New to smart home tech?

Exploring the possibilities that come with smart home tech and security can feel like a daunting task for anyone, but especially for beginners. If you ever wished to have an expert sit down and answer some of your most burning questions related to smart home technology, then you’re in luck! 

The security experts at Yale are on hand to answer some of the most frequently asked questions related to smart home security to shed some light on the subject and make the idea of creating your own smart home feel a lot more manageable. 

1) What is a smart home and why should I invest in one?

On their most basic level, smart homes automate and connect all of your household appliances through WiFi. This connection can easily control several aspects of your home, including security, through apps or voice control. The possibilities with a smart home are endless, you can adjust your thermostat, switch on the lights, lock your doors, and even control your home entertainment system without leaving your couch!

Smart home devices might seem like a luxury, but there are many reasons why you should consider investing in one. A smart home can save you money. For example, smart thermostats which automate your heating, and integrations such as Philips Hue smart lighting and our Linus^® Smart Lock to switch off lights as soon as your door is locked, can help to reduce your overall energy consumption. By upgrading to a smarter home, you are not only making your home safer, but also placing yourself in complete control of your home security.

Devices such as alarms, cameras, smart locks, and more can provide you with smarter monitoring and greater control over your own home. Smart home technology will impress any friends or neighbours visiting once they see how smoothly your life runs thanks to its many automations. Smart home technology can also be incredibly beneficial to individuals with disabilities or limited mobility. Voice-activated controls and automation can help to make daily tasks far more accessible to them.

2) Where should I start and what products should I choose?

One of the most commonly purchased smart home security devices is smart cameras. Yale Smart Indoor and Outdoor cameras and CCTV allow you to keep an eye on your home, driveway and garden, wherever you are in the world. Fully controllable using the Yale View app, the cameras provide customisable detection and monitoring, allowing for full protection of any property, inside and outside, with no monthly fees. 

Smart Alarms are also commonly purchased. The Smart Home Sync Alarm is easy to install and fully controllable through the Yale Smart Living Alarm app. With a range of up to 200m, the Sync Alarm is ideal for safeguarding your property including outbuildings, like sheds. The alarm can be paired with up to 40 accessories, allowing you to create a customised home security system.

Smart home tech doesn’t just serve a security purpose, though that is a huge advantage. The automated benefits it brings to people's lives are another great reason why they invest in these kinds of solutions, as well as the fact that many believe that these automated solutions are far more secure and safer than manual alternatives, such as physical keys.

For example, the easy to install Linus^® Smart Lock offers you the many benefits that come with keyless access such as virtual keys and auto-locking/unlocking. To help you eliminate the fear of losing your keys, or the need for keys altogether and allow you and your family to feel safer, knowing that you will always have access to the house and that it will be securely locked at all times. 

Everyone's security needs are different and each smart device serves a different purpose. There is no “one-size-fits-all” method for smart home security. Still, a good place to start would be to evaluate your home by walking around to spot potential areas of concern or anything you feel might make your life easier if it were automated. 

3) Are smart home products limited to home protection?

Smart security is not just limited to the inside of your home, depending on the products you select you can secure your entire property from gardens, sheds and outbuildings, to garage doors and gates. In fact, the wider reach your home security has the safer your home will be. When we think of home security we refer to any location where people could enter your property or home as an “entry or access point”, these include any doors, windows, or gates. These entry points can often be overlooked, but monitoring them for a more complete security experience is essential.

If you were looking for a way to easily monitor essential access points of your home or create a smoother commuting routine, the Yale Smart Opener for Gates and Garage Doors can control and monitor any gate and garage doors already fitted with automation devices. The smart opener removes the need to keep track of a remote and allows you to open and close gates and garage doors as you approach or leave and be notified whenever they are opened or closed using the Yale Home app.

4) Will my smart home devices still work if the internet goes down?

This is an important question to ask when looking to purchase a smart home security device. Some smart home technology has offline functionality, but others will have fail-safes built in to ensure the safety of your belongings or home. It is important to note that some devices will still work even if they are no longer connected to WiFi, but many app control options might be offline unless the device can connect to another wireless source such as Bluetooth. 

For example, many Yale devices, such as Linus^® and the Smart Safe, are designed to still be accessible in the event of loss of WiFi failure. A major fear that can be associated with smart locks is being locked out if the wifi goes out or the battery on your phone runs out. With Linus^®, you will be notified if the battery status of your device is low via app notification, so you never have to worry that the smart lock will stop working due to a loss of battery. And should your phone die while you are out of the house, you can still open your door using a keypad, or using a physical key.

Both Linus^® and the Smart Safe can also be opened with Bluetooth, so you can still open/close your door or safe within the app, even if it is not connected to WiFi so long as you are close to the device. The Yale Smart Safe can also be opened in a variety of ways outside of the app, including a physical key or keypad access. Internet and power outages are quite rare these days, but it’s still worth pointing this out as a potential drawback for using devices primarily controlled through their connection to the Internet.

5) Can I create my own smart home security system or does it need to be done professionally?

Many people think that smart devices are difficult to set up, but in most cases, setting up your customised smart home security system is as simple as plugging in a device, setting up a mobile app, ensuring everything is correctly connected and you are done. If you can install an app, follow instructions, and plug in or hang up a device then congratulations, you’re able to set up your smart home security!

The Yale Smart Security Ecosystem is designed to make all Yale products interoperable, allowing you to easily create a customised home security system that works flawlessly in one app and is designed to suit your needs. For example, you could use the same virtual key or code to open your front door, garage door, and Smart Safe and Smart Cabinet Locks.

The Yale ecosystem can be controlled easily via the Yale Home app, allowing you to monitor and control your entire smart home using one account from the palm of your hand for added convenience. Your door can be unlocked with a Yale Smart Lock and the Yale Alarm will go into disarmed mode the moment you enter your home. There is no additional action required. So if your kids or any trusted visitors like family, friends or the dog walker need to enter your home but might not be familiar with your security set-up,  you don’t have to worry about the alarm being triggered.

Hopefully, these answers will help to crack the mystery of smart home technology and inspire you to check out the many smart home security devices Yale offers!