Humans have a long, fascinating history of protecting themselves and their property, starting with the prehistoric foundational era when early homo sapiens began settling in shelters. Since then, various technological advancements throughout the ages have revolutionized how we keep our homes secure. In this article, you’ll learn about the rich history of home protection, who invented the first home security system and the origins of modern methods of safeguarding our families.
How Innate Protective Instincts Sparked Home Security System Inventions
The desire for personal safety and security has existed since the earliest humans. For personal protection, they developed rudimentary weapons, such as slingshots, bows and spears, to fend off predators and opposing tribes. This protective instinct also extended to their homes, families, fellow tribespeople and possessions.
The history of home security systems started when humankind constructed their first homes, though they were very different from the security systems we enjoy today. We may have developed this instinct due to a history of war or an innate responsibility to protect one another. This instinct opened the door to the development of simple and complex means of protecting our properties since the dawn of humanity.
The Security Measures of Ancient Nomadic Humans
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, people used the landscape to their advantage, setting up their villages with natural barriers and landmarks to protect themselves from enemies. Nomadic hunting tribes took shelter in caves, against cliffs and among dense foliage to safeguard themselves and their belongings. They frequently moved locations to find fresh game, so relying on existing resources was the most efficient solution.
Ancient humans lived in groups, so people could take turns surveilling for threats and act as a united front against an attack. People rigged branches, rocks and other natural features outside their safe spaces to alert them when something unexpected came along. They used fire and night watches to protect their tribes from enemies and wild animals. These early societies lacked the luxury of installing security systems, so they put in time and effort to keep their people safe.
How the Agricultural Revolution Changed Home Security
When people began farming crops and domesticating animals around 10,000 BCE, they built more permanent homes and places to store and trade food. Soon, larger settlements — the first towns — developed around these structures. With the rise of agriculture came a new demand for home security system invention.
People built watchtowers along their settlements’ walled perimeters to see threats approaching from far distances. Lookouts could then alert civilians before predators or enemies could reach them. Underground storage pits were another step forward in concealing valuables from thieves and scavenging animals. Egyptians invented the earliest locks around 4,000 BCE, fortifying settlement gates, homes and palaces.
Why Were Animals Essential for Home Protection?
Throughout history, humans have relied on animals to alert them to intruders. Guard dogs are the classic form of animal security systems, originally used to protect livestock from predators, patrol villages and defend their owners against enemies. People have trained dogs for generations to alert them to unwelcome guests and even pursue and attack intruders to scare them away. Loyal guard dogs continue protecting their humans today.
Home Security in the Classical and Medieval Eras
Security systems have taken many forms, even before the discovery of electricity and its incorporation into modern technology. As technology developed, humans in the classical and medieval periods began using architecture and design for security. Weapons allowed people to use offensive measures to defend themselves. Some things wealthy landowners used to protect their property included:
- Drawbridges and moats
- Guarded entryways
- High castle walls
- Watchtowers
- Cannons
- Openings for archers
- Heavy iron gates
How Did Wealth and Class Disparity Affect Home Security?
Castles and manors were the minority in classical antiquity and the Middle Ages. Most people lived and worked in villages or rural farmlands. Commoners had to rely on more cost-effective means of home protection, including:
- Guard dogs
- Neighborhood watch organizations
- Simple locks and bolts for doors and windows
- Fortified village walls
Home Security After the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution in the 18th century triggered densely populated cities to spring up in Europe, clustered around factories that provided good-paying jobs. Technology developed rapidly, with factory owners contracting engineers to find more efficient ways to produce, store and protect goods. In 1807, Pall Mall in London was the first street to have gas lamps installed, making it easier to spot and apprehend thieves. British scientist William Sturgeon invented the electromagnet in 1825, paving the way for early alarms.
Who Invented the First Home Security System?
According to legend, Benjamin Franklin invented the first home security system with surveillance capabilities in the 1700s. It was nothing more than a small mirror, dubbed a “busybody mirror,” attached outside a building’s second- or third-story window. If you visit Philadelphia’s historic districts, you can still see these devices fastened outside buildings.
The mirror’s angle allows someone inside the house to view whoever is at their front door without them realizing it. Benjamin Franklin purportedly stated that he used his security mirror to know when to slip out the back door when his mother-in-law came knocking. Apparently, sneaking away from an unwanted guest is one reason to install a personal home security system!
Though mirrors are elementary, even this simple home security method can still be effective. From those humble beginnings in the 1700s, home security in the United States advanced rapidly during the 19th and 20th centuries. Even though the technology was in its early stages, it influenced the modern security systems we use in our houses and businesses. Today’s security systems would look much different without these inventions.
When Were Mechanical Burglar and Fire Alarms Adopted?
In the 1800s, electricity was not a staple in everyone’s homes. Therefore, inventors patented mechanical alarm systems to alert homeowners to intruders. One system sold by Brookes and Harper in 1872, “Ross’ Patent Mechanical Burglar and Fire Alarm,” relied on wire tension to keep homes safe. If an intruder opened a door or window, the wire would slacken, triggering a loud gong and igniting gas lights as a warning.
