Security is paramount, especially at night, if you have a large property with several rooms that quite a way from each other, and when you are leaving the premises for some time. The house need never look empty, and in the event if a break-in everything will be recorded so investigators will have all the evidence they need. In fact, you can also go further and attach tracking devises to essential and valuable possessions, making them easier to trace.

A smart security system means you can see, film and record everything that is going on in your home and control appliances during your absence. A meal could be cooking while you are still stuck in a traffic jam, lights can be turned on off, washing machines will swish into action, curtains and blinds will open and close, motion sensors and activated lighting can be operated. You can even communicate with pets.

Just how sophisticated you want your system to be depends on the level of security you need and only you can decide that. Basic tools are smart locks that are unlocked with a smartphone app, CCTV and alarms. But with the demand for ever more sophisticated equipment technology is developing rapidly. There are numerous choices including devices with multiple sensors that warn you of any intrusion so you can inform the authorities directly.

Subsound technology listens and learns who should be in your home and who should not, including pets. It provides protection, on every floor, a wide-angle HD camera, with night vision, and temperature and motion sensors. There is even a siren which you can activate from your phone and an app so you can inform the police.

There are gadgets which will turn an iOS/Android smartphone or Apple watch into a virtual door key. They automatically lock the door behind you, and every time any keys you assign to family members are used the action is logged in the system, so you can track who comes and goes, As people are identifiable by their individual keys, their comings and goings can be tracked. There is also the means to allow time-sensitive access to friends and visitors.

Complete home monitoring via a wide-angle HD camera, recorded sound storage, night vision, motion and temperature monitoring, can be provided by sensors attached to all your doors and windows. Some will even turn on the lights if an intruder is suspected. There are also smoke detectors that have similar features.

Other systems can recognise faces and speech patterns and use the geolocation info on your phone to know if you are at home or not. These can communicate with other similarly programmed devices, and the lenses could be shut down for privacy.

You might prefer door locks which work with existing locks, through your Android or iOS smartphone, using low energy Bluetooth instead of Internet access.

Some locks can be placed at the bottom of a door to prevent unwanted entry. One model, made of steel and glass-reinforced nylon and aluminum, has a Bluetooth-enabled key fob to lock or unlock it and can be integrated with your other home gadgets.

The joy of many of these systems is that they can be mixed and matched according to your current requirements and budget. They can also be constantly updated to provide different services as required. You will eventually be able to have image and sound recordings stored in some 'cloud', alarms that shriek like police sirens and lights beaming down on 'intruders like MTV spot lights. All giving you more security than Fort Knox.

If the whole idea of handing you castle's fortification over to a smart app, or whatever, sounds a like slightly terrifying, think how people responded to gas and electricity at first. And think of the potential for science fiction movies.

A plot where the 'herowins' (the new PC correct way of referring to heroes or heroines) are denied entry to their home is likely being written at this very moment. Phones are being stolen, cloned, signals go down. Programs are hacked leaving people trapped in homes and offices, while their appliances go into meltdown. Lives are at risk. Or there could be a comedy angle too.

Meanwhile, just in case some awful chance leaves you with a missing phone one day, the latest stylish smart locks, that can also work with keys might, in the end, might be a life saver.