How to Build the Best Smart Home Security System

When people think of smart home security devices, they may assume that the process of making a home "smart" is just too much to take on or too expensive to be manageable. However, creating a smart home system doesn't require costly renovations, numerous purchases, or huge amounts of precious weekend time. 

What you need to create your smart home depends largely on your lifestyle, your specific aims for the security system, and the general pace of your household’s daily life. 

ADT offers same-day and next-day service on all of our smart home security devices, and committed professionals are on call to make installation of any of our home security packages a breeze. But before you call in the professionals, let’s take a closer look at how your smart feature needs can vary from room to room and house to house, so that you can get a clearer idea of which smart home security devices may best suit your family’s needs.

Smart Home Security Devices for Every Area of Your Home

When you are opting for smart home security, different areas of your home may have different requirements. A good way to start planning your security system is by visually breaking your home down into the separate components where you know you will need smart devices to help you monitor movement or traffic. 

Here are some places to add smart home security elements where they can make the largest and most helpful impact:

Smart Home Security Devices for Windows 

Although windows provide us with great light, they are also an area of the home that can be vulnerable to intrusion. Installing security cameras with motion-detection sensors that trigger automatic HD video recording can give you peace of mind when it comes to your windows. You can equip a window with an ADT security camera or sensor, which you control from your smartphone or a master command panel you've placed within your home. 

Safety measures like this allow you to be alerted immediately if you have unwanted visitors or if your teen tries to sneak out past curfew. And if you are about to leave home for a long period of time, the ADT geofencing capability sends you an alert if you've accidentally left a window open or forgotten to lock a door. 

Smart Home Security Devices for Doors 

From motion-sensing doorbell cameras that allow two-way communication to weatherproof outdoor cameras with infrared night vision, ADT helps you monitor all major points of entry in your house. 

Doors can be outfitted both inside and out with high-resolution and wide-ranging ADT cameras that are programmed to send a message to your cellphone or other designated mobile device when a door opens or motion is detected. These cameras are also snow-, rain-, and humidity-resistant, so you can be sure that they will operate effectively even in the most extreme weather conditions.

Smart Home Security Devices in Your Foyer, Staircase, and Garage

High-traffic areas like foyers and staircases are prime places to install smart home security elements. The ADT Control app allows you to stream live video from any of your smart home security devices and remotely arm or disarm your protection system. 

This app even gives you the power to turn on your lights from afar, which means you’ll never have to arrive home to a dark house again – and you’ll also be able to make your home appear occupied when you are out of town.

Smart Home Thermostats

Smart thermostats offer a range of benefits since they allow you to program your home’s temperature according to who is coming home, what time of day it is, and the local weather. ADT smart thermostats also offer automatic scheduling and custom alerts if your home becomes too hot or too cold due to an unexpected change in the weather. You also have the ability to control all of your thermostat functions remotely. 

Smart Home Security Devices for Outlets 

If you haven’t yet progressed to lighting you can talk to or a coffee maker that brews on its own, ADT offers smart plugs and smart switches that will turn any electrical outlet into a remote intelligence center. Dim lighting, turn off the toaster, or make sure your lights come on at the same time every day by using smart plugs and switches in conjunction with the ADT Control app.

Features That Help Make Home Security Systems “Smart”

You may be wondering what the term "smart" means when it comes to home security devices. The major feature of any device labeled this way is its ability to act on its own and communicate with other devices. Features such as motion detection, two-way talk, 1080 HD video, and voice integration are all considered smart features. 

Smart home automation by ADT takes building a smart home to the next level of interconnectivity and personalization. ADT knows that your smart home security system must not only be reliable but also tailored to your unique needs. 

This means that while your neighbor may find remote-lock capability a top priority, you may find it more important to control your thermostat and lights while you are away. Ultimately, smart home security devices, when chosen thoughtfully, support your specific lifestyle and needs.

Benefits of a Smart Home Security System

Although protective measures might be at the forefront of your mind when choosing smart home security devices, there are quite a few additional benefits to these handy features. Some include:

• Remote control arm and disarm capabilities

• Monitor unusual activity 

• Check-in on your children

• Integration with voice-controlled devices like Alexa 

• Faster response to emergencies with 24/7 monitoring services from ADT (e.g. fires, floods, etc.)

