Top 5 Home Security Systems | Home Alarm Monitoring & Surveillance

Home Security Options for the Holidays

In a perfect world, a home security system would be the last thing we’d need to think about as the holidays roll around. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world. Burglaries and home invasions rise sharply over the holidays.

None of us wants to feel vulnerable. So, what can we do to protect our family and possessions? We have a few options:

Take your chances. Chances are, you won’t experience a break in. But if you do, you’ll sorely regret not having taken steps to prevent it. There’s a feeling of violation that comes from having your home broken into. It’s almost worse than the actual losses incurred.
Construct a security fence. There’s nothing wrong with putting a fence up if you’re inclined. It’ll keep those nosy neighbors in their own yard. Unfortunately, it won’t stop a determined thief.
Get a dog. Unfortunately, mean dogs aren’t all that great for having around the family. Good family dogs present more danger of (more…)

How to Securely Store Valuables at Home

Some of your most valuable possessions are things that no one else would want: a child’s drawing of a sunset, that piece of wedding cake in the freezer, or the family ferret. That said, there are plenty of valuables that other people would want. If there weren’t, there would be no need for home security systems.

That being said, a home security system alone sometimes isn’t enough to protect those valuables. A house guest might be tempted to rifle through your jewelry box, or a contractor might pick up those stock certificates sitting on your desk. You need an added layer of protection when it comes to storing your valuables at home.

Here are the three most important factors you need to (more…)

The Thinking Policeman – An Interview With Lex Ferenda

“At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice, he is the worst.”

This bit of wisdom, as observed by Aristotle, has since evolved into a movement to protect people from one another in the form of a public service. Policing as a concept has been around for thousands of years, but much of its progress has arguably been in the past hundred years following exponential growth in the world’s population.

In the ancient western worlds of Italy and Greece, there were groups of people whose role in society was to physically uphold the law, deal with criminals, make arrests, and guard policy-makers. When Rome’s population reached one million, the use of wards sprouted up to house those who didn’t feel like adjusted members of society – Police then were known as “Vigiles Urbani” (“Watchmen of the City”) who were also firemen and night watchmen.
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Latest 2011 High-Tech Home Security System Features

Technological advancements in home security system over the past couple of decades have truly revolutionized the industry. Today’s systems are more secure and reliable than ever, and they provide that security at a fraction of the cost of systems even ten years ago.

Those technological advancements don’t show any signs of stopping, either. If we could look ahead another decade or two, we’d see improvements that most people today wouldn’t have thought about.

Future home security systems

Here are some of the changes we can expect to see in the future of home security systems:

Enhanced camera technology. Today, a single camera used in a commercial security system can provide multiple images. That same technology is moving into the home security system arena, as well.
More self-monitoring options. The rise of the smartphone means that people are plugged in all day, every day. The need to have your security system alert a security company is (more…)

What are Bugs? Interview with Skipp from Sherlock Investigations

If you have ever seen a movie or television show involving police, drug busts, espionage, or anything surveillance related, you have probably noticed that a common motif involves a confederate wearing a covert listening device, otherwise known as a bug or a wire, which is used to eavesdrop on criminals. The use of these devices in the real world may or may not be as prevalent as they are portrayed on television and in the movies, but as the rate of technology increases and these devices get less expensive it has become more common to find these devices being used by civilians to illegally eavesdrop on other civilians. The general evolutionary leap forward in technological devices has harbored the way for the application of eavesdropping to no longer be contained solely in the realm of covert listening devices and has grown to include hidden cameras and the monitoring of your web activity.

An example of a covert way to get a web bug would be Google’s Chrome browser where web bugs have become an invasive part of the browser’s application store. There are many useful applications, many of which are created by reputable companies or people, but there are also copycat applications made by users for the possible purposes of collecting data about you on the pages you visit – Everything from banking to email can be accessed.

Sherlock Investigation’s founder and president, Skipp Porteous, is a Technical Surveillance Counter-Measure (TSCM) specialist trained by the World Institute for Security Enhancement. He has been performing investigative work since the 1960s to include undercover narcotics investigations, collections, and investigative research and reporting. (more…)

Understanding Home Security System Door Sensors

Your home security system is only as good as the components that make it work. Understanding a little bit about your door sensors can help insure that your system is up and running at all times, and that if there’s a problem you’ll recognize it.

