It’s occasionally easy to forget just how quickly home security technology advances. After all, for many of us, it starts and ends with an ADT home security subscription. Even so, the industry marches, and sometime sprints onward.
The next few years promise to be exciting ones for home security experts. Several emerging trends will likely lead to sea changes in the products and services we rely on to keep our homes safe. At the moment, some of the largest influencers on the field include:
The Emergence of Smart House Security
The term “smart house” is a relatively recent one, coined to cover a wide spread of home automation functions that have sprung up over the last few years. At root, just about any building that allows a resident to digitally control or program electronic appliances or devices.
Take the Nest line of products, for example. These upscale thermostats, cameras, and smoke alarms offer an even more modern twist on the smart house by featuring learning software. A Nest thermostat will calculate comfortable temperatures after a couple weeks of use, then automate heating and cooling systems. The result is a comfy climate, and a lower energy bill.
Smart houses have only recently begun to truly become widespread, however, and home security is rushing to catch up. One of the biggest stars of this year’s edition of CES, one of the world’s largest consumer trade shows, was the Lyric home security system by Honeywell.
Lyric ties security cams, motion detectors, and similar devices into a smart house format, allowing residents to use them remotely and in concert with other appliances. For example, an “end of day” program might turn off lights, activate fans, lock doors, and arm motion detectors, all with a single command.
While smart security is still in its infancy, we’re only expecting it to grow. The industry as a whole is taking off in popularity, and there’s little doubt that security will piggyback along as it continues to grow.
Smart Phones, Smart Locks
Smart locks are a product category that we’ve seen absolutely explode of late, with numerous companies marketing their own takes on the idea. Options like the August and the Kevo both replace traditional locks, and instead allow anyone with an authorized smartphone to unlock a door.
Even more advanced options are also starting to emerge. The Goji, for example, doesn’t just act as a smart lock, it takes pictures of visitors, then sends those on to you as real time alerts.
It’s a trend that fits nicely with the drive toward smart houses. Both will likely integrate more and more completely with smart phones, allowing buyers greater control over their home, even if they’re away at the time.
Biometrics Continue to Improve
Print, eye, and voice readers have long been a mainstay of hi-tech security. So long, in fact that it’s easy to ignore some of the recent strides they’ve made. One of the most impressive is the MorphoWAVE, a standout at ISC West, a major security products conference.
The MorphoWAVE allows companies to set up quick-scan biometric checkpoints. Instead of a lengthy print reading, these slick scanners can recognize prints after a quick wave, negating the need for a lengthy, messy, palm press. The result is a vastly more practical, high-security gate, and one that won’t bottle up employees on their way to offices.
We’d be shocked to see this, or any of the other trends, die down any time soon. All are based on the back of incredibly popular, highly practical tech. If anything, we’re expecting all three to just keep on taking off.
John Miller is a passioned home improvement and decor blogger. He is a contributor to various home and decor blogs including designlike.