The dark days of the year are coming, so it is time to make your home a bit safer against burglars. Of course, you can have a fully integrated alarm system installed, but those who don’t (yet) have a budget for it can help themselves with these ‘smart’ security solutions.
Nest Cam Outdoor
The popular Google Nest Cam has also had an outdoor version since last year: the Nest Cam Outdoor, available in a duo pack for which you pay less than 400 dollars. For that money, you get two cameras that can alert you to unwanted people. The cameras record images with a full HD resolution (1,920 at 1,080 pixels) at 30 images per second.
They can also detect noise: so you also get a notification (if you want) when people in the neighborhood talk or when dogs bark. Those already advanced detection functions come with a monthly subscription.
Philips Hue Outdoor outdoor sensor
One of the typical advice against burglars is to keep the lights on the outside or to make them switch on when someone comes close to you. A while ago, Philips launched outdoor versions of the smart Hue lamps, which you can also program or remotely switch on and off via an app on your smartphone. Signify, recently, it also added a motion detector, so that the lights can also switch on automatically.
Aeotec door and window sensor
Integrated alarm systems often also have door and window sensors that let you know if something is being opened illegally along the outside of the house. You can also find these door and window sensors separately in the trade.
This from Aeotec only works with the do-it-yourself home automation system Z-Wave, and therefore requires some programming skills. But it does have an advanced function: it also records – with a minimum of 5 degrees – the angle at which a window is open.
Netatmo smart smoke detector
You can also find products that make your house fire-resistant in the store rack. The Netatmo Smart Smoke Alarm is a standard optical smoke detector that emits a clearly audible alarm when it detects smoke. In addition, it has smart functionality, with which the device – wherever you are – can give you a notification of perceived smoke or fire.
Moreover, it can autonomously check the state of the battery, smoke detection sensor, and Wi-Fi connection. An additional advantage is that the battery must be guaranteed to last for the entire life of the smoke detector (10 years), whereas regular batteries usually have to be replaced after one year.
Nest Hello doorbell
Smart doorbells entered the market in 2017, and Google also introduced the Nest Hello into the Nest system quite quickly. What can you expect from such a doorbell? The camera sends the feed in high definition to your smartphone via a sensor that records every movement for your doorbell.
The camera does not necessarily recognize who is standing; it requires a particular subscription to save specific faces in the system.
