Home security: Protecting your home in the new post-lockdown world
Our homes became our sanctuary during the pandemic. So how can we ensure they, and what’s in them, is safe and secure now lockdown is over?
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If there’s one thing that Covid gave almost all of us, it’s a fluid, disquieting sense of uncertainty.
We’re open one minute, closed the next. We’re Covid-free, then there are new variants.
It’s hardly surprising, that our homes have become our one anchor in the sea of strangeness, and that we put a lot of money into making our sanctuaries feel comforting and secure.
In fact, from the end of 2020 to now, Australians took out a whopping $4.38 billion in loans for renovations, and spending on homewares and hardware also peaked higher than anyone expected. Increased investment in our homes has led to a sense that we wanted to protect them as we begin venturing into the new post-lockdown world.
Research from Honey Insurance found that one third of Australians feel “mixed emotions” and anxiety about leaving their living spaces unattended as we return to “normal” life, and that we’re willing to spend money on making sure our nests remain safe while we’re not there (nine out of 10 of us, Honey’s research shows, think home and contents insurance is more important than ever for example).
Jeremy Stuart from home security company Swann says he’s seeing two distinct trends emerging.
“One is around connection to the home,” he says.
“Loved ones might be at home, or pets, and we want to maintain that connection to them.”
The other, he says, is to do with prevention – the idea that we want to stop anything happening to our homes or their contents when we’re not there.
It’s these twin concerns, he says, that saw his company record a 15 per cent uptake in sales in 2020 and a five per cent increase from previous years in 2021. Another source of anxiety is how we maintain our Covid-acquired online shopping addictions – safely – when we’re not there to receive parcels.
“Our customers our concerned about porch piracy,” Stuart says.
“They think, ‘Will I be at risk of having those packages getting lost or stolen’?”
People are investing more in what Stuart calls “doorway security” – cameras that can be mounted easily at the front door or the front of their property.
Swann has also recently introduced a new device, the SwannBuddy Video Doorbell that allows people to see exactly who’s at their door, detect packages and speak to the visitor, all via a remote app on their phone.
But what none of us know – yet – is if or when this sense of unease around our leaving the safety shell that our homes became during the pandemic will become normalised.
“As we approach this new period I think everyone’s a bit unclear about the impact,” Jeremy Stuart says. “We’re all just looking for a bit more peace of mind.”
MAKING YOUR HOME SAFE AND SECURE AND CALM
Marketing consultant Tracy Hall, 46, lives in a ground floor apartment with her 11-year-old daughter on Sydney’s northern beaches. Covid prompted her to think more about theimportance of her home and how she could keep it secure.
“I think our world’s got a bit smaller during Covid,” explains Tracy.
“Our homes became our everything. Because we couldn’t travel or spend money on things like clothes or going out, I think a lot of us invested in our homes.
“We wanted to make them more comfortable and secure and a beautiful place to be. I bought a new gas heater, which was not cheap, but my electricity bills were so high during winter that it was a good investment.
“I also repainted and had the floorboards sanded back and restained and bought a lot of linen and hanging plants. Now that we’re able to go away I’ve wanted some peace of mind, to make sure that everything I love, and my sanctuary, is safe.
“I’ve invested in contents insurance, as well as Crimsafe security screens for our windows. It’s those checks and balances that make you feel more secure.
“Considering many of us have spent money on our homes during Covid, you want to make sure that investment is protected. It feels like I have more to lose.”
We’re not only looking for security for our homes during this unsettling time, we’re also looking to increase our wellbeing when we’re behind closed doors.
Before the pandemic began, the ABC’s Dr Ann Jones had been trying to drum up interest for a podcast series of nature sounds, but the pandemic was “what really pushed it through”, she says.
Her podcast Nature Track, which she launched in June 2020 and is available on the ABC listening app or other podcast platforms, is a collection of ambient nature sounds – think bird songs, thunder, frogs, wind and even the clicking of crab claws – that Dr Jones has recorded around Australia, and that she says became a comfort to many people inside their homes during lockdown and even now that we’re venturing out.
“There’s a ton of research that indicates people’s connection to green space and wild things enhances their psychological and physical wellbeing,” she says.
The series was an immediate hit.
“I get emails from people saying they’re playing them for their kids, or for an elderly relative to help them relax,” Dr Jones says.
“It’s different to putting on something like a TV for background noise. Having nature for company is incredibly positive.”
TOP TECH HOME SECURITY GADGETS
Find out exactly who is at your front door with this camera which can be used via a single app on your phone. Netatmo smart video doorbell, $450. netatmo.com
You know you’ll be back soon but your pets don’t. Check in on them with this clever camera with treat tossing ability. Dogness smart camera treater, $169. jbhifi.com.au
This completely wireless, heat and motion-sensing security camera also offers smart phone alerts. Swann wire-free 1080p security camera, $189.95. swann.com
Fancy an old-school safe? This one is inexpensive and while definitively not high-tech, it does the job and perfectly well at that. Ikonic 17E blue digital combination safe, $29. bunnings.com.au
Originally published as Home security: Protecting your home in the new post-lockdown world
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