4 Ways Security Equipment Can Help Amidst Coronavirus (COVID-19) Concerns

The spread of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) across the country has caused life, as we know it, to halt. Many Americans are taking shelter in their homes, as schools and businesses close in an attempt to flatten the curve.

With schedules and routines getting upended, it’s important to keep home and personal security at the forefront. Read on for four ways that home security equipment can help you adjust amidst COVID-19 concerns.

1. Ensure Online Deliveries are Secure

With the recommendation to stay home, more people are turning to online delivery services for household items, basic necessities, baby supplies and food. Amazon announced it plans to hire 100,000 in the U.S. to help meet an unprecedented surge in orders, and grocery delivery apps are seeing record downloads.

This opens the door for “porch pirates” who could see a peak in package deliveries as an opportunity for personal gain. A doorbell camera can protect your home deliveries by allowing you to keep an eye on packages, deter thieves and capture evidence should a robber strike.

Using the speaker system of the doorbell camera, you can also communicate with delivery drivers, while still practicing social distancing. Provide instructions on where to leave the package or simply exchange a few pleasantries from the safety of your home.

2. Keep an Eye on the Elderly, or Children, Remotely

Those over the age of 60 are most at risk for COVID-19 complications, and there’s a possibility for asymptomatic carriers to spread the virus unknowingly. For caregivers, this presents a unique challenge: How do you ensure that parents or grandparents are safe in their homes, while also keeping distance?

In addition to the good old telephone, security equipment can help in two ways:

Video surveillance cameras allow you to check in throughout the day to ensure your loved one hasn’t fallen or gotten injured. They also allow you to “see” the individual in a time when it might not be safe to visit face-to-face.
Smart locks permit you to let yourself into their home, making it easy to drop off necessities like food, medicine and household products.

Likewise, if you work outside of the home and have children whose schools are closed, video surveillance cameras can help you check in on them.

3. Work From Home Safely

In response to government recommendations, many businesses are turning toward remote work as a way to continue operations, while keeping their employees safe. However, teleworking introduces its own set of cyber security risks.

Experts note that hackers are capitalizing on more remote workers to prey on individuals and companies working over less secure network connections.

Here are some tips for employees as they set up shop to work remote:

Turn on your wireless router’s encryption setting; WPA2 is preferred.
Change default passwords for your service set identifier (SSID), IP and router. Make sure each are unique, and difficult to crack. We recommend a complicated strand of numbers, letters and characters.
Install antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall software for additional protection.
Be wary of emails and content from unknown sources, so you don’t fall victim to a phishing scheme. [Note, there are already known reports of hackers sending fake, phishing emails that appear to come from the World Health Organization (WHO) or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).]

4. Make Life More Comfortable at Home

Life around us is being inconvenienced in a myriad of ways—but you can control your home environment. With schools and businesses closing, and more individuals bunkering down at home, you might as well make it as comfortable as possible.

Here’s some ideas on how you can put home automation to use:

Set or adjust smart light and thermostat schedules to align with your new schedule of being home more frequently.
Use video surveillance equipment to keep watch of children playing in the other room, the basement or the backyard—perhaps while you attempt a conference call in peace.
Integrate voice control to lock your doors, check the status of your security system, control your lights or TV, or close your garage.