6 tech gadgets that will beef up your home’s security


suburban neighborhood streetFlickr / Pink Sherbet Photography
Home security has been a hot spot for gadgets even before the internet shook the industry up a decade or so ago. The market is flooded with all sorts of high-tech solutions to help keep you and your loved ones safe.

The products on this list will help monitor your home when you're not around, and notify you instantly if something seems out of the ordinary. A majority of them are "smart" versions of products most people have as a part of their house, like a doorbell, garage door, or deadbolted lock.

Not only will these products give you data to help keep your place more secure on their own, but they'll lower risks associated with typical problems, like how to securely let someone into your home.

Like I said, the market is flooded with home security products, and these are some of the best.


August's Smart Lock will make your home more secure, not by being a superior lock, but by having features that cut down on unsafe habits.

The August replaces the deadbolt side of your lock, letting you lock and unlock your door using an app, or, if you're an iOS user, through Siri. Because it only hooks onto one side of your lock, it's not going to do much good if a thief picks the other end, but it does have three features that can make your place more secure.

The first is that you can create virtual guest keys, giving certain people access to house on a multi-day, multi-hour, or time-of-day basis. This means you won't have to leave your key under a mat, rock, or other location where it can be found by would-be intruders. The second is that the lock makes a smart geofence around your house, so if you leave in a hurry and can't remember whether or not you locked the door, you don't have to worry, it's automatically locked. Finally, through the August app, you have a list of who entered your house at what time, so if something sketchy happens, you know who to ask first.

Reviews of this lock are pretty positive, Amazon reviewers praised its easy setup and reliability, with the main complaints being its voice activation features being iOS only.

August Smart Lock, $199.99, available at Amazon


Like the August Lock, the Ring Doorbell is taking a previously "dumb" part of your home, and making it smarter and more secure.

Now on its second revision, the camera in the Ring Doorbell has a 1080p camera that gets triggered each time someone steps up to your door. Once they push the doorbell, you'll receive an alert on your iOS or Android device to see who's there.

Instead of requiring a direct power line, the Ring Doorbell runs on a rechargeable battery that should last a full year with regular use. Although it will stream video in HD for free, if you want to save clips to review later, you'll need to subscribe to Ring's cloud service for a monthly fee.

Ring Video Doorbell 2, $197.25, available at Amazon


We've written about the Canary before, and for good reason.

It's become one of the most popular connected security cameras by offering a live, 1080p video stream and the ability to call the police from within the companion app if something looks off.

The Canary also saves video clips each time it detects suspicious activity and lets you review and download those clips onto your phone. If you pay for an optional subscription, Canary will hold onto those clips for an entire month.

Canary All-in-One Home Security Device, $136.99, available at Amazon


Compared to the other picks on this list, this motion detector set is kind of lo-fi, but will come in handy if someone tries to get into your home in the middle of the night. This set has two components: a sensor and receiver. The sensor has a range of 20 feet, and when motion is detected it'll send a signal to a receiver plugged inside your house. The receiver will sound a chime that will alert you that motion has been detected so you can act accordingly.

The chime is user configurable with 36 different sounds and three levels of volume. The only recurring complaint I've seen is that the motion detector can be a little too sensitive, so you might have to pick the spot and angle the motion sensor carefully.

1byone Wireless Driveway Alert, Infrared Motion Sensor, $19.99, available at Amazon


The first floor of your home will always be the most accessible to thieves, which is why installing these window alarms is a good idea.

They're not "smart" but will sound a 100db alarm when triggered, and they have an on-off switch so you can only keep them armed when you're asleep or out of the house.

Doberman Security Ultra-Slim Window Alarm, $29.99, available at Amazon

This article was originally published on 6/22/2016.



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