Smart Home Security Tips and Gifts for New Homeowners

• The best security gifts for new homeowners include wireless security cameras, doorbell cameras, solar panels, and home security systems — all of which will help you manage your security feeds and keep your cameras running.
• Installing wireless security cameras and motion sensors can give you spatial awareness across your entire property, covering objects and movement. Setting up automated activity zones will then send alerts right to your phone once they detect suspicious activity.

Congratulations! You (or someone you know) has just purchased a new home. On top of planning your move and staying on top of transferring utilities, you should also keep your security plans top of mind. We’ve got some smart home security tips that will help you keep your property safe, alongside which gifts for new homeowners are essential for properly setting up your grid.

Essential smart home security tips

Change your locks

One of the first things you should do when you move into a new house is change the locks on all of the doors. It may seem paranoid, but you don’t know how many of the previous owner’s spare keys are floating around out there, so it’s worth it to change the locks out of an abundance of caution.

While you’re at it, this is a great time to install a doorbell camera alongside the new lock. It’ll help you answer the doorbell, keep track of packages, and even ward off potential thieves or invaders at the main point of entry.

Set up a wireless security camera system

After getting moved in and settled, it’s a great opportunity to take stock of your house and the surrounding property and determine the areas that could benefit most from a security camera.

Look for major entry points (the front door, the back door, windows, the garage, etc.) and find the best places to install a camera that will give you the best coverage of that room or area. Utilize wide angles for large outdoor areas so you can capture more square footage with a single camera. Also, check blind spots like side yards or behind external structures as well as chokepoints like hallways and determine whether it would be worth installing a camera in those areas to round out your setup.

Once the physical installation is done, you can tie everything together by logging into the accompanying smart home security app. This simple yet powerful piece of software will allow you to check on all of your feeds, make sure everything is running smoothly, and even notify you if your grid notices anything suspicious.

Place sensors near critical access points

Cameras aren’t the only tool in your smart home security arsenal. You can also install motion sensors on doors, windows, and other areas you want to track. They’re small, easy to install and hide virtually anywhere, and they’ll alert you via your app if any of these sensors are disturbed. Plus, they sip power so they can last for months before you need to change their battery.

Lean on your Activity Zones

The beauty of any smart home security system is that it will do most of the hard work for you. Activity Zones are one of the key features that help do the heavy lifting keeping you protected, so you can spend your time on other things.

Start by going into your security app and looking at your feeds. Note the most important area within each feed. Then, use the app’s built-in Activity Zone generator to create detection areas within the feed.

Once set up, your camera will now focus its automated alert system on the spaces you deem most important. Your cameras will automatically send you a notification if they detect anything suspicious or noteworthy that enters those zones, whether it’s a package delivery, a vehicle, or a suspicious figure.

It’ll also reduce the amount of false positives you get. Don’t want your cameras to notify you every time a flag waves in the breeze? Set an Activity Zone that doesn’t include that space, and your cameras will exclude it from detection.

Keep your property well lit

Night time creates shadows, and shadows are great places for criminals to hide. Smart cameras with built-in floodlights can keep these spots illuminated, helping to make the area surrounding your property safer for your friends, family, and neighbors.

However, you don’t want your lights to be on all day. To avoid wasting battery power on your wireless security cameras, use your app to set a timer to activate the light when the sun goes down and turn it off in the daytime. Or, you can lean on motion detection so the lights only turn on when something enters the frame. Using a combination of both can give you a well-rounded approach to nighttime security camera coverage.

Make a daily security routine

Many crimes are ones of opportunity. All it takes is an unlocked door or an open garage for someone to gain entry and steal your valuables. Make it a daily habit to check all of your entry points and ensure that they’re secured before you settle in for the night. You can also use your app to give your feeds and notifications a once-over, making sure that nothing is out of place in or around your house before you go to bed.

Practice smart digital security

Proper protection isn’t just about physical security. Setting up multi-factor authentication and regularly updating your digital accounts (like your smart home security system) will ensure thieves can’t gain access to your personal data while keeping them humming along smoothly.

Essential security gifts for new homeowners

Wireless security cameras

These are the backbone of any security system. Look for options with long battery life, wide angle lenses, and at least 2K video to ensure your security cameras capture every detail. The Arlo Essential 3rd Gen camera is a great, low-cost way to secure your home without sacrificing on features or quality.

Central security system

While not always necessary, a central physical hub can help you more easily manage your smart home security system. For example, the Arlo Home Security System offers stronger, more secure connections for any installed Arlo camera while ensuring they stay active even if the power or internet goes down. Plus, you’ll get easy-to-install All-in-One Sensors to help you detect opening doors, smoke, and even changes in temperature.

Doorbell cameras

When you’re watching your front door, you need something steady, reliable, and capable of detecting visitors, packages, and other objects as they arrive. 2-Way Audio is also extremely helpful for communicating with visitors when you’re unable to answer the door directly. The Arlo Video Doorbell offers all of these features and more in a durable, weather-resistant design.

Solar panels

Keep your cameras running all day, every day with a handy solar panel charger. The Arlo Solar Panel Charger includes an eight-foot-long charging cable and adjustable mount, allowing you to keep your batteries charged, no matter where your cameras are installed.

Add on Arlo Secure to complete the package

The best home security system needs an equally powerful app to help you manage your grid and stay secure. That’s where Arlo Secure comes in.

With Arlo Secure, you’ll get a 60-day archive of your video feeds, programmable Activity Zones, and access to our powerful Early Warning System: a customizable, AI-powered algorithm that can detect people, vehicles, noises, fires, and other hazards and alert you directly from within the app. And if you upgrade to Arlo Secure Premium, you’ll also get 24/7 Professional Monitoring and 24/7 Emergency Response for the ultimate in security.

Every Arlo camera comes with a free trial of Arlo Secure, making Arlo the perfect gift for a new homeowner — whether that’s a friend, a family member, or even yourself.

Get Arlo Secure Premium

Frequently asked questions

How secure are Arlo cameras?

Arlo relies on AES 256-bit encryption and Transport Layer Security to encrypt security camera footage in transit and at rest. We also utilize multi-factor authentication alongside strict password requirements and limited login attempts to keep malicious actors out of your account.

Does Arlo integrate with other smart home solutions?

Yes! Arlo is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, If This Then That (IFTTT) and Samsung SmartThings, ensuring that your wireless security cameras fit into whatever solution you’re already using.

How should I install my wireless cameras?

For best results, we recommend mounting Arlo cameras at least 7 feet above the ground while aiming the lens slightly downward. To track motion closer to the camera, position the lens so visitors appear in the lower two-thirds of the image. To track motion farther away, aim the camera slightly higher so the detectable area is within the lower two-thirds of the image.

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