Posts Tagged ‘home security system’

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Security Surveillance Systems Equal A Protected Home

Friday, February 12th, 2010

There are many important benefits that come with installing AZ Security. First of these is the barrier erected between what you have and what criminals would like to take from you. Whether it’s a robber trying to steal from you or a rapist after your wife or daughter, his entry into your home can either be prevented or you can be warned ahead of time. This warning allows you to take the necessary steps.

Another priceless benefit of a good alarm system is the peace of mind afforded to the family protected. Whether you’re out and your house is left sitting unoccupied or you’re home in bed, you can rest assured you have a silent but vigilant guard on duty. You can rest easy, knowing that any would-be intruders will think twice before trying to enter a place advertising a security camera system in use.

A good alarm configuration will be designed to ward off those seeking to gain illegal entry. But it goes a lot farther than that. It will also be set up to provide warning in the case of other types of emergencies. These include fires and carbon monoxide leaks. Generally, a panic button is included to be used in the case of a medical emergency also. Most systems are capable of making direct contact with the authorities so help can be dispatched as soon as possible. This capability can not only alleviate extensive damage but actually save lives.

A proper home security system will incorporate all the items necessary to give early warning to many of the catastrophes that can affect a home and its occupants. These include sensors for all doors and windows and detectors for smoke, fire and carbon monoxide. They could also incorporate motion detectors and video cameras. And, lastly, there should be prominent signs in the yard and on windows and doors, letting would-be prowlers know that the building is protected from illegal entry.

Another benefit from having a protection system in your house has to do with homeowner’s insurance. In many instances insurance companies will extend a discount in the cost of your premiums once they are notified that the insured dwelling is well protected as described above. It might be a small thing, but when added to the other benefits talked about it’s just another reason to consider installing some type of good home defense setup.

If you’ve ever had your home burglarized then you’re familiar with that feeling of being violated by some stranger, and being helpless to do anything about it. You may have lost valuable possessions and wondered what you could have done differently. Or worse, you may have fallen victim to a more serious tragedy that could have been prevented or alleviated with advance warning.

Things can be replaced. But that’s not so easily said of your loved ones. The number one reason for getting proper home protection has to be to insure the safety of you and your family.

Consider this. If you’ve never experienced the tragedies that affect so many, like fires or break-ins, you’re fortunate. Can you depend on that good fortune to last? Installation of a reliable home security system can erase any doubt. And if you never needed it, wouldn’t the peace of mind be worth it?

For a free consultation, contact us at http://www.azsecurity.org/contact-us or visit http://www.azsecurity.org/adt-home-security to find a provider in your state.

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Which Alarm Companies Are Best?

Sunday, December 6th, 2009

It is certainly possible to point to claims made by alarm companies to be the best. It is also possible to point to opinions or rankings of the best. But this does not necessarily mean these are the best alarm companies for your personal needs.

Following a logical process of investigation will get you the answers you need to the questions you want to ask. The following outline will help you follow a very popular set of steps to decision-making.

Think About What You Want and Need

What do you need from a security system? Do you want to make your house a fortress, or do you want to install enough to create a ruckus if someone tries to break in? Do you want to monitor any part of your home or property?

Who or what are you trying to protect, and from what? Are there children, someone with a disability, elderly family members? Are you most concerned about people or possessions?

What do you want the alarm companies to do when an intruder is detected? Do you want to immediately notify emergency services (police, fire)? Do you want to have alarms sound or remain silent? Do you want the alarms to trigger an alert to you or your neighbors?

Narrow the List of Alarm Companies to Those You Will Interview

Ask friends, relatives, co-workers and neighbors who have alarm systems which alarm companies they used. Find out how satisfied they are with the service. Check with your insurance company to get recommendations and to confirm how an alarm system installation will affect the cost of your insurance. Get in touch with the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association and ask for a list of member companies in your area. Compare this information and begin to narrow down the list to those you like best.

Do a sort of background check on the companies you are considering. Check with the police, the Better Business Bureau and the state licensing office to be sure the alarm companies you are considering are properly licensed, certified and insured. Look for any complaints filed against a company. Be fair to the companies, and find out how disputes or complaints were resolved. This information can provide valuable insight into how the company treats customers.

Give some thought to whether you want to deal with a local company or a local franchise of a big home security company. Find out whether home security is the focus of the company or a sideline. Consider the reliability of equipment and monitoring.

Interview the Companies You Would Consider Hiring

Ask enough questions to be sure you trust the company. Find out how they can respond to each of your needs. Consider who has the best equipment. Will they require you to buy or rent the equipment? How soon can it be installed? Who offers the best monitoring? Which alarm companies have the systems in place to allow you to monitor from another location?

