Smart home technology arrives in Zimbabwe

Smart home technology enabling you to automate your home, using your smart phone to remotely control electronic devices, has arrived in Zimbabwe.

Safeguard Alarms has introduced smart home technology that makes it possible to remotely control alarms, security cameras, lights, air-conditioning, refrigerators, fans, electronic door locks and even the electric gate, using a smartphone or tablet, all running on one platform.

Having separate remote controls for your alarm, CCTV and other household electronic gadgets is now a thing of the past.   

It is possible to use the smart phone to switch on and off electronic devices whether one is within the house, outside it or hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Cameras can likewise be activated, making it possible to see and hear on one's smart phone what is happening and to zoom in for a closer look.

All that is necessary, apart from the Safeguard Smart-Home package and app, is Wi-Fi internet connectivity within the home.

"The system is linked to any standard wireless router such as those used for Wi-Fi internet connectivity. Once it is set up, users then download the Safeguard Smart-Home application onto their smartphone. They can select from an array of commands the one they wish to use," explained Safeguard Alarms managing director Reason Chitiva.

"A homeowner away on vacation or business can use the Safeguard Smart-Home to arm and disarm the home security system, check the status of the alarm, activate a camera and listen to what is happening and talk to people on site, switch appliances on or off, control lights, and perform many other tasks," he said.

The Safeguard Smart-Home basic kit, which is designed primarily for security, consists of a control box, two sensors and two magnetic contacts. More sensors, magnetic contacts and security cameras can be added.

Smart sockets can also be added to control other devices in the house, such as air conditioners and lights Additions to the system can be made at any time. The Smart-Home system can be linked to up to 24 devices and four cameras.

The system sends notifications and alerts to the user's smart phone when the alarm is activated, enabling the user, wherever he or she may be, to for example, switch on lights in the house, or perhaps the television as well, giving any intruder the impression that there are people up and about in the house.

"The convenience that comes with the Safeguard Smart-Home technology is amazing. One can turn off night lights in the morning, switch on the television and disarm the alarm to allow the maid to come into the house, all without getting out of bed," Mr Chitiva said. "It all depends on what one has connected to the system."

"Being able to do these things from a distance, no matter how great the distance, provided there is an internet connection, makes it possible to control one's own security to some extent.

"The field of home automation is expanding rapidly as electronic technologies converge. The home network encompasses communication, entertainment, security and information systems. Above all it offers convenience," Mr Chitiva said.

Safeguard offers a rent-to-buy facility for those who cannot afford to buy the system or various add on components outright.