Home Security Blog
Vivint Review
Vivint is a relatively new name in the home security system marketplace, but the solutions they provide have been around a while. Vivint used to be known as APX Alarm Security Solutions, but in 2011 they decided to seek investment funding and expand their home security business into the home control market. This has only enhanced their position in home security.
A different kind of home security company
It’s that home control element that makes Vivint possibly the most interesting home security system on the market. The home control features allow you to do a number of things beyond simply home security, such as:
- Control your thermostat remotely. You can set your home’s temperature, switch between central air and heat, and more.
- Activate or deactivate (more…)
Should You Have a Home Security Audit?
You can’t be too cautious when it comes to protecting your home and family. After all, that’s why you’ve installed a home security system in the first place. You want to make sure your things are safe from theft and your family is safe from harm.
Yet, even the best home security system can have weaknesses. There are areas that criminals can exploit, bypassing the system, and invading your home.
That’s why you need to consider a professional home security audit.
A home security audit looks at your home and your life under a microscope to identify risks. For example, a home security audit might detect:
- Glassbreak sensors that aren’t functioning.
- A home security system that doesn’t (more…)
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.
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.
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…)
Through the Eyes of a Thief
If you’ve ever thought about home security, you’ve probably jumped right into the obvious: put deadbolts on your doors. Lock your windows. Install a home security system. These are the things that jump out at us. To be sure, they’re all important steps. However, it’s worth taking a step back and looking at your home through the eyes of a thief.
When a burglar is considering a home, he’s asking some specific questions. The answers your home gives will determine whether or not it will be targeted. Here are some of the things the thief asks:
- Is there something worth breaking in for? To risk breaking into a house, a burglar wants to have some confidence that there’s something worth taking inside. If you live in a large, nice home, the burglar will assume you have jewelry and other valuables. If the home invader is interested in something other than material gain – such as revenge or rape – your home’s size or (more…)