For instance, the same live-streaming cameras that monitor your home for unusual activity can help check in with your children while you are out for dinner or communicate with the babysitter. 

The ADT Command smart home security touchpad permits voice control integration with programs like Amazon Alexa, Kwikset, Z-Wave, and LiftMaster so that you can control and make quick use of any of those programs from a single dashboard. This dashboard has been designed with advanced encryption technology to keep your privacy as safe as your physical assets. 

When building a smart home security system, many people overlook the fact that dangers to your home may come not only from the outside but also from the inside. ADT fire, home, and flood safety programs help detect unseen assailants like smoke, carbon monoxide, and flooding. In the event you experience any of these in your home, early alerts can make all the difference in the world. 

A smart home security device like the ADT Emergency 2-Button Panic can also lend you those precious seconds by allowing you to call for help at the single push of a button during an emergency.

Where to Start With a Smart Home Security System

Figuring out all of the smart security system features at once can feel overwhelming, so the key to thoughtfully building a smart home is to start small. Below are a few ways to start building your smart home security system. 

Invest in a smart doorbell camera

Invest in a feature like a doorbell camera first and get used to how that device enhances your daily routine or makes your family feel more secure. 

Build off of what you have

In addition, consider where you can expand on your smart home security system. If you started with simple motion sensors on your windows, consider implementing the same sensors on any major doors as well. Are there places in your home that are still unmonitored, such as a back patio or pool area? If so, additional cameras might be of use there. 

Over time, you will build a smart home security system that seamlessly blends with the lifestyle your family has always enjoyed. 

Alexa and ADT Smart Home Security Device Integration

Are you wondering how all of these smart home security devices are going to gel with your voice-controlled devices? ADT and Alexa communicate with ease. When you install an ADT smart home skill, Alexa becomes your personal security assistant, and you can use your voice to control your security system. You can even access the ADT app with your voice in this same way. 

To integrate ADT with Alexa, simply add a new skill to Alexa and personally name the security devices included in your protection package. Alexa will recognize these names, and you can even extend that voice control to other Amazon devices around the house, such as Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Show, Echo Input, and more. A basic command like "Alexa, turn on the bedroom light" will bring a new level of ease to using your ADT smart home security system.

Smart Home Security Device Energy Considerations

Many customers begin to consider building a smart home because they've heard about its cost-efficiency and energy conservation potential. When you automate certain features of your home, you can save on both your energy usage and your monthly expenditures. 

Do you want a home security system that you can control remotely? The ability to turn lights on and off from afar? To integrate your preexisting smart home devices with security services? ADT enables you to do all of these things while saving you time and money. 

Some cost-efficient and energy-conserving benefits include:

• Local weather integration with smart thermostats to perfect temperature control in your home

• Automated lighting to ensure lights are on or off when you want them to be 

The energy management schedules available through ADT smart home security help you work with your usage patterns and local weather forecasts to lower your energy bills. Your thermostat can be programmed to drop or raise the temperature at given times, which helps you avoid frozen pipes in the winter or overheated pets on hot days. 

ADT energy management schedules work directly with the information provided by your local weather forecasts and require no additional input from you to keep the temperature in your home balanced and comfortable.

Automated lights can also be synced to your home security system to illuminate the room you’re entering from the moment you open the door. Lights can also be set to turn off and on at the entrance or exit of any room. 

These types of energy-efficient smart designs do so much more than lower your energy bills, though. They increase your quality of life while simultaneously keeping you safer. With automated lights and thermostat, you'll never have to worry about coming home to a freezing cold house or a dark room. 

Making the Smartest Decision in Building a Smart Home

With over 17,000 of the most experienced operators in the security industry, ADT helps you build your smart home with connection to three times as many monitoring centers as our nearest competitor in the home security field. 

Although we are extremely proud of our many smart home security devices, the most standout feature of our company is our people. 

When trained ADT professionals come to your home, the security devices they install have already been tested under the harshest imaginable conditions to ensure they work perfectly in your home environment. 

In addition, our experts do not leave your premises until you know how to operate the ADT technology. With 150 years in the industry, ADT remains one of the smartest choices in smart home security today.