Winter holidays: how to protect the house remotely with cameras, sensors and smart locks

The answer, increasingly, comes through the cell phone. Connected cameras, locks that open with a fingerprint or code and applications that warn in real time if there is movement at the door have become accessible tools to monitor a home remotely, without having to ask a neighbor to come look.

The heart of any home security system continues to be the camera. But the current offer is no longer limited to recording: a good part of the models available incorporate smart detection, capable of differentiating a person or a vehicle from other movements (such as a branch or an animal), which reduces false alerts and leaves notifications for what really matters.

“Smart security solutions allow people to maintain control of their home even when they are hundreds of kilometers away. The The possibility of receiving notifications in real time and viewing what is happening from your cell phone provides an additional layer of peace of mind during trips,” says Marcelo González, sales manager of the EZVIZ channel.

In that brand’s ecosystem, models such as the HB8C Lite 4G stand out (wireless, with 4G connectivity and Wi-Fi 6, rechargeable battery and compatibility with solar panels) and the HB90x Dual 4G Kit, designed for larger spaces thanks to its double lens. Many of these devices also add sirens or lights that activate themselves when motion is detected, as a deterrent method.

The company is not the only player in the local plaza. TP-Link has its Tapo line with an official store and support in Argentina, with indoor and outdoor cameras (such as the Tapo C510W or the C500) that offer 2K resolution, color night vision, integrated siren and spotlight, and both microSD and cloud storage.

Xiaomi, which this year formalized its official arrival in the country with a 24-month guarantee and local technical support, also added smart cameras for the home to its catalog, within its connected ecosystem strategy.

The security cameras mentioned range from between 60,000 and 500,000 pesos, depending on the brand and model.

In addition to cameras, another alternative is to install opening sensors on doors and windows.

These devices detect when an access opens or closes and send an immediate notification to the user’s cell phone. They can also be integrated with other smart home equipment to activate alarms or automations.

Within the ecosystemTapo, for example, the T110 sensor is designed to monitor doors, windows, closets and even other home accesses, with real-time alerts through the mobile application. It is available from 25,000 pesos.

Another trend that is gaining ground this holiday season is smart locks, which replace the physical key with a fingerprint, numerical code, card or the cell phone application itself. The advantage over the traditional method is not only convenience: they allow you to generate temporary codes for a trusted person or some specific service, and they notify you every time someone enters or leaves.

In this line, EZVIZ offers the DL06, with opening via fingerprint, code, card or app, and the DL06 Pro, which adds fingerprint sensors in both handles (that is, it verifies identity both from outside and inside the house), something that not all conventional biometric locks solve, since they usually limit authentication only to entry. From 450,000 pesos.

Security does not end at the front door. The indoor cameras allow you to check what is happening inside the house, review recordings saved in the cloud and, thanks to the two-way audio that several models incorporate, even talk to someone who is in the living room or give directions to a delivery person without being physically there.

The key, they agree in the sector, is to combine outdoor cameras, interior monitoring and access smart devices within the same system, managed from a single application, instead of adding separate and disconnected devices from each other.

None of this replaces the common sense as always (notifying a neighbor, not posting on networks that the house is empty, leaving a light on a timer) but it does offer an extra layer of control for those looking to travel more calm during the holidays.