You’re worried about your home, aren’t you? You’ve got your children at home during the summer vacations while you’re at work or you’ve got a parent living in a remote area and you can’t yet get out to visit them. Maybe you just have a lot of valuables at home or maybe it’s your adorable pet. Whatever your reason might be, home safety and security has become extremely crucial in the recent years.
Growth of the industry
Thanks to the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), increased awareness of home security systems, and increased adoption of IP cameras for video surveillance amid the COVID-19 crisis, the home security market is expected to grow at a pretty steady rate.
According to a new market research report, the Home Security Systems market size is expected to grow from USD53.6 Billion (Dh197 billion) in 2020 to USD 78.9 Billion (dh290 billion) by 2025, at a CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period. The sector expected to have the biggest growth in the market is the ‘DIY-Security’ segment. This primarily comprises of people like you and me who would like to take advantage of the leaps and bounds surveillance technology has taken in the past few years. Easy to install cameras, smart locks, alarms and much more are easily available in stores and online and enable us to keep ourselves as well as our love ones and homes safe.
Why do we need Home Security?
As per Faraz Mehdi, Regional Sales Head, MEA & Africa for Eufy Secrity by Anker, it’s not just about security but also about the convenience. “The UAE Government thankfully provides a secure environment with the best surveillance, but we do have a responsibility to deploy smart security devices within our private space in order to keep an extra eye out and prevent any incidents before they happen. Our devices are not just for security, as they also provide additional convenience particularly during the social distancing scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic. They allow you to monitor your home as well as the individuals within your immediate space such as the door outside your home.”
Another important reason we should be looking at improving home security is the to maintain control. “Home security does not mean only things like a burglary or home break-in. It also means to secure our homes against dangers like fire. It is more about being in control than waiting for an incident to happen” says Ahmet Astal, Vice President, Yale Middle East.
Accessibility is also another reason for the growth of the industry. “Smart Security has changed the perception of security as it is no longer a necessity to view movement inside the home with a big bulky screen. Users can monitor their property from anywhere, trigger alarm for unwanted intruders and set up the Motion alerts as needed” says Syed Sameer, Senior Sales & Operation Manager, GCC, Eufy Security. Today everything is on your smartphone including access to your home security. You can get notified of an intruder, record their movements and even send out an alert all through your smartphone. “With growing awareness and the advancement of technology, home security is more in the home owners control now than it ever was. Today we can choose how secure and safe we want to make our home for our loved ones” says Ahmet Astal.
So where do you begin?
So where do you begin? According to Ahmet Astal you should start small. “Installing simple to use alarms systems can be beneficial to alert the homeowners in case of any incident at home. Immediate steps can be taken to get the situation under control. In security, being proactive rather than reactive is always advisable. People can start with installing a basic kit with accessories like a door contact and expand the system as per their home requirements.” So it is also important that you understand your own home and its requirements. For example, let’s assume you stay with your family in a two-bedroom house. You go to work while the kids are at home (since the summer vacations are on right now) and you often get products delivered home. In this case you probably want to start with a video doorbell and maybe one camera for the area where your children study or play the most. The doorbell will enable you to interact with delivery personnel from wherever you are, and the camera will most probably be able to tell you when your children are in the view of the camera. You will even be able to talk to them if they’re watching TV instead of studying! Sayed Sameer agrees saying “Every home has its own requirement and home owners as well as tenants have to move away from traditional monitoring CCTV to smart security that is wireless, weatherproof, has a 2-way communication and users can define the alerts based on when and where it is needed using the area to be monitored and timing.” If you’ve got a backyard and want to know if anyone is snooping around the back, you can even get and easy to install alarm system. The customisability available today is immense.
Data privacy
Now one reason most people are sceptical about video surveillance at home is the security of the data itself. Brands take different approaches to address this issue. Some companies like Ring go down the path of Cloud services. All your video recordings get onto the cloud and are accessible to you at all times. You can even download these recordings if and when needed. Other brands like Eufy Security go down the path of on-device or home base storage. “Data privacy protection is a very crucial concern specially in the region, where people don’t want to store their private data in the cloud storage. Our products also take this concern into account and offer a military grade encrypted local data storage which can be accessed only by the user” says Faraz Mehdi. Both Choosing between such options will always come down to your personal choice.
Like it was mentioned earlier, home security isn’t just about sitting and watching your house on a monitor anymore. It’s interactive, efficient, easy to install and completely in your control now.
