It’s an unfortunate and startling statistic: by the time you’ve finished reading this opening paragraph, someone in the US will have become a victim of burglary. That’s because, according to figures recently released by My Protection Link, a home is broken into, on average, every 14.6 seconds.
“The numbers prove that home security is a hugely important issue for Americans,” said researcher Gerard Hoyt. Since locking doors and shutting windows isn’t always enough, it’s perhaps unsurprising that people have turned to technology to seek preventative measures.
Password protection
It’s not just your home that needs protecting. Most people store personal information on the items that burglars often target, such as computers and laptops. Make sure these are password protected at the very least. No one plans to have their personal items stolen, but passwords can at least offer some reassurance that sensitive data stored on the device won’t be accessed.
We should be making the most of the technology made available to us. Cloud-based services such as Google Drive and Dropbox give you a place to store important documents and family photos on external servers, while encrypting your hard drive is another option.
Home security tracking devices and gadgets
Installing tracking programs, such as Find My Mac and Find My iPad, means you can have genuine hope of retrieving your stolen electronics. In fact, According to the Independent, the location trackers are so effective in leading to prosecutions in the UK that thieves are beginning to leave Macs and iPads alone.
When it comes to protecting your property, there are now more gadgets and clever pieces of technology to choose from than ever before. Devices that simulate the flickering of TVs and keyless fingerprint locks are already available on the market, while a face recognition program doesn’t seem all that far away given that it’s now being used to protect your phone.
The benefits of CCTV
These gadgets may make thieves think twice about breaking in, but they won’t always deter the most determined burglar. The most popular security gadget by far is a CCTV system – from one individual camera trained on a specific spot, to a whole system that patrols your entire premises.
CCTV has become cheaper and easier to get, and it’s popular because you can operate them remotely and get a 360 degree view of your home.
However, they might not be so easy to get in the future. In the UK, neighbours have complained that CCTV cameras invade their privacy since not all can be trained solely on one property. Although these cases are few in number, it’s still been enough for the government to recently declare that they may introduce new rules and sanctions surrounding the installation of CCTV systems outside homes.
The evolution of safety gadgets
All in all, the advances in technology have brought more safety gadgets and equipment onto a market which is peaking in popularity – especially in the wake of such startling national figures.
Sadly, crime continues to be committed and criminals are becoming clever at working around this technology, which is why it has to keep evolving in order to stay ahead of the burglars and protect the nation, its homes and its population.
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