While you may think of smart home technology as a convenience — something to save you a few steps in walking from the couch to a light switch — its offerings also include important preventative measures that can help you protect not only your valuables, but your family and your home itself. Here are some examples.

• Water damage: When most people think about home security, they usually think of burglary. However, water damage is the second most common cause of property loss. An early detection device, such as a flood sensor, could be the difference between a damp inconvenience and a soaking wet catastrophe in your home, especially when combined with a smart shutoff valve.
• Door and window sensors: Sensors are a great way to keep you alerted to potential dangers, especially on days when the kids get home earlier than you do. Placing them on entry points could alert you in the event of an invasion. A few also placed judiciously around the house — on medicine cabinets or the knife drawer, for example — can help keep your mind at ease. There are also sensors available that detect smoke and carbon monoxide.
• Deter intruders: The best way to deal with home invasion is to deter intruders altogether. When you’re out of town, it’s important to make sure your home still looks lived in. A potential intruder watching your house may note that rigid preprogrammed lighting is unvarying and conclude no one is home. Newer smart light bulb systems can randomize lighting or record and play back your daily lighting routines. They can also respond to a doorbell by turning inside lights on organically, one at a time, exactly the way you would if you were home.

Fortunately, you don’t have to live in a new house to use smart technology. The majority of today’s systems and products can be installed in older homes because they leverage standards-based wired and wireless technology.

Choosing the right ones for your home depends on your personal situation. Walk through your home and ask yourself: What features would I like in this room or that one? Consider the garage also if you have one: There are products that let you know remotely if your garage door has been opened.

Often, it’s simpler to install an entire system at once. However, it’s also possible to add in individual products, one by one. If one product you already have needs to “talk” to one you want to add, make sure they are compatible.

You can learn more about smart home technology at many company websites, including z-wave.com and beonhome.com. There are a surprising number of security systems and products that work remotely in today’s market. Do your homework and include words like “consumer reviews” and “unbiased” in your web searches.

While there’s no replacement for a caring neighbor’s watchful eye, these days there are numerous ways of taking home security into your own hands — no matter where you are.