The door sensor is one of the most basic components of your home security system. They are the basic building block from which the rest of your system grows, and a system isn’t complete without them.

Door Sensor – Must Know Facts

Here are some basic concepts surrounding the door sensors on your home security system that you should understand:

There are multiple types of door sensors on the market today. Most door sensors are magnetic, although others may be optical or even based on motion-detecting technology.
A magnetic door sensor works like this: when a door is closed, the magnets (more…)

Home Security System Add-Ons

A reliable home security system is just one of the components of a comprehensive plan for protecting your home and your family. Home security systems deter criminals and, in some cases, provide important evidence of a crime after the fact. However, by itself it’s not enough to shield you from all possible threats.

There are some add-on products that can either be integrated into your home security system or that you may want as stand-alone protection. Let’s take a look at some of the most important:

Smoke alarms. Every home should have adequate smoke detectors and fire alarms. In many cases, these can integrate right with your home security system and provide an alert to central dispatch when the alarm is tripped, insuring that there’s a quick response even when there’s no one around to hear the alarm go off.
Carbon monoxide detectors. Carbon monoxide detectors are similar to smoke alarms in that they’re constantly reading the air for specific elements. Carbon monoxide, unlike smoke, is colorless and (more…)

Basics for Installing a Do-It-Yourself Home Security System

Having a home security system can give you peace of mind. Beyond that, it can truly deter some types of crimes, causing many would-be burglars to just pass on by. Today, you have more options than ever when it comes to your home’s security. For example, there are reliable do-it-yourself home security systems available off the shelf for a very reasonable price.

Installing a do-it-yourself home security system

You need to start by identifying what components you need. You’ll want sensors for every door into your home, and probably for your windows, as well. You may want to have motion detectors, and even an integrated smoke alarm or carbon monoxide detector.
Next, you’ll purchase the system. Spend a little bit of time doing some comparison shopping. Not all home alarm systems are equal. Read reviews, and get to know some of the product lines.
Once you have the system, it’s time to start installation. You’ll typically start with the sensors. Get all of those components in place before you move on to the next step.
If you’re installing a wired system, you’ll need to begin installing wires at this point. You may want to bring in an electrician at this stage, depending on your comfort level. (more…)

Visonic Alarms Review

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If people are looking for a home security system without complicated instructions, they should consider buying a Visonic system.

Even though Visonic isn’t the most recognizable brand of security alarms, it is one of the easier systems to figure out. For one thing, it isn’t as difficult to understand as an Elk alarm system. The wireless setup is as simple as the average General Electric alarm.

Visonic’s typical Powermax+ security kit comes with a Powermax+ central panel, two wireless sensors, a pet-proof sensor that is safe from dog bites and a arming remote keychain. It costs over $200, which is a standard price for most of the newer security alarm kits.

Although the system doesn’t include too many upgradable options for technology junkies, it is very simple to understand. Nearly everyone will figure out how to set up the panel and the wireless sensors. It’s as simple as plugging in the central panel and adding batteries to the sensors. The panel also has convenient ports so that homeowners can plug in wired motion detectors. Keep in mind that all their panels can only support up to two wired detectors at once, making the range of the system somewhat limited. (more…)

Elk Security Systems Review

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Most shoppers need a good understanding of security systems if they want to find the best one for them. Unlike other system packages, Elk provides both a home security system and an long informative manual about its features.

Elk Products’ alarms are expensive and more suitable for tech junkies, but people can steadily upgrade their security into a high-end system.

From their website’s appearance, Elk Products looks more like a company geared almost exclusively to electronic technicians. Their instruction manuals are more like encyclopedias. To say the least, it takes a lot of programming to make an Elk security panel operate as it should. Even when it does work, people will need to keep tabs on all the alarm operation shortcuts.

If people want to request a system, the company actually suggests filling out an application on their website. From this point on, a sales representative will fill customers in on the phone numbers of local professional installers who provide Elk alarms. As one might imagine, it takes quite a lot of time to purchase an Elk system. (more…)