Top 5 Home Security Systems | Home Alarm Monitoring & Surveillance

Home Security System False Alarm Prevention

Until we create home security systems that are capable of mind-reading, even the most sophisticated system is prone to false alarms. However, it is incredibly important to educate yourself in what you can do to limit the number of false alarms your home security system generates. A system that creates too many false alarms is essentially like the boy who cried wolf; eventually, it will be hard to take your home security system seriously if it goes off from any little thing.

The easiest, and arguably most important, way to prevent false alarms is to understand how your home security system works. Be sure that everyone living in your home has a good idea of how the system works. This is especially the case with your children. Children tend to be curious and exploratory; they might set off a security sensor in a way that you did not foresee. If you have a security system that sends a message to the authorities or security company when activated, be sure all your family members know the cancellation code. The last thing you want is the authorities hesitating to respond to such a notification because of a history of false alarms at your residence.

If you have pets, keep them out of areas where there are security sensors. You can’t teach a dog a deactivation code, even though they can set off an alarm just as easily as a person. Likewise, if you are using an outdoor sensor, it would be wise to put it in a place where wild animals are unlikely to be. For instance, if squirrels frequent a certain tree, don’t attach a sensor to that tree. Also, beware of sensors that can be activated by adverse weather conditions. Some cheap alarm systems can be extra sensitive in outdoor settings.

Another effective method to limit false alarms is to routinely test the settings of your home security system. If your alarm system is on a timer, be aware that you might want to set its activation time later in the spring and summer months, when you’re more likely to be outside later in the evening and vice versa. Also, sometimes security equipment can simply act up. If there’s a mechanical problem with your security system, it may go off randomly. Obviously, you’ll want to fix this sooner rather than later. If you have a battery-operated system, check the batteries. Sometimes, a battery low in power can cause the security system to misbehave. In general, the more aware you are of how your security system operates, the more aware it will be to real threats to your safety.

Invisibly Gating Your Homes

Can recall the last time you decided on just taking your car out for a spin, without a specific destination in mind? If you follow your path, you will likely notice that you passed a lot of blue octagonal signs with the letters ADT on them. This is because ever since 1874, ADT home security has been keeping over 5 million homes safe from security problems.

Once installed, your home will be monitored by a 24/7 staff who has direct contact with police departments they minute the notice something unusual. Just one suspicious person lurking around can lead to at least 20 invisible eyes following his every step around the neighborhood.

Even in the safest neighborhood, no one can be sure that a fire will not erupt. With ADT smoke detectors installed, the minute it goes off due to high detected amount of smoke, it will automatically send a warning to ADT headquarters who in turn will contact the closest fire department to the house. The best part about all this is that this whole process can happen even if you are not home. While away on a trip, no one will be watching your house unless you let ADT keep an eye on it for you.

Speaking of detectors, if you are going to install an ADT smoke detector, you might as well install a carbon monoxide detector in your home. Carbon Monoxide (CO) might not be a concern for you but actually CO is a colorless and odorless substance that will harm your body over time if you continue to inhale it everyday. Most homes do not have CO detectors which means you may have been living with CO for years now.

Even after all this introductions to what ADT can do for your family, you are still unsure if you actually need the security system. Perhaps you live in a safe neighborhood and you hardly take vacations. How about the older folks in your family? Every day hundreds of elderly experience some kind of health related fainting but yet no one is home to assist them. Yet with ADT, as simple as pushing a button next to them, when an elderly person feels exhausted, they can contact an ADT health professional right way who in turn would either send an ADT helper to come to the house or they would directly call an ambulance.

Protecting yourself may be easy, but protecting a loved one requires a lot of work, but ADT can reduce that required work.

Home Security Systems in Rural Areas

Many people believe, erroneously, that home security systems are beneficial only to people living in areas with dense populations. Although crime is more likely to occur in urban areas, rural and exurban areas have been seeing more and more crime lately as people relocate to rural areas. People living in rural areas tend to have larger amounts of undeveloped land in their property boundaries; this can greatly assist a criminal in targeting your residence. If you live on a farm, it can be difficult to keep tabs across many acres of land. You may think keeping a gun in the bedroom might be enough home security, but you’d be wrong.

Be sure you have working locks on any sheds, stables, and other auxiliary buildings around your property. A thief can easily walk into a tool shed and slip out, undetected, with countless dollars’ worth of expensive equipment. Install motion-sensor floodlights by the entrance to these places. Remember, darkness is a criminal’s best friend. Some security systems will allow you to put sensors on farm buildings that will sound an alarm inside your house if someone enters unexpectedly. If you have the money, these might be worth the investment.

