If you forgot to shut a window when you left your house this morning, no worries, there’s an app for that.
Home security is becoming increasingly advanced, and more Swiss households are buying in as crimes rates rise. Data from the Federal Office for Statistics shows that property theft rose approximately 11 percent from 2011 to 2012, with approximately one burglary every nine minutes in the country. A 2012 study from the United Nations Office of Drug and Crime placed Switzerland’s burglary rate 10th among all OECD countries.
Experts estimate that between seven and eight percent of Swiss homes now have security systems, and those systems are becoming more high-tech. “It’s not longer about only securing,” said Benjamin Chassot, managing director of Safe Home Switzerland, “but also about controlling, caring and viewing.”
As more people look for integrated technology solutions, the options are increasing. Systems can now send alerts to mobile devices, monitor energy use and notify you if you leave open a window or forget to lock a door. “You can know what is happening at home, wherever you are, thanks to your smartphone,” said Chassot. The trend now, he said, is to combine self-monitoring through mobile devices and cameras, with a professional surveillance system.
Some systems do more than monitor and alert, they will even lock doors themselves. Geo-location applications can arm or disarm a system automatically when a user’s mobile device moves outside of the security zone. The user will simply walk away from their home and the alarm will set itself.
Many security systems can also detect smoke, gas, CO and flooding, for example in a basement. Some integrated systems also go beyond security, also monitoring and making suggestions for conserving energy use.
