A Guide to Pet-Friendly Home Security

A major driver for homeowners to invest in home security is out of a desire to protect their family – and that includes their beloved pets! A home security system is not only a convenient tool for pet owners, but it also ensures that pets are safe and happy at home, even when they’re left alone in the house.  In this blog post, we’ll share simple home security tips for petowners including what components are best to monitor your pet’s safety, where to properly place those components, and general convenience tricks.

The security components that best protect pets

While most home security systems are built with humans in mind, it doesn’t mean there aren’t tools available to help ensure your pet’s safety. Here are some to consider:

• Entry Sensors - If you have a doggie door, we recommend placing an entry sensor next to the flap so you’re aware when your dog leaves and returns home. 

• Temperature Sensors - Domestic pets can be sensitive to extreme temperatures. If you live in an area where extreme temperatures are common, consider installing a temperature sensor that will alert you when your home is too hot or too cold for your pet’s comfort. 

• Smoke Detector - Do you have a pet that likes to sneak around the kitchen for food craps? If so, make sure that your home is properly equipped with a smoke detector so you know if a pet ever accidentally turns on an oven or stovetop, putting your home and their safety at risk. 

• Indoor Camera - If you’re nervous to leave your pet home alone, you can check live video footage through the SimpliSafe app to see if Fido is sleeping soundly or getting into mischief. 

• Outdoor Camera - Similarly, if your pet has the freedom to roam in and outside your home, we recommend installing an outdoor camera so you can monitor its outdoor activity. 

Installing components with pets in mind

When installing your home security products, it’s important to keep your pet’s activity and habits in mind. For instance, if you have an acrobatic cat that likes to knock knick-knacks off bookshelves and windowsills, it probably doesn’t make sense to install your indoor camera on either of those surfaces. The good news is that all of SimpliSafe’s security components can be mounted against a wall, doorframe or window, ensuring that your pet’s paws won’t disturb the components’ placement. 

While SimpliSafe’s cameras and motion sensors are specifically calibrated to know the difference between human and animal movement through infrared technology, there are instances when a motion sensor will be triggered such as by a large dog that produces a lot of heat, or a large dog that is hyper-active. If your dog falls into one of these two types, we recommend turning your motion sensor upside-down and lowering it to about 4 ½ feet off the ground. By doing this, the motion sensor will ignore movement below its level, and still trigger for heat signatures at human-height.

How to make petownership more convenient 

Being a petowner can be hard – from managing walk schedules, finding pet sitters when you travel, and just making sure your furry friends learn how to stay out of the trash! Luckily, smart home security offers more than just protection, but convenience for petowners too. 

If you have a noise-sensitive pet at home, you understand that a sounding security alarm may end up doing more harm than good. To save your pet from the loud noise and to save your living room from being totally torn apart during your pet’s frenzy, go to your security system settings and lower the volume of your alarms or turn your alarms to silent, meaning you’ll get alerted quietly through the SimpliSafe app. 

To save yourself the hassle of coordinating the key drop-off with neighbors, family members, or pet sitters who come to your home to feed, walk or keep your pet company, consider installing a smart lock. With a smart lock, you can give a different PIN code to people you trust, so they can enter your home without a key. Alternatively, if you don’t feel comfortable giving out PIN codes, you can always unlock and lock your door remotely via the SimpliSafe app and let in people when needed.

At SimpliSafe, we understand that your pet’s safety is of the utmost importance. That’s why, we’ve taken care to create products and services that keep everyone under your home’s roof protected.