3 Smart Home Devices That Will Change the Way You Live
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Thinking about maybe having a smart home? You’ve heard about all the things you can do—turn on your lights, kick up your speakers, set your thermostat, see what’s on TV. All conveniences, but not life changing.
We think home security devices are really worth going smart. We’ve picked 3 that will make a difference in your life. These are easy to use, easy to install smart devices that will give you peace of mind. Amp up your home security with these essentials. Install the hardware, the apps, then coordinate the management of all from your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Smart Doorbells: No More Guessing Who’s at the Front Door
Equipped with surveillance cameras, smart doorbells let you see who’s at your door without unlocking and opening it. Many smart doorbells also come with motion sensors so you can see who is on your property day or night, even when you aren’t home. Smart doorbells have helped deter burglars, even given police more evidence to solve crimes. For many homeowners, that’s the ultimate benefit of these smart devices — added security, safety and peace of mind.
Smart Locks: Convenience in the Click of a Button
Smart locks allow you to see what is locked or unlocked at your home, whether you are near or far. You can use your smartphone, tablet or another authorized device to automatically unlock or lock the doors to your home — no key required. Simply click a button on your device or wave the device in front of your door and you can deactivate the smart lock and gain entry. Multiple family members can gain access to the smart lock system, making it easy for everyone to come and go as needed. These devices also work during power or internet outages, ensuring home security at all times.
Networked Cameras: Added Safety and Security
Networked cameras are the cornerstone of smart home security.
Networked cameras are digital video cameras that record images. The system then compresses these data files and sends them over the internet or via a local network, which is a network that connects computers within a limited area, such as in a residence or school area, to give you around-the-clock visibility into what’s happening inside or outside your home.
Networked cameras combine the real-time capabilities of traditional surveillance cameras with the advanced capabilities of today’s smart technology, along with ease of installation. Many of these cameras are motion-activated and are equipped with floodlights, so you can see both wanted and unwanted guests. Some networked cameras also feature two-way audio, so you can communicate with whomever is there. Like smart doorbells and smart locks, you can control these cameras from your smartphone or computer and receive real-time alerts whenever the camera detects motion on your property. Whether it’s a delivery or a would-be burglar, you can keep track of what’s happening at your home any time and no matter where you are.
Making the Most of Smart Doorbells, Smart Locks and Networked Cameras
Privacy and data sharing concerns are two key reasons some consumers have been slow to adopt smart devices. Even with all the automation and convenience smart devices add to our lives, these concerns are more than valid.
If you’re worried about privacy or security, The Center for Internet Security has a good list of suggestions for you:
- Use a separate Wi-Fi network for your smart devices for added security. You’ll need to purchase another router to do this.
- Update your device whenever new security patches become available
- Use a different password for each of your smart devices.
- Before adopting a solution, be sure to research companies and products. Read online reviews from trusted technology sources, and conduct online searches via Google to find out whether a particular product has experienced data breaches or security issues.
Taking all these steps will help you enjoy the convenience and safety of using smart doorbells, locks and cameras.
Will one outside security camera work off my frontier internet?
Generally speaking, yes, but it really comes down to bandwidth. If that’s a 1080p, 2k, or 4k security camera streaming and recording at all times it could use up a significant portion of your bandwidth if that traffic is uploading to the cloud. With Frontier Fiber and its symmetrical upload and download speeds you could have dozens of high definition security cameras operating simultaneously and still have plenty of bandwidth to share for other users and devices in your home. ^Michael
What kind of portable camera can I use on my fios. None I have purchased work.
Hello Holly! Sorry you’ve been having trouble finding the right camera, but I have to admit I am a bit perplexed because any network connected camera should work with your Frontier Fiber service. I’ve personally used cameras from Wyze, Amcrest (Wi-fi Security Cameras), Ring, and Google Nest without issue on my Frontier Fiber Wi-Fi. None of these cameras configure in any special way based on the internet provider. If you connect with an Ethernet connection, they should be plug and play, and if you connect wireless you should be able to follow the manufacturer’s connection process for the camera using your Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and security key. I hope this helps and if you have any further questions don’t hesitate to ask! ^Michael
I’m having a problem connecting my security camera since I switched to the fiber 2 gig internet. My old service provider had the option of 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz, which is what my cameras require to connect. Does my new router provide these frequencies? I don’t see either as an option.
Hi Paul, thanks for the question! You indicate that your camera’s require a specific frequency, and that your old provider had the option to choose from the 2.4ghz or 5ghz. The solution to this dilemma is to separate the frequencies into their own network names, but this has its own caveats to be aware of. 2.4Ghz is a longer wavelength that provides greater range and penetration through walls, but it has fewer channels. 5ghz is a much shorter wavelength with less range but many more channels and much higher bandwidth. Modern routers use something called band steering that allows your client device (computer, smartphone, tablet, camera, etc) to determine which network will provide the best connection. If you separate them, you’ll have to connect to each network manually for every device for whichever frequency you figure out works best. The change is pretty straight forward, you just need to browse to 192.168.254.254 which is the IP address of your router. The credentials to log in are admin for the user and the password is printed on the device as the “Device Access Code” which is unique to each unit. Once you log in you should see each of the 3 Wi-Fi frequencies listed as you scroll down the page. Yours is a Tri-Band device which supports 6ghz in addition to the more common 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. You’ll notice that all have the same name, but you can change the default name to any of your choosing. Doing so will cause your devices to see them as separate available networks. Older devices would commonly add _5G to the 5Ghz, which may be what you’re accustomed to and may work well for your camera connection use case. Hopefully this information helps, feel free to reach out to us on Social Media at the links below if you need further assistance! ^Michael