If you have a long driveway, as many rural properties do, you can install transmitters at the beginning of the driveway to alert you when someone heads toward your home unexpectedly. These transmitters are usually not too expensive, and can be put up in trees or even underground. You’ll have plenty of time to prepare yourself for any unwanted guests. If you have a larger budget, you can also put up a gate at the front of the property with either an electronic pass code or an intercom system. However, in order for a gated entrance to be effective, you have to ensure such a gate to limit entrance to the front of the property. The fanciest gate security system is meaningless if a criminal can walk over the gate, or hoist themselves over a wall, undetected.

Another option to consider is a radio transmitter system. These can provide coverage for large expanses of land. If something enters the field of the radio waves, and the receiver picks up the disturbance, an alarm of some sort will go off. Although managing a large tract of rural land may seem difficult, you still have many options for providing an adequate security system no matter how far in the sticks you are.

Photo via Alex E. Proimos

Caution: Camera Men at Work

We should accept the fact that our economy is decline. People have decided to end their unemployment by stealing what they do not have and people with jobs have dealt with so many wage cuts that they no longer can afford a professional home security system. With the two situations colliding, who is to say we even live in a safe world anymore?

Fortunately, not all security systems require professional installation that charge you over the top for their services and labor. There is a website that exclusively sells at home security products that you can easily install yourself. The Home Security Store can provide you with everything you need to keep your house safe from all intruders. A large budget can get you a whole surveillance system and a small budget can get you some alarms and a camera.

If you think it will help protect your house, you can find it at the Home Security Store. Since they specialize in only home security products, it’s hard to stump them on a product. If the professional has it, the website will have it but at a much cheaper price.

I might have made you think the site only sells camera security, but in fact they sale anything that a home security system from any big name branch will install in your house. You can buy up to four fire alarms at a time; not the ones that just goes off when smoke is detected, but the ones that will contact the police department right way if the smoke level does not go down after a given time period. The store even has batteries for you to replace your old alarms with, so for sure the store has everything you need to keep your house safe. The price ranges anywhere from $100 to $400 before tax. Yes, the prices are not cheap but it’s reported that the average burglary damages are around $2000, so you do the math.

My personal favorite from the store is the wireless alarm system. This means you can place the sensor anywhere you want without exposing any wires to scare people away. It is like setting a trap that challenges thieves to come over, only to be caught dead in their tracks by an average Joe. In conclusion, in this troubling time everyone needs a home security system but not everyone can afford one because of the troubling times. Therefore the only way to break this endless cycle is if we learn how to defend ourselves by ourselves, in this case, we start installing our own security systems.

How to Find a Safe Neighborhood to Live In

Looking for a home is much more difficult than some people make it out to be. Not only are you looking at price and how worn out the previous owner had left the house, but you are also looking at all the things that surround the house. Sometimes we do this subconsciously, but hardly anyone ever take the time out of their life to do some research on the neighborhood for the house they are going to buy. Most people just sign the check and moved in the next day. Horror movies always tell us we should never buy a house that we do not know the history of, yet they never told us we should be careful of the neighborhood where the house is. For that reason, I have decided to give some suggestions for home buyers when it comes to searching for a new home.

Look at the history of the neighborhood; this means look at all the homicides reported, the robbery, the hit and runs, etc. The best way for you to get a hold of this information is if you contact the police department in charge of watching over that neighborhood.
Drive through the entire neighborhood during daytime and nighttime; this way you will be able to see what it is like at in the neighborhood at any given time. Most cities “go to sleep” when the sun set which opens doors for crimes, but in safe neighborhood, homeowners do not take this invitation to break into a car.
If you get a chance, speak to the people in the neighborhood; they will know more about the neighborhood then you since all you really know are what the estate agent told you. Besides getting some facts, you might end up making a friend once you move in.
Conduct an online survey; you can just create some polls in regard to the neighborhood. The most obvious ones would be; “Would you ever move into this neighborhood?” and “Do you think this neighborhood is safe?”
Concerning your children, they will be attending the school in the district of that neighborhood so you have to make sure they are not forced into a school that train kids in stealing. Once you know which school you student will be sent to, also take the time to research the school.

As silly as this may seem, deep down you know they are reasonable. If you just blindly move into your house, you will never know if the person living right next to you has their eye on your daughter or not.

