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5 US Cities Where You Can’t Live without a Home Alarm

Are your doors locked? Is your home alarm activated? You might want to double-check if you live in one of the five US cities with the highest crime rates. There’s no refuting that crime happens everywhere. Whether you live in an affluent suburban neighborhood or a struggling community, it’s smart to be cautious. But statistically speaking, you may want to be a bit more alert if you live in one of these five cities: St. Louis, MO; Camden, NJ; Detroit, MI; Flint, MI; or Oakland, CA. That’s because CQ Press, a leading publisher of books, directories, reference publications, and textbooks focusing on US government recently released its crime findings for 2010 and found these five locations to have the highest reported crime rates.

A note about how the rankings came to be (according to CQ Press.) The crime rate rankings are calculated using six crime categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft as reported to the FBI Continue reading 5 US Cities Where You Can’t Live without a Home Alarm→

Security from Fire – What Protection is Right for You?

In today’s security marketplace, there are many choices in home security. One area you should always be sure to include in any security package is a fire alarm system or smoke detector. The question is how much fire security do you need, and what are the essential elements of this type of security.

There are many major differences between smoke and fire alarms.

A smoke alarm security device will warn you of fire danger in your home, providing early detection of smoke. This time crucial sensitivity can allow you family to leave your house quickly in the event of fire danger. It can also help limit damage to your residence – early warning also means an early response from the fire department. And, smoke alarms are often very reasonably priced. Usually wireless, they’re simple to install – a perfect do it on your own alarm system.

A fire alarm security system offers a wider range of protection than a smoke alarm. While a fire alarm also provides the same protection as a smoke alarm system, offering early warning at the detection of smoke, it also offers more extensive protection. For example, such fire alarm security systems automatically notify your local fire department or the alarm monitoring provider, by sending an emergency signal. A sprinkler system is also usually a Continue reading Security from Fire – What Protection is Right for You?→

Deterring robbery through landscape security

Along with installing a home or business security alarm system, one of the most important ways to prevent intruders from targeting your property is by making your home or business unappealing to burglars or vandals. It’s a kind of reverse curb appeal – landscaping that also makes your property look well groomed and well taken care of can also reduce its potential appeal to intruders.

A potential intruder evaluates the house or business he or she may be considering, to see just how viable that property is for his purposes. Noting the presence of a security system will certainly deter burglary as well as stopping a burglar in his tracks. Noting the landscaping of a piece of property can also be a significant deterrent. If a house or business has a clear sight line to the street and offers few hiding places for a would-be intruder, that will discourage him from selecting your property. If a property is well lit, or utilizes motion-triggered lighting, that will also discourage an intruder.

So, be sure to keep Continue reading Deterring robbery through landscape security→

Is a No Contract Option Right for You?

Complete home security systems are always monitored systems. In other words, once your home alarm system or systems are installed, they will also be connected to a monitoring service that will contact you or alert law enforcement authorities if there’s a problem on your premises. When you install a home alarm system, whether you do it yourself or have it installed by professionals, you will very likely be able to make a choice in monitoring service providers. And along with choosing a provider, you can also make another choice – to contract with a provider or utilize the services of a monitoring company without contractual obligation.

Alarm system monitoring services that provide a no-contract offer sometimes provide such a service because of the specialized nature of the system you’ve installed. If your home alarm system is technologically tied to the same company that installed or sold it, then as a “bonus” for selecting that specialized system, the monitoring service may be provided free of charge.

Similarly, some installation services or home security alarm companies may offer a Continue reading Is a No Contract Option Right for You?→

Pets and Home Security Systems: Mix or Match

dogHome security systems have long posed quite a conundrum for pet owners. In the past, home alarm systems were triggered by pet movement, causing pet owners to shut their pets up or shut them out of the house. Neither made for a very happy pet. And a home secured without sensors was not a fully secure home, making pet owners not very happy either. Today’s home security technology allows home owners purchasing a security system to use pet immune motion sensors. Pet immune sensors mean you can secure your home and keep your pet comfortably at home.

