5 Smart Home Security Gadgets For Your Apartment
Even if you’re renting a flat or living in an apartment block where exterior aesthetic features need to be identical you can still take your home security to the next level. The following product categories include options for apartments that are portable and just plain practical.
Smart Lighting
Smart lighting is a good place to start building your smart apartment. Smart bulbs last for as long as two decades and if you find yourself moving, they’re moveable too. You can turn lights on and off when you’re not at home to make it seem like you’re present by simply using the accompanying smartphone app.
Some products are primed for voice activation for when you are actually in situ and don’t want to get out of bed to hit switches. If you have desk lights or lamps with regular bulbs, smart plugs are the solution. Connect your lamps to the connected plug and like magic, they become smart lights – able to be scheduled remotely. Millennials would say this is pretty lit overall.
Smart Sensors
These are great for apartments – they stick on wherever you need them to be, and you can pull them off when your time’s up at a particular location. Some sensors are bulky, and others like those used for windows and doors, are fairly unnoticeable.
Sensors are there to detect and then activate a number of functions such as alerts to you and/or a monitoring company as well as alarms and lights. You can always cut out the monitoring vendor and save costs if you think you’re up to the task of always being receptive to alerts (even in meetings and at yoga retreats) and calling relevant authorities to respond to the situation if necessary.
Once installed, try to remember that you now have a smart apartment so that you won’t trigger the alarm and well, alarm your very close neighbours.
Smart Cameras
Some smart cameras are super budget-friendly and come with adhesive bases so you won’t leave gaping holes on your landlord’s walls. You can buy a smart camera and have that be the extent to which you delve into the smart home universe.
You’ll likely have the capabilities of motion and sound-detection, two-way audio so you can speak and listen to whoever is in your house, and free cloud storage for a decent amount of time. On top of all that, with a geofencing setting, smart cameras can switch on only when you and the other members of your household leave home.
Once you’ve set GPS coordinates for ‘Home’ on your phone, anytime you diverge from these coordinates, the camera activates so you can keep a beady eye on your sanctuary while still feeling like you’re not on Big Brother. Perhaps you’re a suspicious home-based employer and you want to keep an eye on staff? The camera can always stay on all the time. Whether the staff stay on is another matter entirely.
Smart Locks
There are easily installable and easily removable smart locks on the market. Pick a side of the door you want to slide it on and it’ll be ready to use almost instantly. It’s the perfect way to comply with aesthetic regulations while incorporating innovation like geofencing into your daily routine. It’s also very convenient if you own an apartment that you use as a BnB as guests can receive temporary passwords that allow them into the property.
Smart Beyond Crime
Keeping a home secure doesn’t just involve shielding it from criminals. It also means making sure that carbon monoxide, fires from malfunctioning electrics as well as water leaks or overflows are promptly detected and conveyed to homeowners. Get yourself a Wi-Fi enabled smart battery that fits into your normal smoke alarm for starters and you’ll get alerts on your phone if something goes awry.
Clearly, living in an apartment does not preclude anyone from taking a modern approach to domestic security beyond the protection that comes with living in a gated residential complex or high rise. Failing all that, and for the ultimate peace of mind, it’s a good idea to get an insurance quote on your flat’s contents in addition to the insurance your landlord has taken out on the property.