Your home is one of the biggest investments you’ll make in your lifetime, so naturally you’ll want to protect it at all costs. And thanks to advancements in smart home technology and home automation security products, you can! From light sensors to security cameras to smart locks, the options are endless when it comes to keeping tabs on what’s happening inside and outside your home.

Predicted to surpass $100 billion by 2020, the global security industry is on the rise. And with home security systems accounting for an estimated $47 billion of this total, it’s evident that people are taking the security of their homes very seriously. A strong deadbolt on the front door simply won’t cut it anymore as homeowners now look towards surveillance products that fully integrate with their home networking systems and smart devices.

So to help you keep your home safe and secure all year round, we’ve put together everything you need to know about smart surveillance in 2018; from why it’s so important to the types of products you should be investing in.

The importance of home security in 2018 and beyond

Did you know that crime rates are at an all-time high in Western Australia? While the rest of Australia saw a 1.2% decline in the four years to 2017, WA went up a massive 8.2%, with a spike in burglaries playing a big part in this. In fact, home burglary figures hit a 13-year high in WA last year, with WA Police statistics showing a total of 2790 WA home break-ins in January 2017. To give you some perspective, that’s an average of 90 homes a day or a house burgled every 16 minutes. This is the highest it’s been since January 2004 and is only set to increase.

So, what can you do to reduce your burglary risk? As burglary rates continue to increase in many Perth suburbs, we need to be more active in protecting our own homes. Homeowners need to take surveillance into their own hands and start getting smarter about security. Fortunately, technology upgrades are changing what’s possible on the homefront.

These advancements are hugely expanding the functionality of electronic security systems. This includes wireless integration and other smart home features that provide greater flexibility and convenience for consumers. From the rise of app-based smart security systems that can be linked to our smartphones to connected security platforms that act in a coordinated fashion, there have been rapid innovations in the home security space.

Add another layer to your home security with MyLights

See that you’re always safe with Advantage Air’s smart LED lighting system, MyLights. We understand that nothing is more unsettling than when things go bump in the middle of the night and now thanks to the MyPlace app, you can instantly turn on all your indoor and outdoor MyLights from the security of your comfy bed. So if you hear a disturbance and need to investigate, you’ll feel much safer in a brightly lit home.

Not only that, you can now enjoy the security, convenience and comfort of being able to control your lights remotely from your smart device. Using the same MyPlace smartphone app, you’re able to control the lighting to any room from anywhere in the world. That way, no one will ever suspect you’ve even left the home and are less likely to intrude.

MyLights is also hardwired and electronically controlled from one central hub within the home, making it practically impossible for the cables to be tampered with from the outside. So with no wires in sight, it decreases the chances of your system being manipulated by unwelcome intruders and adds yet another obstacle in their way.

And for even tighter control, check out some of our top picks for programmed preferences:

• MyWelcome: MyWelcome is like a master switch for your MyLights system – and it’s also great for making you feel safer. One touch of MyWelcome turns on all the lights you’d like to come home to, so now you can always arrive home safely.
• Sunset: Sunset looks to the internet for the sunset time in your current location and then turns on your pre-selected scene, with up to 10 scenes that can be programmed. So if you’re working late or going out for the night and want to make it look like you’re home, the Sunset feature automatically turns the lights on.
• Scheduling: Thanks to Scheduling, you can run a scene up to once a day, each day of the week for further control of the security in your home. Simply choose a time you would like that scene to run and then select the days on which you want that to occur. It’s perfect for people with active lifestyles who want to make it look like they’re home when they’re not. You can also leave the schedule running while you’re on holiday and it will look like you’re at home, going about life as usual.

All our fantastic MyLights features can be controlled remotely and are fully customisable so you can edit them by yourself.

Ready to take control of your home security? Have a chat to Advantage Air about installing MyLights for an even tighter grip on your family’s safety.