A survey has found that the traditional burglar alarm, once the most commonly used first line of defence against would-be property thieves, is now a less desirable security product than smart home camera systems.
The survey of 1,000 people conducted during August 2018 by
Arlo Technologies, asked respondents which security device they either currently own or would be most interested in, with the list including a range of smart cameras, doorbells, lights and locks as well as the option of traditional burglar alarms.
Smart home security cameras topped the list (35.1%) followed by burglar alarms (20.5%) and smart doorbells (13.2%). Only 10.6% of people said they weren’t interested in having any of the listed security products in their home. “In the past, if the worst happened and your home was broken into while you were away, you had to hope the alarms were working properly, and that a friendly neighbour would notify the police,” said Rob Wells, VP EMEA, Arlo Technologies.
“But now, smart camera systems are finally enabling homeowners to take control of their own security, sending immediate alerts and footage to their phone or tablet, so they can make a quick decision about the best follow-up course of action to take and provide crucial evidence that may be used by police in their investigations,” he added.
With smart camera systems growing in popularity, their ability to capture previously unseen footage from around the home is now being employed for uses besides keeping a property secure from theft and burglary.
The survey asked respondents about other possible domestic situations could benefit from smart camera footage, the most popular (56%) was to monitor a premises for incidents of anti-social behaviour, followed by keeping tabs on pets (50.5%) and monitoring the use of the back garden by wildlife, such as birds and neighbourhood cats (40%).
Other reasons include resolving disputes with both neighbours and family members, checking if parcels have been delivered, keeping an eye on children and monitoring family members in need of care.
