It’s no secret that we are relying on smart technology more than ever before in an attempt to achieve greater efficiency in our homes. In fact, last year 80 million smart home devices were shipped worldwide.

Thanks to the internet of things (IoT) our households aren’t only able to become smarter and more savvy, but safer and more secure too.

The IoT is shaping and advancing home security through an extensive range of products, apps and devices; we no longer have to rely on grainy CCTV footage and ‘beware of the dog’ signs to deter opportunist thieves, we can go as far as streaming high quality real time footage of our homes directly to our smartphones.

>See also: Smart business models for the connected home

There is no doubt that smart security and the IoT will transform, shape and enhance our homes, so what smart devices can you expect to have as common features of your home over the coming years?

Smart home assistants

By 2035, smart home assistants will be predicting your needs and running your household.

From Amazon Echo to Google Home, we are constantly seeing big brands create advanced home assistants that are able to provide real time information, obey commands and even play music – all through being connected to the internet.

But smart home assistants aren’t only useful for entertainment purposes and to find out information faster than ever before, they can also be used to protect our homes. Smart home assistants are expected to become more widely used in households over the coming years; the technology will be able to use voice recognition to lock and unlock doors, use cameras such as August’s Doorbell Cam to see and speak to visitors at your front door and create virtual keys for guests you know and trust.

Beware of the (Robo)dog!

Long gone are the days of putting up signs warning potential trespassers of a non-existent scary dog; with smart security you could have almost the real deal, but without the fur.

Barking alarms are already common home security devices, but soon dog-shaped robots will be acting as guard dogs for our homes. Robodogs have already been tested by the US military for military operations and, when they’re in place in homes, will be fitted with cameras so as to film any suspicious behaviour that the homeowner can watch and record.

>See also: Smart home technology at a tipping point in the UK

Similar to Robodogs, drones are predicted to take on watchdog tendencies and patrol homes, which will be especially beneficial for larger properties. By deploying drones to investigate suspicious activity on or near a property, homeowners will receive aerial view footage directly to their smartphones.

Smart locks & alarm kits

The IoT has the ability to end the need for a key to lock and unlock homes, all whilst keeping homes more secure than ever before.

Smart locks enable homeowners to lock and unlock their homes from the other side of the world using just a smartphone; forgetting to lock your doors or windows before heading off on holiday is no longer a homeowner’s worst nightmare.

Smart alarm kits, such as Yale’s, connect to the Wi-Fi and can be controlled via smartphones – if the motion sensors the kit comes equipped with are triggered, homeowners will notified by email or text.

>See also: Smart home 2017 predictions

Smart alarms are expected to be further enhanced by geofencing technology, simply described as a “virtual perimeter for a real-world geographic area”. When a smartphone enters or leaves a certain perimeter, such as your home’s front door or garden, the homeowner will be notified via their smartphone – enabling them to keep track of expected visitors or unexpected trespassers.

It’s not only these individual smart home security systems and devices that are transforming the safety of our homes; apps such as Apple Home mean homeowners can operate and access each of the devices on their IoT network in one place, making it even more straightforward to control homes remotely.

Businesses are already seeing the IoT shape home security to make our households as burglar-proof, safe and secure than ever before and we should expect to see this technology continue to advance.

Sourced by Guy Brewer at Door Controls Direct

The UK’s largest conference for tech leadership, Tech Leaders Summit, returns on 14 September with 40+ top execs signed up to speak about the challenges and opportunities surrounding the most disruptive innovations facing the enterprise today. Secure your place at this prestigious summit by registering here