Home Secure Home

The old idiom states that an Englishman’s home is his castle. And while we don’t agree with the rather antiquated gender roles that are implied, we do kind of dig the sentiment that what’s yours is yours.

You’ve worked every hour to raise the capital, done the viewings, had the arguments, sent the bids and paid the (financial and emotional) price, so your home should be yours and it should be secure. But sadly, due to prohibitive planning and building costs, whacking a moat and portcullis around your home isn’t always an option.

But that said, there are some pretty cool and pretty secure options out there which will help you feel safe whether you’re in or out of the house. What we’re saying is – things have moved on significantly from those fake CCTV cameras you used to see in mail order catalogues. Check it out.

CANARY
An all in all, Wi-Fi enabled wonder box, the only thing you’ll have to worry about with the Canary is getting it mixed up with the wireless router, or some snazzy new coffee maker. This beautifully designed gizmo allows you to monitor motion, humidity, air quality, audio, temperature and more. And you can do it all with your mobile phone. If you’re out and about and something is amiss, you’ll receive a notification, and, depending on the specifics, you can then ignore it, get the neighbors round, or, worst case scenario, call the authorities.

SMART THINGS
This slightly less attractive, but arguably more useful package, is also a Wi-Fi / Cloud based / mobile phone app package, that you control and configure to your preferences. The cool thing about Smart Things, though, is that it comes with a variety of equipment that can be installed around your home to make life a little simpler, and a whole lot safer. Unlock your doors from anywhere, trigger an alarm if there’s unwanted or unconfirmed movement or activity in your home, and get notifications if doors, windows or even specific items of furniture, open unexpectedly – good if you’re leaving party age teens at home alone.

GOJI SMART LOCK
Although we’ve no idea why it’s called Goji, this little gadget is really, very cool. A smart lock that is installed in your home, and allows you, and pre-approved persons, to easily access the house without having to bother with irritating keys (although fobs and even dear old traditional keys are available as back-up). Goji takes pictures of whoever’s calling and sends real time images to your phone, which is ideal if you’re having dinner and don’t fancy dealing with an unwanted caller. And you can also send access to anyone with a compatible phone, at specific dates and times, so no more cutting keys or racing home to let the builders in. Goji also has customer service operatives, so you can still go home even if your phone is on the blink. ice possible always starts with a well planned and thought through asking price, designed to attract maximum bids.