Do you remember when you used to dial a rotary phone when calling someone? When was the last time you popped in a cassette tape to listen to music, or walked to a bookshelf and picked up an encyclopedia to figure out what type of mysterious bug you found in your garage? How about the last time you manually cranked up a car window?

Do these statements conjure up recollections of activities that used to be part of our daily lives, and somehow faded into distant memories?

We now have a “New Normal” standard for each of these actions. We just speak a person’s name into our smartphone and the number is dialed. That same smartphone stores and plays thousands of songs. We go to Google to find out what kind of bug that is, and the car window goes up and down with the push of a button.

The same is happening in the world of security and home technology.

We used to think of a security system as a pretty simple concept…we punch in a code on a keypad when we leave the house or go to bed to turn the system on. We do the same thing when we get home or wake up in the morning. Hopefully the alarm never sounds…for any reason!

Home security systems are quickly evolving into “Interactive Lifestyle Systems” that we interact with for many different reasons, and our smartphones and computers are now becoming the standard way in which we do this.

These interactive systems send mom and dad a text message when kids get home from school to let them know they’ve arrived safely. The system can also send a 10 second video clip so mom and dad know how many friends are following them in the door!

If mom forgot to set the alarm or even lock the door when she left for work in the morning, there’s no need to turn around and go back…she can just click an easy to use application on her smartphone and the system will set the alarm and lock the doors.

This same interactive platform will also turn the thermostat down and the lights off when everyone leaves the house, offering real energy savings to the homeowner. These features are also ideal for a vacation home.

It wasn’t too long ago that a new custom home–and many, many thousands of dollars–were required in order to have these features.

Today, the technology is primarily wireless and is designed for retrofit applications in existing homes. The technology has tremendous battery life and is very easy to use.

The equipment cost has come down significantly from where it was just a few years ago. A small monthly fee includes the text notifications, the interactive web interface, video live viewing and storage, as well as alarm monitoring with secure cellular communications.

So as you can see, things are moving fast in the world of home technologies…Are you ready to embrace the “New Normal”?