Now you can easily and inexpensively turn your home into a ‘Smart Home’ in just a few easy steps. You don’t have to be a tech wiz, and you don’t have to spend a fortune. Now you can control your home’s security and your family’s safety right at your fingertips and even monitor it from wherever you are.

According to Crimepreventiontips.com “a burglary occurs every 15 seconds in the United States. This means that approximately 4,800 burglaries happen every day. Having a security system lowers the chances of burglary on your property significantly.”

Home Automation is one of the fastest growing markets in technology. Here are a few tips for DYI smart home technology that you can use to deter burglars from attempting to break into your home:

• Automated Locks: Did you know that the majority of burglars come in through an unlocked or unsecured door or window? Use automated locks to secure your doors right from your smart phone wherever you are. You can also just double check to make sure you’re all locked up in case you are unsure. With First Impression Ironworks you can get a Kwikset or Schlage lock for your custom iron door or gate that is Z-Wave compatible so you can access your lock remotely from your phone or with voice commands All you’ll need to do is sync it with a compatible Z-Wave smart home hub such as Samsung SmartThings, Ring Alarm, Nexia and Wink.

• Cycle lights when you’re not home: Adding smart lights that are linked to your Alexa device gives you the ability make your home look occupied even when it’s not! The classic security tip is to cycle your lights when you’re away from home. With a house full of smart lights, you can schedule the lights to change more randomly each day and make it actually seem like someone is home even if you’re out of town.

• Turn on the TV or stream music on a schedule: You can take home scheduling even further by creating a schedule for your TV. You don’t want to just turn the TV on and off, though. You’ll want to actually play something on the TV. This can be done with any newer television and a universal remote such as SofaBaton X1. Set the TV to come on with the lights at different times each day and play live television.

• Motion-activated flood lights: Let’s put a spotlight on your home intruder! Consider a motion-activated flood light. Even better is one that lets you see and talk to whatever may be there when you’re away. Ring actually makes motion-activated flood lights that come equipped with a camera, two-way audio and a siren. When motion is detected, the lights kick on and you can see and talk to anyone at any corner of your home. And if talking to them doesn’t work, sound the alarm.

• Video doorbell: A newer addition to smart security is a smart doorbell, like from Ring or August — which as it turns out, can be more than just a doorbell. These are also video cameras with two-way audio. Not only can you get a notification when motion is detected at your front door, you can talk to whoever is knocking on your door or snooping where they shouldn’t, no matter where you are in the world. And, with an automated smart lock, if they’ve got a reason to be there or you want to let them in, you can!

By the way, just the sight of our Iron Security Doors, Iron Entry Doors, and Iron and Wood Gates are great deterrents to burglars. See for yourself by checking out this video of an unsuccessful attempt to break through a First Impression Ironworks Security Door!

Add elegance, security, and value to your home by giving us a call at 602-345-7481 today!