If you’re feeling particularly spooky and fancy catching evidence of paranormal activity in your house, we’ve put together this guide to using tech to find proof of ghosts in your home.
And if your house proves to be spirit-free then never fear, as we’ll also show you how you can use technology to turn your home into the ultimate haunted house.
If you think your house is haunted, then enter in your information at Chestertons' How Haunted is Your House? website. If you're in the UK you can also check to see the most haunted locations near your home.
Video evidence
Are you hearing things go bump in the night? You may be able to capture footage of any spectral visitors by using a webcam or internet-connected camera.
The Samsung Pan and Tilt Smart Home Camera (£129 / $160 / AU$205 from Amazon) is a great choice for ghost hunters, as it comes with excellent night vision for picking up images in pitch black conditions, as well as audio and motion sensors that will alert you if there's noise or movement.
You can view a livestream of the footage from your smartphone or tablet – so if you’re too scared to venture out of your bedroom you can watch the ghostly action from under the safety of your duvet.
How to turn your home into a haunted house: Many security cameras, such as the Samsung Pan and Tilt, have built in speakers that let you broadcast your voice through them. Leave the room, then use the app to whisper spooky phrases to freak out your guests – and watch their reactions live on your smartphone!
Motion detection
There are plenty of gadgets out there that can detect motion, and these can be put to good use when trying to capture evidence of ghosts.
Devices such as the Devolo Home Control Motion Sensor (£49.99 / $60 / AU$80 from Amazon) and the Belkin WeMo Switch + Motion (£129 / $119 / AU$206 from Amazon) can detect movement and then supply power or instructions to a connected device.
So, you can set the Belkin WeMo Switch to turn on a lamp when something moves – giving you a visual sign that poltergeists are messing around with your stuff. Or it could just be your cat jumping up to its favourite nap spot.
How to turn your home into a haunted house: Plug in a spooky-looking lamp into the Belkin WeMo Switch + Motion so that it ‘magically’ turns on when people walk past it.
Keep an eye on temperatures
If you notice a sudden drop in temperature it could indicate the arrival of a ghostly presence or – even more terrifying – a faulty boiler. A smart thermostat like the Nest Learning Thermostat (£166 / $200 / AU$265 from Amazon) can keep track of the temperatures in your house, alerting you if there’s a sudden drop.
Another good smart thermostat to use is the Hive Active Heating system, which can help you monitor and control your home's heating, though it is UK-only. The Hive twitter account is getting into the Halloween spirit by encouraging people to share any paranormal activity they find using their smarthome products using the hashtag #HiveConnectedSpirits.
If there is, then it’s time to call the friendly local exorcist to rid your home of evil spirits – or you can simply turn up the heating.
How to turn your home into a haunted house: You can control the heating in your home via your smartphone if you have a smart thermostat, so get your guests feeling chilly by suddenly dropping the temperature when they’re not looking.
Turn the lights on
If you hear something moving in the night, you don’t want to have to fumble around finding a light switch to turn on your lights.
This is where a smart lighting system such as Phillips Hue (£149.99 / $180 / AU$265 from Amazon), coupled with a voice-activated system like the Amazon Echo (£149.99 / $200 / AU$240 from Amazon) or the Echo Dot (£49.99 / $60 / AU$80 from Amazon), comes in.
With these gadgets you can quickly command your lights to turn on with your voice – very handy if you're feel spooked and want to get the lights on quickly.
How to turn your home into a haunted house: Download the Hue Halloween app for iOS or Android. This app controls the Hue lights in your house, changing colors and turning them on and off in sync to spooky music and sound effects from your smartphone. It’s a great way to turn your home into a fully interactive haunted house.