Home Security in Bad Neighborhoods

If you live in a high crime neighborhood, you should invest in security measures for your home. Burglary and home invasion are common problems in dangerous areas. Crime-ridden neighborhoods are not always necessarily in cities anymore; crime has travelled out of urban areas and into the suburbs more and more. Houses in high crime areas are particularly vulnerable, because they’re easier and quicker targets than houses in affluent, safer areas. Many people who live in unsafe areas might not have the money needed to purchase an extensive security system. However, regardless of your financial situation, home security is something you should take seriously if you are located in a dangerous neighborhood.

First comes common sense. Lock your doors, and purchase a deadbolt for any doors leading outside your home. Your windows should be secured with window locks. If you live in an area with extremely high crime, you may want to consider bars for your windows. Be sure to have motion-sensor lighting for any outdoor areas. Dark areas are perfect for criminal activity, so a well-placed flood light could make all the difference. Motion-activated flood lights improve security right at the front entrance to your home as well. If you are living in an apartment building, you will still want to consider your security. Although many apartment buildings these days have building-wide security, the security of your own living space is up to you.

Alarm systems are wonderful if you can afford them. There are a wide variety of different options for alarm systems. Very basic alarm systems will trigger when someone sets off the sensor, which is usually near the entrances to the home. The alarm will sound, alerting anyone in the home, in addition to people on the street, of any breaking and entering that might occur. More sophisticated security systems have sensors for windows as well.

More extensive security systems will transmit an electronic signal upon entry that may call your cell phone, or alert local authorities. Systems like these may also use silent alarms that fool criminals into thinking they’ve broken into a house without security measures. Silent alarms may be useful for vacations, or other extended stay from home. However, these are not advisable for when you are actually sleeping in the residence. Home security packages are available through many different venues, but it’s always important to consider your needs and how much you’re willing to spend on security measures. You can never be too safe; high dollar systems may include security cameras, sound-activated alarms, and so forth. Just remember, when looking at home safety options, that you decide on something both effective and practical.

Economy Requires Attention to Home Security

With the continuing instability of the US economy, home security systems have become a growing priority with Americans nationwide. In order for you and your family to always feel safe and secure, having a good security system and an emergency plan to follow are imperative. Prevention is the key where safety and security is the issue, even when you live in a good neighborhood. Taking the primary precautions in order ensure this is your responsibility as a homeowner.

With the variety of home security systems that are available today, the decision on which one to purchase and install can be a bit challenging and somewhat confusing. There are numerous options involved when considering one of these systems so you will need to survey your home and determine what is needed to fully protect it. Some of these security system options include:

alarm systems

deadbolt locks

double locks

fences

guard dogs

motion detectors

video cameras

window alarms

wireless driveway monitors

So now you can see the importance of determining what your specific needs are before purchasing and installing a quality home security system. The good news is that there are basic forms of these systems available to everyone.

In recent years, due to increased production, the costs on these systems has dropped somewhat meaning that the average homeowner can usually find one that fits within their budget. Today, it is financially easier for the homeowner to protect their families and their belongings with one of these basic home security systems. Not only can you find affordable systems with alarms and cameras, but you can also find less expensive ones that contain a public safety alert dialer.

As a homeowner there are other precautions you can take that will make things a little more secure in conjunction with your home security system’s set-up. You want to always make sure that your deadbolts are locked whenever you are out for the evening or on vacation as well as when you are home for the night. Another thing to make sure of is that your hedges and shrubs are cut down enough so that you can see someone approaching your home through the windows.

What you need to remember is that these are tough economic times and there are a lot of desperate people out there. Some of them will stop at nothing to steal in order to purchase drugs or even feed their families. Never take it for granted that just because you live in a good neighborhood you won’t get victimized. Burglars and home invaders are smart and are venturing out into the more affluent suburban areas in order to get what they need.

Home Security Systems FAQ’s

Interestingly enough, statistics about home security systems are the primary reason for posting this content. After all, some of you may already be aware of these stats and have already installed one to protect your family, home, and possessions. However, if you are not aware of the following information, then you need to get a clue and consider installing a system so that you can have some peace of mind – whether you are home or not. Here are 5 FAQ’s to consider where home security systems are concerned:

Do insurance companies offer discounts for those homeowners who install home security systems?

Yes they do, and in some cases it’s possible that you could be saving up to 10% off the current cost of your monthly homeowner’s insurance premium when you install a basic security system (possibly more if you install one that is monitored 24/7/365).

What time of the day would my home most likely get burglarized?

