Top Tips: Ensuring home security when abroad
Holidays are a chance to escape, unwind and relax. Making sure your home is properly secure is vital to give you the peace of mind to be able to switch off properly. New-build homes tend to be more secure than older properties and Countryside’s ‘secure by design’ locking system is fitted as standard to windows and doors on our new homes. But regardless of where you live, new technology can help you to keep your home and belongings safe as you jet off to sunnier climes.
- Smart bulbs have become a staple in the realm of home automation. They can be controlled remotely, scheduled, and customised to give the illusion of someone being at home even when you’re in a different country. As well as offering security benefits they can also provide convenience, being set to switch on as you return home. If that all sounds a bit too confusing, a simple plug timers can also be used to turn lamps or TVs on and off, adding to the illusion that someone is home.
- Smart doorbells can be set to alert you, via your smartphone, whenever someone rings on or is near to your front door. Some provide access to a camera where you can both see and interact with people through a speaker and microphone, giving you peace of mind even when abroad.
- Cameras were once an expensive and complicated option for home security. But smart technology has made them much easier and cheaper to install and monitor. Even a cheap replica camera can be an excellent deterrent.
- Smart locks have yet to become widespread but offer some useful benefits. You can check a door is locked from anywhere in the world and, if you need to let someone in for any reason while you’re away – for example a cleaner, tradesperson, or a friend to water the houseplants – you can do so via your mobile phone.