In the past, home owners worried about their pets comfort and safety versus the pets unfortunate ability to trigger a false alarm. Professional security installers could alter motion sensors to make them less likely to be triggered by the passing of pets, by covering a portion of the motion sensor lens, or even by utilizing unorthodox Continue reading Pets and Home Security Systems: Mix or Match→

Mailbox Security

mailboxYou keep your home secure from intruders, fire, flood and all the dangers that lurk in today’s world. But have you considered another security hazard just outside your home? Your mailbox. You may not consider your mailbox a security risk, but you should.

After all, a mailbox contains more than cards and letters from friends and family. It also contains confidential information contained on bills and government forms. Your home security can be seriously at risk from having your mail stolen, and from this theft, having your identity stolen as well. You shred your bills or personal documents once your mail is inside your home, but what is securing this information before it enters your household.

A locking mailbox is the simple but pertinent solution to today’s risks of identity theft and financial loss. Regardless of where you live, city or country, suburb or Continue reading Mailbox Security→

Keeping Your Children Safe – Pool Alarm Systems

Every parent wants to keep their children safe at home, school, or play. At home, security systems from burglar to fire alarms are designed to keep your family safe from hazards. There is one additional element you should be protecting your children – or other children in the neighborhood- from: water. If you have a pool or hot tub, water safety is a crucial concern. Most unintentional drowning deaths involve a child under the age of fourteen who has inappropriately accessed a pool or spa. And for every tragic drowning death, there are at least four additional near-drowning accidents according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The main reason for these accidents: children have snuck into a pool or spa unseen. It only takes a brief moment for a child to slip out of his parents or caregiver’s sight and fall into literal deep water. Even if a pool is fenced, gated, or covered, a child is still at risk for accidental drowning. The best was to prevent this is a pool safety alarm system. Continue reading Keeping Your Children Safe – Pool Alarm Systems→

Temperature Alarms

When temperatures run severely hot or cold, major discomfort can occur. High heating or cooling bills can be hazardous to your wallet. But much more hazardous to both your economic and literal well being is the damage that temperature extremes can cause to your plumbing system.

Home owners have reported loss due to damage caused by either frozen or broken water pipes as second in cost only to hurricane damage. With repair costs for burst pipes running into thousands, it stands to reason that a practical home or business owner will want to prevent such damage from occurring in the first place. Most such damage happens in less than several hours time from a pipe’s bursting.

To eliminate or minimize the damage caused by such breakage, using a home or business security system that includes environmental alarm features focused on flooding and freezing is a sensible plan. Continue reading Temperature Alarms→

How to Install a Wireless Home Security System

Installing a wireless home security system can be the job of a professional security installer. Or you can elect to install a simple system yourself. If you’re handy with basic home maintenance you’ll find self-installation a cost effective and easy solution.

All you need to being installation of a wireless security system yourself are a few basic tools and the kit you’ve purchased which should contain a main control unit, sensors for windows and doors, a motion sensor and alarm.

The first step is planning: decide where to place your control panel, preferably in a central area that is easy to get to. Place it near an electrical outlet and away from any electronics that could cause interference in the signal such as televisions, microwaves, or ham radios. You may wish to place the panel close to your main entrance for convenience. However, don’t place it so that it is easily visible from the outside, where a potential intruder could spot it. Continue reading How to Install a Wireless Home Security System→

Boat Safety: Storage and Marine Security Installation

When you hear the phrase ‘boat safety,’ chances are you’re thinking about making sure your boat has no leaks or storm damage, is ocean safe and well maintained. Or you may consider the skills necessary to operate your water craft. But today, boat safety also refers to the secure storage of your vessel, and the use of marine security systems to keep your property from being damaged or stolen.

Let’s start with a look at boat storage. For those of you who store your vessel away from the water, boats should be placed in a locked garage or boat storage facility that is also securely locked. If you keep your boat on a trailer, always utilize a trailer hitch lock. And, be sure to park your boat off the street, in a location that makes it difficult to steal. Another good idea: place an item such as cinder blocks or other equipment behind the trailer so that there is an obstacle for any thief attempting to hook your trailer up to their own vehicle. You can also remove some of your trailer’s tires, to further slow a thief. A sturdy security chain and locking system can also be used to attach your boat to an permanent object – tree, dock or garage. Continue reading Boat Safety: Storage and Marine Security Installation→