According to the most recent statistics, properties without home security systems in place will most likely be burglarized between the hours of 9:00am and 3:00pm Monday through Friday. These are the hours of the day that adults are most likely to be working and children will be in school.

How many homes get burglarized every day in the United States?

National averages have revealed that roughly 6,000 homes are burglarized in the US every day, no matter what day of the week it is. Additionally, you are 3 to 4 times less likely to get burglarized if you have installed one of these home security systems.

Will a wireless home security system work if there are metal materials involved in the home’s construction?

Although radio waves do not penetrate metal, the only way in which a wireless system would not work was if your home was constructed with the following components:

an aluminum stairwell
floors made from steel plating
a roof made from sheet metal
support beams made from iron
walls made of steel

How many homes in the United States today have home security systems installed in them?

Unfortunately, only 1 out of every 4 homes in the US today has a system installed in them. Ironically enough, a recent survey revealed that the majority of today’s American homeowners believe that home security systems are the best way to protect your family, home, and your possessions.

Plants as Natural Barriers

Plants are too often overlooked as a positive security measure to take when tricking out a new or existing home for security and amenities and aesthetics in general. Rose bushes, black berry bushes and poison ivy can all be used in tandem outside windows to create a natural barrier to fend off no-gooders. Anything with thorns really is good and the poison ivy can be added just to make them really regret trying to break into your home so they don’t think about trying again. A poison ivy itch is worse than thorns really – thorns you can pull out but the poison ivy itch is a gift that keeps on giving for a day or so of irritating, scratchy pain.

Best Places for “Security Plants”

Plant the bushes right up against the wall, so that no one can have space to sneak behind it. Also always trim off the portion from about knee height down, so that you can see if someone tries to hide behind a bush in wait to attack or rape the next coming person. Be sure to water regularly, or ideally, set up an automatic drip line off of your existing sprinkler system configuration so that the plants receive water at regular intervals and don’t dry out and die. Dead plants don’t do much to fend off bad elements, so you don’t want that.

Live Fences

Pending your city and state laws allow for it, you can even go for a barrier plant around your back yard in lieu of a traditional fence. It makes for a stylish look and if kept around 12-16 inches of thorny thickness deep and eight feet high it provides one heck of a barrier for someone to try and climb through. And if you opt for black berry bushes you can have a healthy additive for cereal, smoothies, ice cream, jams, jellies, juice and even wine.

Caring for an Organic Security System

I suggest using only organic additives if you do need to supplement a desert like or otherwise poor soil situation. With a little research on the web you can learn to use stuff you already have around the host for the most part. And if there seem to be no worms around, you can always go buy some at a fishing or farming store or nursery. They are cheap and provide aeration and food for the plants on a consistent basis.

If you take care of your plants they can take care of you and your family for a long time and are a lot better looking than bars on windows and the like that some more utilitarian people tend to opt for. Not to mention plants are a lot cheaper out of pocket than paying for metal bars to be added to your house and painted the color to match. Well cared for plants are beautiful, tasteful and add nice fragrances to your home and yard while protecting you and your family at the same time.

Photo via peasap

Picking the Most Secure Neighborhood for Your New Home

When considering buying a new home for you and your family, security of the home and neighborhood it is situated in should definitely be on your list of concerns. When you look at a home, talk to neighbors, your insurance agent and police to find out the real crime stats for the area that your commission motivated real estate agent likely won’t pass along so honestly or readily. Real estate agents may act like your friends but they only get paid when you buy and the less time they have to spend with you to make that happen, the better for their profit margin. So a home buyer needs to think for themselves and take whatever the real estate agent says with a big grain of salt.
Does the new home land in an area that has neighborhood watch, block parties and generally a strong sense of community and neighborly behavior or is it like a lot of these new cookie cutter communities where neighbors never meet at all and it’s basically every man, woman and child for themselves? Neighborhoods like that are breeding grounds for violent and non-violent crime as people that don’t stick together or look out for each other are far easier prey than the opposite.

If the potential new neighborhood does have block parties or block watch meetings or such, try to attend one before you commit to buying the new home. Meet the potential new neighbors and find out what really goes on around there from the horses mouths so to speak. Your children are, you hope, a forever thing and you need to protect them the best you can while you have them under your roof, so don’t make a hasty decision on a home purchase without consideration for them, their safety, their education and overall sense of peace and happiness. Safety first is a good mantra and it definitely applies to choosing a new neighborhood for you and your family to live in and for your children to safely and happily grow up in.