You might want to make notes during each interview for purposes of comparison later. Now, ask questions about special sensors and monitors and alarms each company offers that will meet your needs or alleviate your concerns. If you have children who come home from school to an empty house, find out about monitoring for their arrival at home. If you have young children, you might want to ask about medicine cabinet alarms. Some companies also have special devices and services to monitor the health and safety of the elderly. Be sure to find out the cost of each of these extra options.

Ask about the company’s licensing, insurance and bonding. Find out if all installers are properly licensed and certified on the specific equipment they will install. Also ask about how the company screens their employees.

Choose the Right Company for Your Needs

Review all of the information you have gathered and compare it with your needs. Narrow down your list of companies.

Compare prices and eliminate any companies that are priced beyond your budget. Also rule out companies priced extremely high or extremely low. Compare the security offered, customer service, your level of trust, and the time until the system can be installed and operative. Ask about warranties on equipment and installation.

By following these steps, the process should lead you to a clear choice between the various alarm companies. Then schedule installation, read the contract carefully, and have the system installed. The last step in any security installation is to immediately change all codes and passwords when the installer leaves your home.

About the author: Todd Cavanaugh is a ten-year security alarm company specialist. His company installs home and business monitored security systems, 24-hour surveillance cameras, access control systems and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Visit his business web site for his recommendations on how to choose alarm companies.

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Wireless security cameras and sensors: How to build an integrated, comprehensive home security system

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

An hour or three of internet browsing is all it takes to become a self-taught expert on the subject of installing home security system components. These days, it’s a far cry from the hassle-filled experience installing home security sensors or security cameras was in previous years. Indeed, the advent of wireless security cameras means that the gigantic job of laying down cabling for a house has become vastly more simple, no longer limited to those with an understanding of the workings of electronics and complex, inefficient computer interfaces. What this means for you is that getting a home security system is no longer something to put off, to shirk like the chores of going on a diet or finding the perfect power suit. It’s something you should make a real priority – because you never know when it might be too late for you, your family, or your personal possessions.

Even if you’re only about as good with a computer as the average 11-year-old, odds are you’ll be able to set up your own, personal wireless security camera system. Simple motion detection software can be downloaded off the internet (check out bit.ly), ensuring that your cameras only record when there’s actually something going on in front of them. Concealing a wireless security camera in a desktop ornament, like a paperweight, teddy bear or clock, is as simple as removing the intended housing’s components and drilling a couple of holes (one for the lens of the camera, and another for the feeder cable to power the device). Wireless webcams, it seems, are getting smaller with every passing day, even as the quality of the footage they’re capable of producing increases to dramatic, even superhuman levels.

It’s also possible to have the device activated by various kinds of home security sensors. Infrared sensors activate when an object of sufficient heat moves across their detection field. Contact sensors, by contrast, are activated by the opening of a window or door, an action which either opens or closes the circuit made by the two installed sensor pads, which in turn sends a signal to the central home security system hub to which the sensors are wired. Another type of home security sensor utilizes UWB (ultra-wideband) radar. For the purposes of motion detection, these sensors function by ’staring’ over a fixed range and sensing any change in the average time taken for the signals the device emits to be returned.

These are the same kinds of motion sensors that activate your porch light when someone walks across the driveway. The technology has been around for a long time, and has just about been perfected, to the point that upper-range home-security systems incorporate sensors with pet-human discrimination technology. PIR detectors can be made to discriminate between pets and humans by use of a modified lens or mirror that vertically stretches the zones in regions closer to the sensor, an effect that reduces the size of the ‘blip’ created by, say, a cat, and increases that created by a person. The industry term for such discriminator home security systems is ‘pet immune’. Wireless security cameras can be programmed with software for a similar effect.

If you plan to install a home security system incorporating wireless security cameras and home security sensors all by yourself, there are a few important considerations you’ll want to keep in mind. One is location. Ideally, cameras and sensors should cover those areas through which an intruder will have to pass in order to access the house. So doors, windows and skylights should be first. Be more concerned about those entry points that are off the street and shielded from public eyes, as they’re the ones morel likely to be used by intruders.

The other, most crucial question in this business is – who exactly is going to monitor your home security system? It’s no good having an alarm system if there’s no one around that’s paid to respond to it, and respond quickly, with due diligence and a bit of fire power. If you aren’t signed up with a security company, the best your system could do is scare intruders away with a loud siren, or perhaps even call the police with a looped recording requesting their assistance. Neither of these methods is as foolproof or reassuring as actually having a security company, like Chubb or ADT, at your beck and call. Security companies will often install any of the aforementioned home security system components – home security sensors, motion detectors, wireless security cameras – at low rates for new customers that sign security contracts with them.

Looking to find the best deal on Home Security Systems, then visit www.home-security-pro.com to find the best advice on Wireless Home Security Cameras.

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