The Evolution of Home Security Technology

If you have ever read a science fiction novel or watched a science fiction movie, you have probably thought, “Will we ever see this technology in the real world?” In many cases, the answer is surprisingly yes!

With advancements in technology, it is amazing to see how far our traditional home security systems have come. Most “techy” people have an understanding of what home automation is capable of. However, the average user of an outdated security system has no idea about what their system could do with just a few upgrades!

It may be far-fetched to think that you could have a home with the capabilities of Tony Stark’s workshop. However, it isn’t far-fetched to believe that your home could begin to understand and react to your behaviors. It isn’t outlandish to believe that your home could notify you when your children made it home safely from school. And it absolutely is true that you can tell your home to start cooking dinner while you are away at work. This “unbelievable” technology already exists! And thanks to all the advancements in home automation, the benefits of these systems far outweigh the cost, and the cost is lower than most would expect.

Where Did it All Start?

Some would say that home security systems began with moats, armed guards or maybe even the domestication of dogs. Although, these historical events may have provided protection for cavemen and other important people, the invention and foundation of today’s security systems date back to the 1850s. With the invention of electricity, the art of home protection was greatly improved.

In 1857, Edwin Holmes acquired a patent for the first electromagnetic burglar alarm. These alarms meant that businesses and wealthy residents could secure their valuables. The system relied on magnetic contacts that were placed on doors and windows. Once the contacts were tripped, a signal would be sent through the electromagnetic wiring and an alarm would sound.

By 1877, Edwin Holmes had established the very first network of alarm systems that were monitored by a central station. Once it was discovered that Edwin Holmes could use pre-existing phone cables to network his alarm systems, he became president of the Bell Phone Company in 1878 and obtained the rights to use the company’s phone lines. In 1905, The American Telephone and Telegraph Company bought the Holmes Burglar Business and linked it to emergency call systems for contacting the police and fire fighting personnel.

After World War II, these systems became less expensive and more versatile. With many inventions introduced, such as motion detectors and surveillance equipment, the home security system became a standard feature in homes during the 1990s.

How Far We Have Come!

In recent years, our home security systems have transitioned away from simple control panels, motion detectors, and window sensors. The systems that are currently being installed have capabilities way beyond just beeping if someone enters the home. In all actuality, showing a grandparent the capabilities of your home automation system would blow their minds! Similar to the way they reacted when seeing a smartphone for the first time. And now, you can control your home from the palm of your hand. Even Marty McFly couldn’t have predicted this technology, and he briefly lived in 2015!

With the partnership between 2Gig Technologies and Alarm.com, the future has already begun! We no longer use a key to open our front doors anymore. Instead, we enter a personalized code on our quickset door lock. Once the code has been entered, the alarm is disarmed, and we can walk inside freely.

The days of dropping all of our groceries so that you can enter the home and run to our control panel are over! Instead, we can disarm our alarm and unlock our front door before we get out of the car, right from our smartphone.

With the 2Gig Go! Control panel, all the security equipment inside your home can talk to each other and respond together. For instance, let’s say that you have an appliance module plugged into a lamp near the front door so that you won’t trip when you come home at night (darn kids and their toys). Well, through the Alarm.com interface, you will be able to control your lamp and make sure that it is on when you enter the home. But, in case that is too much work for you, the system could be programmed so that when you open the front door your lamp will turn on by programming your appliance module to turn on your lamp whenever your motion sensor sees you or another family member in the front room.

The above-described features may not be what you’re looking for. However, there a many other options for keeping your home safe and your belongings secure. With the CT100 thermostat that has been released by 2Gig Technologies, you have more control over your electric bill than you ever did before. The Alarm.com interface allows you to preprogram what temperature you would like your home to be and when you would like it. The interface will instantly show you what difference that is going to make on your energy consumption.

 

The Future is Yours

Paragraph after paragraph, page after page could be written on the topic of our current security technology. When reflecting on the past, it is astonishing to see how much our technology has evolved. The way that technology can adapt to our lives and make them easier is fascinating. When purchasing a home security system, we are no longer “just” protecting our families. We are now investing in a tool that will allow us to communicate with our home and always be aware of the current happenings. The capabilities of these systems will make even the most average of Joe’s look and feel like a modern-day wizard.