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.