Home Security Remote Access

New technology is making it possible to do a bit of home security monitoring of your own, in addition to what your security company is providing. Some security companies have some optional upgrades that enable you to link in to your home security system on the go. That means you’ll always know what’s happening at home, when it’s happening. These are some of the features you might get if you use a remote access system in conjunction with a home security system.

Smartphone Access
Your phone is the one gadget you carry with you everywhere. Some security companies have a remote access app that lets you control parts of your home security system with a couple of taps on the touch screen. Activate or deactivate your alarm, get security updates, change the thermostat settings in your home and more. It’s like having the control keypad from your home security system in the palm of your hand.

Internet Access
If you don’t have a smartphone, or you just prefer the functionality of a mouse and keyboard, you can use your Internet-enabled computer to connect to your home security system. Some systems will send you an email if an alarm is triggered—that includes your door and window alarms, as well as smoke, flood and carbon monoxide alarms.

Camera Access
If your home security system includes cameras or some kind of surveillance system, it’s possible that you can remotely access the camera feed from an Internet-enabled computer. This requires an Internet connection at home of course, and the hardware required to record and stream the live feed online. Imagine being able to check on your home when you’re not there, or flip through internal camera feeds to check on the kids or pets.

Remote Access with a Home Security Company
Many of the remote access options above come as optional upgrades to existing home security systems and monitoring plans offered by home security companies. Because they are part of a package, upgrading is easier and the services are linked together with little effort from you. With a home security company your remote access monitoring will be a supplement to their home monitoring. That means the company can send emails and notifications to your remote access devices. It’s essentially a second layer of protection and monitoring.

Remote Access without a Home Security Company
You can build a DIY remote access system for your DIY home security system, but you’ll be pulling a lot of strings together. You’ll need a central control hub in the home that can unify your entire system, and then you’ll need an app or online program that can interface with that central hub. There are individual parts available that can make do this, but again, it will require a lot of work to set up and maintain, and you’ll need to make sure that all your equipment is compatible.