A lot has changed in the home security space since the industry became digital. Today, security technology is so much more capable than it was as recently as 10 years ago. And at the heart of modern home security are two things that make an extraordinary difference: smart sensors and real-time alerts.
It has been said that smart sensors and real-time alerts are the backbone of modern home protection. Why? Because the combination of both turns a collection of security devices from a passive recording system into an active response system. Rather than just demonstrating what happened after the fact, modern home security tells you what is happening in the moment. It is the difference between a delayed reaction and intervening in the early stages of an emergency.
More About Smart Sensors
Sensors are the ears and eyes of a home security system, according to the experts at Vivint Home Security. In the early days, the primary sensors in a basic security system were the entry sensors on doors and windows and the motion detectors placed throughout a home. But modern technology has given rise to a whole new selection of smart sensors.
Unlike traditional sensors that can only detect physical conditions and generate raw analog signals, smart sensors can condition signals. They can also convert analog signals to digital and process data internally. It is easy to see the practical implications by comparing a traditional security camera with its smart counterpart.
A traditional camera can only capture footage and store or transmit it elsewhere. A homeowner or monitoring center employee must view video footage to determine what is happening during an alert. Maybe an alert was triggered because the family cat parked itself in front of the camera and started giving itself a bath.
A smart camera has onboard data processing capabilities. It can distinguish between humans and animals. Here is the difference: the family cat is less likely to trigger an alert. As such, the smart camera cuts down on false alarms that are both inconvenient and potentially costly.
More About Real-Time Alerts
Smart sensors would have limited value if homeowners still received security alerts the old-fashioned way. Back in the day, alerts were sent in one of two ways: a message to the homeowner’s email address or a phone call from the monitoring center. Both are subject to delays. As for real-time alerts, they are a genuine game changer.
Real-time alerts turn sensor data into immediate action. When a smart camera triggers a genuine alert, a push notification is sent to the homeowner through a mobile app on his phone. For redundancy’s sake, email and text messages can also be sent. Within seconds, the homeowner has an opportunity to figure out what is going on and determine a response.
This kind of speed is especially important for homeowners who choose to monitor their systems themselves. Without the help of remote monitoring personnel, such homeowners are responsible for responding to every alert that comes in. And as Vivint explains, every second counts when an emergency is unfolding at home.
Real-time alerts also keep homeowners in the know when they are hundreds of miles away. A homeowner can be on vacation and still be kept apprised of any potential problems. That is certainly better than waiting to get home after a week-long vacation to discover that a burst pipe in the basement has created a flood.
It’s Not Just Security Cameras
Mentioning a flooded basement reveals something else about smart sensors and real-time alerts: their benefits aren’t limited just to video cameras. Modern technology offers a whole slew of sensors that weren’t available to home security customers 20 years ago. The flood sensor is one of them.
A flood sensor does just what its name implies: it monitors for the presence of water and sends an alert if necessary. Mounting one at the base of your furnace could be a game changer if you live in a flood-prone area. It could save you a lot of money if you live in a region where extremely cold winters are known to break pipes.
Today’s home security customers have access to:
- Smart motion detectors
- Smart smoke and carbon monoxide sensors
- Smart video doorbells
- Smart motion-sensitive lighting
- Smart medical monitoring
With every smart sensor in a home comes the capability to respond much more quickly to emergencies. And when every second counts, even the slightest delay can make a big difference. It doesn’t make sense to continue thinking of home security in terms of first- and second-generation technology. Modern technology is far superior.
An Aware and Responsive System
The key to making the most of smart sensors and real-time alerts is learning how to use them together. Smart sensors detect and artificially understand events. Alerts deliver those events to the homeowner, remote monitoring center, or both. So when you pair them, you end up with a system that is both aware and responsive.
For example, a window entry sensor can trigger an instant alert when a burglar begins tampering with the window. The homeowner, made aware by a real-time alert, can immediately contact the local authorities for help. That means an increased likelihood that the police will arrive while the burglar is still in the house.
Another benefit of pairing the two is being able to support home automation routines. Consider automated lighting on the exterior of a home. If a light’s motion detector is triggered, the light goes on. But the system can also be programmed to activate security cameras at the same time. They can start recording footage long before a burglar would trigger their motion sensors.
It’s About Proactive Protection
When you begin exploring the benefits of smart sensors and real-time alerts, it becomes increasingly clear that combining the two is really about proactive protection. Smart sensors and real-time alerts transform a security system into an active security partner of sorts. The system doing its job contributes to a homeowner’s overall safety and convenience.