories you can connect wirelessly and use to protect your home.

Put off would-be intruders with lights/TV/music scheduled to come on at certain times while you’re away. It makes it look like you’re at home without needing to copy that famous Home Alone Christmas party set-up.

And you can keep an eye on things from the beach with smart cameras and sensors too.

Sound like a bit of you but not sure where to start? We’ve done the leg work for you and put together some info on a few essential pieces of kit.

Let’s start at the beginning – you’ll need a smart home hub. It’s the all-important centre of your smart home and lets you control each of your smart devices.

From there, you can schedule when you want stuff to happen. Like setting the lights to come on at set times or having the heating come on in time for you arriving home.

Most smart home hubs also have an app that you can use instead, even when you’re not home.

The easiest way to check out what’s happening at home when you’re not there is by using cameras.

Why pick a smart camera over standard CCTV though? Well, a smart camera will record what’s going on and you can check the live stream on your phone too. You can either watch it there and then or save it to watch later.

Smart cameras offer features like facial recognition, 2-way talk, and some can even make a sound to scare off intruders.  So, they should definitely be on your smart home shopping list.

Next up: smart sensors. They’re an important part of your home security system.  Place them around your home, on windows, doors or anywhere you fancy. And if triggered, they’ll set off your alarm and send a notification to let you know.

Visible burglar alarms are well known to put off any would-be intruders. So, adding them to your smart home security system’s a no-brainer. If it gets triggered, it’ll send a notification to you and any other nominated family or friends. You can control it using the app, turning it off or on as you need to.

Setting up a smart home can be pricey. If you’re on a tight budget, smart plugs might be the cheapest and easiest way to do it. They’re reasonably priced and easy to use. Just plug them into a normal plug socket and they’ll make any appliances you plug into them ‘smart’.

Although you can’t use them to control your main lights, you can use them with lamps. Schedule them to come on at certain times of day to make it look like you’re at home.

Now you’re up to speed on smart home security – all you need to do is get started.  Get using that all-important phone and keep you home safe and secure.