4 Smart Home Sensors That Can Enhance a Deadbolt’s Effectiveness

Deadlocks are arguably the best kinds of locks for home security. Whether completely mechanical or integrated into a smart lock system, deadbolts hold more firmly then standard handle locks. But even a deadbolt is not 100% burglar proof. So what is a homeowner to do? How about adding a couple of smart home sensors?

The modern smart home isn’t just about efficiency and comfort. It is also about security. Vivint Smart Home believes so much in home security that they sell their home automation systems with both efficiency and security devices. They recently published a post discussing how to beef up door security. It was the impetus for this post.

Vivint did not spend a lot of time discussing the four types of smart home sensors in detail. I will do that here. Just note that the sensors are of very little value if someone is not monitoring the system. Whether it is professional or DIY monitoring, somebody has to be paying attention to sensor alerts.

1. Contact Sensor

The contact sensor is one of the oldest sensors in the home security game. It is a magnetic sensor with two pieces. One piece is installed on the door and the other on the frame. The pieces are installed in such a way as to guarantee they maintain contact with one another whenever the door is closed.

When a home automation or security system is armed, it is constantly monitoring contact sensors. Broken contact indicates an unauthorized entry that results in an alarm. A monitoring company, homeowner, or both will know in real time that the door has been breached.

2. Door Sensors

While contact sensors work extremely well on both doors and windows, Vivint also mentioned a special type of sensor just for doors alone. The door sensor constantly monitors the door position. It can tell whether the door is open or closed.

This particular kind of sensor is helpful for monitoring front doors, back doors, and even garage entry doors. Not only can they alert a home order to unauthorized access, but they can also remind an occupant in the home that a door has inadvertently been left open.

3. Broken Glass Sensors

Broken glass sensors – or glass break sensors as Vivint calls them – are somewhat unique in the home security industry. They are designed to monitor for the sound of breaking glass. That sound creates a unique frequency that can trigger an alarm in the event that door glass has been broken.

First floor doors that include windows could be breached even with deadbolt locks in place. A burglar simply breaks the glass, reaches in, and unlocks the door. Broken glass sensors alert homeowners and monitoring companies to a burglar’s presence.

4. Motion Sensors

Last on the list are motion sensors. They can be strategically installed to monitor for motion both inside and out. Unfortunately, a typical motion sensor does not work through a pane of glass. So choosing to protect the front or rear door with the sensors would mean installing them on both sides.

The one downside to motion sensors is sensitivity. Theoretically, a homeowner should be able to fine tune a sensor to limit false alerts. But that is often easier said than done. It can take quite a bit of trial-and-error to get motion sensors to work the way you want them to.

A deadbolt is a fantastic security tool. It can help keep all but the most determined criminals from breaking in. But why not go one step further by installing home automation sensors that make successfully breaking in even harder?

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