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Every passing year welcomes new technological advancements and more efficient products for consumers across nearly every industry—including the security industry. Just a preliminary review of the standard home security systems of the past reveals extraordinary leaps forward, especially in recent years with “smart” technology.

Smart home security systems possess several significant advantages over traditional home security models. With expanded and more effective capabilities, homeowners are increasingly inquiring about these to better protect themselves and loved ones from outside threats.

Here are five key advantages of smart security systems to consider:

1. Proactive Instead of Reactive

Standard security systems alert you when a problem is underway or has already taken place, such as a break-in, fire, or carbon monoxide leak. These react rather than offering ways to prevent such incidents from occurring, or notifying you sooner.

Smart security systems, on the other hand, are proactive, featuring a wide range of capabilities to further protect your home. For example, alerts can be received from anywhere via your smartphone, iPad, and/or desktop computer, providing critical updates on recent activities in and around your home. If the back door was left open by mistake, for instance, you’ll be notified, so you won’t have to worry about anyone wandering around while you’re sleeping or at work. If your toddler makes his or her way to the front door in the middle of the night, you will be alerted, too, as motion sensors will be activated.

2. Monitor More Than Just Your Home

As aforementioned, smart security systems can notify you regarding various activities on your property. Cameras can view what’s happening when you’re not there and enable you to monitor your home, as well as your loved ones inside, ensuring their safety at all times.

You can receive a text message when your teenage son walks through the front door at 2:31 p.m. after getting off the school bus, for example. You can even check in again throughout the afternoon via security camera to ensure he’s doing his homework rather than playing video games or spoiling his dinner.

3. Stay in Control

Smart technology doesn’t just stop at security. Home automation functions enable you to control various aspects of your home, too—such as adjusting your thermostat and turning on or off the lights, coffee pot, or other appliances. If you ever forget to switch your bedroom light off in the morning before heading to work, for example, you can correct your mistake, from anywhere. All you need is a smartphone, iPad, or desktop computer.

4. Save Money on Energy Bills

According to ststistics from the nonprofit National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, 27.3 percent of energy usage in the U.S. residential sector is for heating, 11.8 percent is for cooling, and 7.2 percent is for lighting. That’s a combined total of 46.3 percent.

Automating your home can save a significant amount of money on your energy bills. Rather than adjusting your thermostat before you leave for the day and once you arrive home that evening, you can schedule a temperature change according to the local weather forecast. You can do the same for lighting, scheduling them to turn off or on at certain times, without you having to lift a finger.

5. Increase the Value of Your Home

Online tech resource CNET reported how people are willing to spend more on a home equipped with smart security and automation features in a 2015 article, citing a joint survey with real estate agency Coldwell Banker.

“81 percent of current smart-home device owners say they would be more willing to buy a home with connected tech in place,” it states.

Furthermore, as millennials age and become homeowners, it’s especially important to pay close attention to their preferences. The article reveals that nearly half of millennials already own smart home products. Sellers should consider this when searching for ways to increase their home’s values, as “smart” features are becoming more and more expected home components.

Contact M & M Fire Protection & Security for a free quote
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