How the Advent of Electricity Changed Security Forever
The history of security systems relates to other developments like electromagnets, batteries and the telegraph. As these cutting-edge inventions achieved wide distribution, inventors and hobbyists began toying with new ways to create better home security, using their ingenuity to improve existing ideas. These early inventors may not have realized how influential their tinkering would be over the following decades and even centuries.
During the mid-1800s, an electrical engineer from New Hampshire named Moses Farmer used an electromagnet to open and close a circuit at regular intervals, which would then ring a bell. Two others then used his development for home security. Augustus Pope, a Boston minister, used Farmer’s development to ring bells in response to intruders as part of his electric home security system. William Channing, a Harvard University student, used the telegraph, a coding wheel and Farmer’s bell-ringing technology to set up a citywide system for alerting local firehouses to nearby fires.
The Invention and Spread of the Electric Alarm System
In the late 19th century, enterprising businessmen such as Edwin Holmes took Pope’s and Channing’s developments to a broader market, selling them outside New England for the first time. Holmes felt that New York City was a ripe market for his security systems, and soon, major retailers and homeowners alike were using his alert systems to scare away intruders at night. As these developments met a broader market, others began to innovate further and build upon these early alarm systems.
Edward Callahan of Baltimore made a noteworthy advance in 1875, developing a system that allowed businesses and homes to summon a messenger by contacting a central location using a remote call box. With this advancement, the security system would alert the property owners and local law enforcement of the break-in. This popular service allowed Callahan to sell his invention to investors who formed a new company called American District Telegraph.
The Technological Boom of Home Security in the 20th Century
After World War I, people began hiring door shakers who would come around after dark to ensure people had remembered to lock their homes. While distinctly manual, this practice gave people peace of mind during times of uncertainty and rebuilding. However, security system innovation didn’t slow down in the 20th century. On the contrary, it served as the catalyst for the high-tech security solutions we use today.
When Was the First CCTV Camera Invented?
In 1966, a nurse from New York City named Marie Van Brittan Brown developed the first video monitoring system alongside her electronics technician husband, Albert Brown. Her invention was the prototype for modern closed-circuit television surveillance, colloquially known today as CCTV. Despite the blurry image quality of those early security videos, the advancement fueled home security system invention well into the 21st century.
Brown’s early CCTV design incorporated the following security measures:
- A set of four peepholes with a moving camera that roamed among them
- Two-way microphones used as an intercom system
- Television monitors fed video footage from the camera
- A remote that locked and unlocked the front door electronically
- An emergency button that alerted police to distress
The Internet’s Influence on Home Security Systems
The 1990s brought about one of the most influential advancements of all time — the internet. People had never experienced such a level of rapid data transfer and connectivity before, quickly contacting each other across vast distances. As more devices became internet-ready, people began using them to keep their homes safer in more discreet and convenient ways. The combination of video surveillance, remote locking and the internet paved the way for today’s security systems.
Today’s Connected Home Security Systems
In the United States today, we have access to nearly countless forms of home security to fit any need or lifestyle. You can be miles from home — even on the opposite side of the globe — and still access your home’s safety features. Things like smart sensors and controllers give you unprecedented control over your home’s security.
How Do Sensors Improve Your Home’s Safety?
Professional security companies can install different types of sensors to monitor your home, where they detect things like movement within your house, opening doors, someone shattering a window, smoke, carbon monoxide levels and even your home’s temperature. These sensors connect to controllers that allow you to adjust your home’s ambience and security using your smartphone. The sensors send updates to your phone via security system apps so you always know what’s happening in your house. You can then influence what happens next with controllers.
Why Are Smartphones Revolutionizing Home Security?
You can use your smartphone to interact with your security system if it provides home automation features. With these, you can adjust your home’s temperature and access features that could scare away intruders and thieves. If you are away from home and your security app alerts you of someone trying to break in, you can remotely turn on lights in your home to make it seem like someone is awake and knows they’re there.
You can even lock your doors and close garage doors after your app tells you that you forgot to lock up when you left for work. Coming home to an open garage door and the worry that accompanies it can be things of the past.
Some modern security systems allow you to speak into your phone, letting whoever is at your door hear you. If you see an intruder, you can tell them that you’ve called the cops, and that might be enough to scare them away. On a lighter note, you can use this feature to thank your mailman for dropping off a package or say hi to a friend who’s stopping by.
Contact Lloyd Security for a Security System Today
When you think of home security today, the possibilities are endless. You can affordably protect your home with a modern security system and monitor everything from a smartphone or compatible device. Take advantage of accessible, user-friendly features to defend your home from vulnerabilities.
At Lloyd Security, we serve the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas with advanced security solutions for homes and businesses. When you want to protect your family, employees and belongings, we offer a range of products and services that deliver the peace of mind you’re looking for. Contact us today for a free quote. We look forward to helping you safeguard everything you care about.
Learn more about our 21st-century solutions for home and business security.
