Security: plugging the responsibility gap

Blog by Andy | Posted on Wednesday April 6 2016

I once had three televisions, two stereos and a sizeable CD collection stolen during the course of three ‘lapses in security’ on the same house within six months

The CD collection will probably give you an idea of how long ago this was. I was a student, and I lived in a shared house with five other people. We were typical students: irresponsible, naïve and immature. Our house was frequented by so many different people at various times it was hard to discern who was supposed to be there and who wasn’t. Our frequent visitors of the latter kind had clearly worked out our lack of security. They’d also worked out how long it would take for our insurance to pay out to replace the things they stole the time before. The TV was rented (another clue as to the era – tweet us at @idencysecurity to have a stab at the year) and the woman to whom I had to fess up started to wince every time I walked into her shop.

Dangling … and inviting

Thing is, student or not, however responsible we are, we slip up from time to time. I know very sensible people who have, when arriving home laden with shopping, unlocked their front door and then left the keys hanging out of the lock. There they stayed until the following morning. A panicked search ensued, and a face was palmed.

Our homes have their little vulnerabilities, but as any security expert will tell you, the majority of burglaries are opportunistic – fiends looking for the unlocked garage door, or perhaps for the keys dangling from a lock … More than opportunistic, though, they are undertaken in properties that appear empty, as the best chance of getting away with the crime is if the perp is not seen.

So, how do we plug our responsibility gaps? How could I, were I a naïve student these days, do a bit more to protect that poor rental-rep’s nerves from my repeated mea culpas? How could I, even as the infinitely more responsible adult I assure myself I am, deter the ne’er-do-wells from my property?

Get smarter

In those days I used to have to remember phone numbers. I also used phone boxes occasionally: more clues as to the era. But like the phone I now use to remember, well, everything, homes can be a lot smarter than they were then. These days, you don’t have to be at home to witness a visitor perpetrating their dastardly deeds. Alarm systems are a lot smarter, simpler, and more affordable, and they can connect to a variety of solutions that help to deter the opportunistic thief.

SMART-I wireless security systems connect into your home as an intelligent way to both deter intruders and capture images of them in the act. To make things a bit more straightforward, there are a few bundles of components that allow you to get set up with varying levels of sophistication and functionality. Which is helpful, because the possibilities are extensive.

The SMART-I Wireless Security Starter System comes with a motion detector, a window or door contact sensor, a keyfob control pad and an Intelligent Gateway – the bit that ties everything together. The Intelligent Gateway allows everything to communicate and gives you control over the system from a tablet or smartphone. This means you can keep tabs on the system from wherever you are.

As well as sensors, you can connect Power devices – wirelessly-controlled sockets that can switch on lights, music and TV. WiFi CCTV cameras can also be added to make your home less inviting to an intruder while keeping an eye on Who Goes There.

The Intelligent Gateway has the capacity to connect and control up to 24 sensors or power devices and 4 WiFi CCTV Cameras. The larger bundles include some of these, but it’s all modular, so you can start at any level and add more elements over time.

Sound expensive? You’ll be surprised

Get a starter starter bundle for less than £115.00. I think, on balance, it would have been worth us five students investing. Our insurance premiums the following year were eye-watering…

Find out more about SMART-I wireless security systems.

(Oh, and if you want to guard against leaving your keys in the door, try a Danalock)