KEEPING YOUR FAMILY SAFE

HOME TECH AND SECURITY

“Two - way audio in cameras mean that parents can now talk to and have a conversation with their kids or nanny.” – Clint Jones

Keeping your family

SAFE Advances in Wi - Fi video cameras mean you can keep an eye on your most precious assets – your family and your home, writes Kate Ferreira

rime is rife in South Africa, and around the world accidents can and do happen in the house. As an adult you’re usually prepared, but how do we extend protection to the 20-million or so children in our country? Luckily the miniaturisation and dropping cost of DIY and home camera technology means your off-the-shelf Wi-Fienabled security camera can double as an anxiety-reducing nanny cam, or simply another safeguard in your arsenal, geared at keeping the whole family safe and secure. C

DUAL PURPOSE “When speaking about camera systems most home owners will instinctively relate the need for cameras as a deterrent to home intrusion,” says Homemation’s Warren Husband. “The reality is that cameras are useful for much more than just intrusion. Well-placed cameras are useful for keeping an eye on the kids playing in the back garden,

Homemation Homemation Yale

near a pool area, or perhaps making sure that they are not talking to any strangers at the front gate.” There are two tactics, which can be used in tandem, he explains: visible cameras that act as a deterrent, and “cleverly concealed cameras” for when people don’t know they are being watched.

SPEAK OUT Yale’s internet protocol (IP) cameras are ideal for these kinds of uses, explains Yale’s Smart Living product and business development manager Clint Jones.

“It has a built-in two-way audio,” Jones says. “This allows parents to not only check up on little ones remotely using the Yale VIEW app on their smart phones, but parents can now talk to and have a conversation with their kids or nanny.” The Yale VIEW app is available for free download from iOS and Android app stores. And the camera setup is a cinch with the app taking you through the process step by step. The latest version of the Yale camera also connects to other security products in the Yale Smart Living family, such as digital video recorders and Smart Alarm, and it works with Alexa and Google Assistant. Q

TAKE ACTION Additionally, Husband says, it is “almost equally important to be able to access and view the cameras off-site in real time” and even to have other systems in the home integrated into the camera system by means of a good automation system. “This could allow the home to respond automatically to predefined triggers,” he says. These automated actions include things like turning the lights on, pausing movies and music, or displaying the camera feed. “There are two tactics, which can be used in tandem –visible cameras that act as a deterrent, and cleverly concealed cameras.” –Warren Husband With thanks to Homemation and Yale PUSH THE BUTTON We don’t want to teach our kids to live in fear, but we also have a duty to educate and prepare them, especially in a country with the regrettable crime concerns that South Africa faces. Namola is an app that connects people to emergency services – a panic button of sorts – and it’s so simple that it’s ideal for kids. The app is free to download for Huawei, iOS and Android users. The free version connects you to public emergency medical services (EMS). Namola Plus costs R49/month and comes with the added benefit of connecting you with an armed response team and private emergency medical services as needed.

SAFETY TIP: The internet is full of tips and tricks to aid parents and keep kids safe. These tend to be age - specific, but a good universal rule of thumb to teach your kids is that adults don’t need help from kids. An adult with a real emergency will seek another adult. So make sure your kids know that if there is an adult asking them for help by entering the home or going somewhere with them, they must just say no.

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