Ideas for Safety for Women Who Live Alone

My sister and I used to share an apartment in the city. However, since she had to move away for a long-term work assignment overseas. For several weeks now, I've been spending most of my days alone in our apartment. My parents have expressed concerns about the lack of any type of security in the apartment. I've always felt relatively safe in our place. But something unsettling soon made me change my mind and consider getting a home security system. I was lazing away with a book one Saturday afternoon when I was startled by a hand that shot through an open window pane near the front door.

I hollered and the intruder, who apparently assumed that no one was home, ran away. The encounter really shook me and I soon found myself scouring the net for my options regarding home security. I came across gadgets for personal defense such as pepper sprays and stun guns, and batons. I seriously considered getting any one of these items. However, as I kept browsing, I came across several home security reviews that introduced me to home alarm systems. I learned about security systems that can protect the home with cameras, sensors, and motion detectors that go to work all day long.

cameras can keep an eye out against intruders and thieves. Surveillance cameras are also excellent for documenting evidence, should there be any need for it. Sensors and motion detectors work together with the alarm system to inform the homeowner of any threat or attempts at break-ins. Alarms sounding off can also effectively scare away thieves taken by surprise. I am yet to make a decision on which particular type of home alarm system to get, but I am making sure that I'll be installing one very soon because I want to live safe, secure and at ease even when I'm on my lonesome.

Home Security Essentials

One of the best ways to kick off the year is investing in something that will not only give you restful nights and worry-free out-of-town trips, but also save you lots of your hard-earned cash and probably, your life. Nothing else delivers all these but your very own home security system.

The times have certainly changed. Gone are the days when all it took to protect you and your own were some trusty old padlocks and locked shutters. The increase in the incidences of crime and vandalism these days calls for more advanced home security gadgets. Be that as it may, an effective home alarm system need not punch a hole on your pockets. You simply need to know the essentials so you don't end up wasting your cash on pricey equipment you don't really need. Read on to get the lowdown on residential security systems:

An alarm system has four primary components: sensors and motion detectors, cameras, a base unit, and a monitoring system. Usually, sensors are installed on door and windows contacts to determine if any of these has been opened. Some specialized sensors are designed to identify threats such as fires, flooding, or toxic levels of carbon monoxide. Motion detectors form an invisible barrier that when penetrated, triggers the alarm. When sensors and motion detectors are disturbed, they alert the base unit. 

Surveillance cameras silently watch over the home with eyes that never go to sleep. These cameras may be relied upon to give documentation that could help solve a crime or prevent it from happening.

The base unit is the security system's control panel. Its general functions include arming or disarming the system, activating the alarm, and alerting the central monitoring system in case of an emergency. A security provider usually operates the central monitoring system as a communications system that coordinates and executes the necessary assistance depending on the emergency.

Tips to a Safer Abode

For several weeks now, our normally secure neighborhood has been under a series of attacks from thieves and vandals. A bunch of shady characters have been hanging out on our streets and sometimes, I see them break street lights, key cars, and smash windows. A couple of break-ins have also occurred in our community. Having a family and a home to protect, I know I can no longer rely on mere door and window locks and bolts. I don't want them coming near me or my own. I had to find something that would surely ward them off our place even when we're not home. 

I soon found myself browsing websites to know more about home security systems, self-defense weapons, and such. I even asked my friends if there was any security method they could recommend. A couple of my pals told me to check out Monitronics and look into home alarm systems. That was when I came across security systems feature-packed with surveillance cameras, motion detectors, sensors, and alarms. The motion detectors and sensors can protect the front yard, the doors, and windows. Should an intruder break a window or try to slip into areas protected by the sensors and motion detectors, these high-tech gadgets will trigger a blaring alarm. 

One Monitronics review pointed out that the sound of an alarm is perfect not only at alerting the home-owner and the central monitoring system of the threat, but also at scaring off the crooks as well. The security cameras, on the other hand, literally keep an extra eye out for trouble. In case something unexpected happens, these eyes that never blink can be relied upon to document everything. I was thoroughly convinced that with a bit of vigilance from everyone in my family, a home alarm would sufficiently protect my home from unwanted visitors. Convincing my neighbors to protect their homes the same way did not take much either.

Home Security and Home Security Surveillance

Home security can be, and is, a host of different methods which are employed to keep intruders off your property and out of your home. Home security devices can be additional locks and bolts on doors, guards, guard dogs, grills and security gates. Unfortunately these deterrents do not faze a burglar who wishes to break into your home.

Other than these deterrents, there are a host of Frontpoint technologies that not only protect your home from unauthorized access, but in the event that your home is invaded, these tools can help in tracking the thief. 

