Smart Secure Homes: A Survey of Smart Home Technologies that Sense, Assess, and Respond to Security Threats

This comprehensive survey examines how smart homes have evolved from lab-based prototypes to mainstream technologies that support resident security. The authors categorize smart home functions into three pillars: sensing, assessing, and acting on threats. The paper reviews commercial devices (e.g., Nest, Ring, SmartThings), biometric and behaviometric identification systems, and intrusion prevention tools. It also explores health-related risks, anomaly detection in behavioral patterns and environmental quality, rare event recognition, and vulnerabilities in smart home networks. Realistic scenarios, like intruder detection, falls, health emergencies, and system failures illustrate practical challenges. The survey concludes by calling for robust research in anomaly explanation, sensor fusion, human-centered design, and cybersecurity resilience.

This comprehensive survey examines how smart homes have evolved from lab-based prototypes to mainstream technologies that support resident security. The authors categorize smart home functions into three pillars: sensing, assessing, and acting on threats. The paper reviews commercial devices (e.g., Nest, Ring, SmartThings), biometric and behaviometric identification systems, and intrusion prevention tools. It also explores health-related risks, anomaly detection in behavioral patterns and environmental quality, rare event recognition, and vulnerabilities in smart home networks. Realistic scenarios, like intruder detection, falls, health emergencies, and system failures illustrate practical challenges. The survey concludes by calling for robust research in anomaly explanation, sensor fusion, human-centered design, and cybersecurity resilience.