There comes a time when you notice a shift in your priorities. Whether that’s because you’ve started a family or you’ve invested in your first home, it’s a good time to protect the things that are most important — and simplify your life in the process.
That’s where smart home and security comes in, such as this one offered by Eastlink. For me, it’s not just about keeping my home and family safe; it’s about removing the stress from everyday situations. In addition to offering cameras for the interior and exterior of your home, the system can be fully customized to include everything from smart locks to smart plugs. You can tailor it to your needs, saving time, money, and sleep.
With HD cameras, smart locks, video doorbells, and plenty of other smart devices, it’s not an exaggeration to say that this is the future I pictured when I would watch cartoons as a kid. This system takes a lot of the stress out of home ownership, giving you the power to control everything from a single app on your phone. It’s not a flying car, but it’s a lot more useful. If that’s not living in the future, I don’t know what is.
Cameras for every situation
Eastlink offers a wide array of tech options as part of its smart home and security system, so let’s look at what’s available, starting with the cameras.
There are currently four cameras available. Each one has a specific purpose, but all of them work together to create a complete experience.
Both the indoor and outdoor night vision cameras offer 1080p video and a wide field of view to clearly capture what’s happening in and around your home at all hours. Where they differ is in their design. The outdoor camera is weather-resistant, so you’ll still be able to see if it’s safe to let your pets out during those cold, dark winter mornings. The indoor camera is designed to let you check on your home, and you can even communicate through the camera from your smartphone. Together, the two cameras give you full access to your home.
If you’ve been battling the pesky raccoons in your neighbourhood for control of the garbage bins, the outdoor night vision camera could be just what you need. And if you’re battling your desire to see your pets while you’re at work, the indoor camera allows you to check in on them from your smartphone.
My partner and I are in the process of adopting a dog, but one of our concerns is that the Finnish Lapphund breed we want suffers from separation anxiety. Having a camera that has two-way audio means we’ll be able to talk to our new puppy to calm it until it’s comfortable being alone.
The HomeView camera is another indoor camera with two-way audio, but it has a couple of premium features that set it apart. It has a 180-degree field of view so that you can see everything in your space, and that’s paired with a 6-megapixel zoom. This is the camera you’ll want in your main living space.
To round out the collection, we have the video doorbell. As you might expect, the doorbell captures live video and audio when its motion sensor is triggered. On its own, that’s great for seeing who’s at your door, but it goes much further. Being able to check that your kids made it home after school — or late at night after a party — is an easy way to reduce your stress. And for those who don’t have kids, you’ll love having the smart doorbell for package deliveries. Knowing you’ll be notified if anyone approaches your door to check out your package is a comfort in and of itself, but it’s also easy to communicate with the delivery person in real-time thanks to the two-way audio to make sure that they place the package out of sight.
If you’re worried about being bombarded with notifications, fear not. You’re able to customize your notification settings. The outdoor camera and indoor cameras offer advanced analytics to distinguish between humans, animals, and vehicles, meaning you won’t get a buzz every time a car uses your driveway to turn around. Unless that’s your thing. Then, by all means, buzz away.
Unlock your home’s potential
I’ve written about smart locks a few times, and I’ll continue to evangelize the technology. Years ago, when I lived with four other guys during university, we’d regularly lock ourselves out of rooms because we forgot our keys. It turns out that when your landlord charges you $100 to unlock your door, you become really good at picking your own lock. You know what we never forgot though? Our phones. There was no such thing as smart locks back then — or smartphones for that matter — but now that I have one, I can’t look back.
Having a smart lock is beneficial in ways that most people don’t consider. I’m the type of person who wakes up in the middle of the night wondering if I locked the door when I got home. It used to mean that I’d have to get out of bed to go check. Now I just reach over, grab my phone, and lock them if needed.
Smart locks also give you the ability to try unique passcodes for people who need access to your home. I had a pipe burst a few weeks ago in my kitchen, and while I thought I’d fixed it on my own, it turns out that my degree in film and communications didn’t adequately teach me the skills to be a plumber. I couldn’t be home at the time the actual plumber was available, so I just gave him a passcode that was different from the one that my partner and I use, and I erased it after he was gone.
If you have a babysitter, or parents who regularly drop by, giving them a passcode lets you see who was using the door and when. The smart lock lets you know who’s coming and going, and you’ll be able to open the doors, even at a distance.
Smart technology can be cool or hot
Beyond cameras and smart locks, Eastlink offers a range of smart home technology to improve your everyday life, ranging from smart thermostats to smart dimmers. These devices allow you to control the most important features in your home all from a single application on your phone.
The smart home system is powered by the sophisticated alarm.com app. The app gives you access to all of the smart devices I’ve covered above, as well as your security panel, and any other smart devices you have through Eastlink, such as a smart garage door opener, as well as many devices you may already own..
Without a doubt, my favourite part of the system is the app’s ability to create what they refer to as “scenes.” Scenes are essentially commands for multiple devices that are triggered all at once. I have scenes for everything. I’ve scheduled night-time routines that make sure the doors are locked and the lights are off. When the family is going on a weekend getaway, I just tap the scene called “Getaway,” and it arms the security panel and lowers the thermostat. And I can also schedule lights to turn on or music to play at specific hours so that neighbours never know we’re gone.
I didn’t realize how handy it would be until I got my hands on it. But having all of the power in the palm of my hand means that I can enjoy my time both at and away from home without worrying. And saving money by scheduling the hours that I’m running my AC and heat isn’t a bad thing either.
Security is still the key
A security system still needs to be about security, and the Smart Home and Security System provided by Eastlink is top tier. I’ve already covered a lot of ways that smart devices can increase your security, but let’s examine how the system directly keeps you and your family safe.
The touchscreen panel is your main access point for the security in your home. You can arm and disarm the system, set the level of strictness, and set how long you have to disarm the system when it’s triggered. You can have it trigger when a door is opened, when the system detects motion, and other safety hazards.
The system has sensors designed to detect flooding, smoke, glass breaking, and carbon monoxide, among other threats. Depending on your preferences, you can set your system to immediately call emergency services if it detects carbon monoxide, and even shut off the air conditioning to prevent the spread of harmful fumes. And if you aren’t near your touchscreen panel, you can do it from the alarm.com app, giving you complete control over the system and your safety. And of course, you’re protected through 24-hour monitoring by a team of professionals to keep you safe at all times.
Eastlink has you covered
Smart home and security technology has come leaps and bounds over the last few years. Thanks to some great products you can easily keep track of what’s happening around your home, make sure that your family is safe, and stop worrying about the small things like whether you remembered to lock your door at night. Installing Eastlink Smart Home and Security provides peace of mind.
I’ll take that over a flying car any day.
For more information about Eastlink Smart Home and Security, visit their website.
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