As the weather gets frostier in the UK, you could understandably be eager to book that flight to the Costa del Sol, Hawaii or any other location where you would typically expect sunnier weather. However, before you do head off, make sure that your home is protected.

That way, you can spare yourself a nasty shock upon returning home, as winter's longer nights could tempt burglars, the Express implies. A raft of new security technology for your home could be just what you need - and here's where we reckon you should especially put your money.

Yale Smart Living

It's always better to prevent a crime happening than simply stop it in its tracks, which is why it can really pay to invest in a home security system that looks ominous to potential intruders.

The Yale Smart Living system is very much of that ilk, due to the recognisable yellow of Yale siren boxes, Ideal Home notes. This system is no gimmick; it includes a smart hub, 94dB siren, PIR motion detector and PIR image camera that can all be set up in under an hour.

Samsung SmartThings

Another example of a home security system, and it's a mightily wide-ranging one in terms of compatibility with third-party products. The kit itself is excellent value, and you can configure it with the likes of Philips Hue lighting, Yale smart locks and Netgear cameras, plus a lot more besides.

The SmartThings system's three preloaded modes of Away, Home and Night allow even beginners to easily activate and disable sensors to account for the unique risks of different times and locations.

Panasonic Home Safety

It's easy for the Luddites among us to feel a little paranoid about what risks implementing "smart home" technology could bring to our homes. Couldn't unscrupulous types hack into our locks or alarms? Rest assured, though, that this couldn't happen with the Panasonic Home Safety system.

That's because it relies on DECT ULE technology rather than Wi-Fi, shielding it from hackers' reach and allowing you to cast a range of up to 300m across your whole home and garden.

Hive Home

If you rent your home rather than own it, you could also rent the Hive Home security kit. This situation allows you to pick up home motion sensors, smart plugs, smart light bulbs and a couple of security cameras, all of which can be controlled from the Hive Hub.

The deal also includes a subscription to Hive Live - which, cleverly, can switch your home's lights on and off in a pattern intended to look as though you are at home even when you aren't.

Nest Protect smoke alarm

With a smart smoke alarm set up at home, you can receive live notifications on your phone or tablet should that alarm go off. The Nest Protect can detect smoke and carbon monoxide, says Which? - but, should fire ravage your roof, you could still get it repaired. This would be the case with, for example, roofers in Newcastle, Durham or Middlesbrough.

Author

  1. avatar
    Claire Coutts