Gadgets We Take For Granted

Gadgets We Take For Granted

Recently, I realized how many new gadgets, both digital and non-digital, have been integrated into our lives over the past few years, making daily tasks and communication more efficient, instantaneous, and safer.

On my neighborhood WhatsApp, for instance, it’s not unusual for one of my neighbors to suddenly post a video of a stranger going door to door selling something (usually a solar or electric company replacement for PSEG), warning neighbors to not bother answering the door or to make sure the guy shows adequate ID so as not to invite a possible no-goodnik into our homes.

Of course, doing this in such an efficient and immediate fashion would not be possible without either having a smartphone camera, Ring camera, or other security device installed in your home for the purposes of safety.

It used to be that having a simple burglar alarm was considered a big perk. Even now when you take out a homeowners’ insurance policy, the company always offers a discount to those with a burglar alarm system attached to a central station that automatically calls the police in case of a break-in or the fire department in case of a fire.

The irony is that the insurance companies will not give you a discount for installing perimeter cameras to watch your house, or security camera systems over the property, but they will give you a discount on a simple burglar alarm system connected to central station.

You would think that the cameras are way better since they take actual pictures and videos and can identify any potential perpetrators roaming around, which I think would make would-be burglars worry more about being identified than a burglar alarm system, which merely chases them away.

I even recall several times when the police knocked on our doors asking if we had security cameras installed so they could tap into it while they were looking for a particular car or individual who might have come down the street, hoping our cameras picked up any evidence regarding their movements.

Back to the mundane. More often than not, the cameras are used to post pictures on our neighborhood WhatsApp, as in “Does this dog belong to anyone? I just found him.” Or: “Whose car is this parked in front of my house? Or: “Found this item on the corner. If it’s yours, please let me know,” etc. But there is also the additional benefit of remote monitoring, crime deterrence, and simple peace of mind. 

Life has definitely been made easier by having these inventions and it boggles the mind when I think: How in the world did we ever live without them? n

Anessa Cohen lives in Cedarhurst and is a licensed Real Estate Broker (Anessa V Cohen Realty) with over 20 years of experience offering full service residential and commercial real estate and management services.  She can be reached at 516-569-5007. Readers are encouraged to send any questions or scenarios by email to [email protected].