Home security systems today often consist of recording devices and CCTV cameras, all of which are quite simple to install. As well as having motion detectors and sensors located on doors and easily accessed windows, Frontpoint reviews suggest a DVR system that will monitor your property and record any unauthorized attempts at access. The cameras are either hard wired or they can be wireless, wireless being much easier to install; they do, however, they need battery charging. The cameras work in co-operation with other apparatus such as motion or heat detectors which silently turn them on. The images are permanently recorded on DVD disc or a computer hard drive. 

In the event the thief was able to gain access to your home all may not be lost, as his image will have been captured. This of course will give the authorities what they need to apprehend the culprit. Most home security systems are monitored by an external monitoring company who can respond to a home invasion either with their own personnel or they alert the police.

Common Home Security Mistakes

Your home shelters you, your loved ones, and your valuables. Protecting your abode from the threat of crime and should therefore be a top priority. However, even if your home is protected by a reliable safety alarm, security slip-ups do occur and these cost valuable lives and property.

 Get to know some of these common mistakes so you can stay on guard against them: - Disregarding home security. This is the most serious oversight you can commit. Don't wait until your home gets burglarized to realize that you need a reliable security system... one that goes beyond locks and bolts. - Taking your security system for granted. So you installed an alarm system powered by one of the industry leaders, say Protect America. 

That doesn't mean you can start taking things for granted. Some even get too complacent that they completely forget to arm the alarm system at night. - Making your plans for out-of-town trips known to anyone who would listen. Burglars target unoccupied homes, so tell only your close friends and neighbors about your vacation plans instead of shouting it out on your Facebook page. A particular Protect America review mentioned that a "lived in" look helps in protecting your home from intruders while you are away. 

Your close friends and neighbors can help you with this by picking up the mail and newspapers that might pile up on your front door, effectively eradicating the tell-tale signs of an unoccupied home. - Easily letting unscheduled service staff or repairmen into your home. Some burglars pretend to be staff sent by the gas company or some other utility company just so they could gain entry into your home. Be on guard especially if you did not schedule a visit. It would be best to call the company for confirmation.

A Look at a Basic Home Security Installation

Companies like Vivint have made a world of difference in home security. In the early 70,s security products and components started to appear on the commercial market. Over the years the integrity of state-of-the-art components and their price has gotten progressively better. The components are more sophisticated and at the same time, the prices have dropped.

There are a number of main players who provide the components, install the system and provide 24 hour a day monitoring. When you read Vivint reviews you will often see articles that hark back to the days prior to the entrance of sophisticated systems when security was nothing more than a hick-up for the burglar who had done his homework.

The new, hi-tech systems can no longer be defeated with a few simple tools as they could be some years back. Modern equipment, the results of research and development along with solid state electronics have now produced systems which are hard to defeat. The simple trip switches that were found on windows and entry doors, all hard wired to an externally mounted alarm have now been replaced by multi-layered systems.

It is no longer a fact that security systems can be defeated with a paper clip, they cannot. Modern systems are actually a system within a system, where the radius of protection can easily extend well beyond the walls of your home. State of the art motion sensors and body heat sensors that are small enough to be virtually invisible can now activate the alarm long before an intruder reaches the of your home. The technology is so sophisticated that it can readily differentiate between a cat or dog and a human. Because of this, false alarms are eliminated. 

The next layer is the protection of every point of access to your home, using wireless triggers; and an even further layer of home security can be heat and motion sensors installed in strategic locations within the home. It may appear to be overkill, but when your safety and security are on the line, there is no such thing as too much security.

What Components are in a Wireless Home Security System?

Having a secure home is important, much more so today than it was years ago. Times have changed and criminals now have different goals and methods of gaining entry to your home. With the proper components, a home security monitoring system can even warn you of an impending intrusion before the criminal can reach your door. Of all the components that can go into a security system, door and window sensors, motion detectors, CCTV cameras and warning signs are the most popular.

The sensors that are used on the ground floor doors and windows are by far the most important. These are the sensors that warn the occupants that a window has been broken or a door has been forced open. They are activated when the system is armed at the control panel, together with all the other devices.

Motion detectors, also crucial in protecting your home, are devices that alert the occupants when someone enters the home. They work by sensing sudden changes in temperature – such as when a body enters their scope – and are usually installed near possible entry points.

Providing protection against potential burglars also needs to be considered before they actually get to the actual premises. The best way to determine if there are people on your grounds or in your immediate area is by having home security camera systems, such as CCTV cameras. The cameras can be installed outdoors and positioned to cover any possible point of entry and exit.

Signs posted on your property and decals on the windows are also a good deterrent. Thieves are, in most part, opportunists who will break into a property that appears to be an easy target and not protected. Home security systems consumer reviews advise that even a simple sign will make them think twice about the possible risks to themselves by breaking into your home.

For all of the components to function, there must be a "brain", which is the control panel. Although all the hardware can be wired from their installation locations to the control panel, it is easier and safer to install wireless systems. If there are no wires, they can't be cut. The system is armed and disarmed at the control panel and in the event of a sensed break in, a signal will be sent to the monitoring station, who will then notify the authorities.