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With public interest in protection against fire and crime at an all-time high, it is no surprise that the alarm field is one of the country’s fastest growing industries.
And while there are a good many experienced, reputable and reliable companies in almost every community, there are inevitably some people who are out to take advantage of the concerned home owner. So you must beware of the “fast buck operator” and be sure that what appears to be a bargain doesn’t run out to be a costly mistake in the long run.
In addition, select a well-established company with a record of successful operation behind it. The failure rate among companies entering the field is high and you don’t want to be left with a system that requires service with no one to do the job.
To help you make the right decision, there are a number of steps you can take. Don’t wait until a salesman is in your home before you start thinking about the standing of his company. Check beforehand. Business and Trade Association are excellent places to check on a company BEFORE you invite anyone into your home. In this way, you can eliminate in advance the likelihood of being “pressured” by an unsavory or disreputable company.
Make sure any employees who have access to your home are bonded.
While it is possible today to obtain alarm component for “do-it-yourself” installation, such systems can provide a false sense of security. They normally do not provide full coverage of the home, may not be of the same quality as a dealer-installed system, and be false alarm prone unless in stalled by a person of sufficient technical skill. Continue reading How to select the right Alarm Company
There’s plenty of Home Security dealers out in the net, and even offline. It becomes increasingly difficult to decide which offer is better, or which offer fits your need. This means you have to set yourself some guidelines beforehand in order to distinguish what it is you are looking for. So what is it that most attracts your attention as the ‘winning’ offer? Continue reading What do you look for in a Home Security offer?
Motion sensors detect any movement in areas covered by that particular device. Some detectors use microwave sensors to detect movement, others use infrared sensors.
How Microwave Sensors Work:
Microwave sensors bounce microwaves off of an object, then measure the frequency of the returning waves. If the particular object is moving, it will send back microwaves of a differing frequency. Microwave sensors can offer a greater range of coverage than infrared sensors, and are more reliable at greater distances. Microwaves can also penetrate walls, which means that microwave sensors can be placed behind objects. The only negative aspect of these types of sensors is their strong sensitivity, and the fact that they are vulnerable to interference from other electrical devices such as lightning, or radios. Luckily, your installer can adjust the sensitivity of your microwave sensors quite easily to work best in your particular environment. Continue reading Alarm System Components – Part 3
Continuing with our series of Alarm System components, today we’ll touch upon another type of perimeter safety. Besides the typical door and window sensors, there is another type of protection you can add to windows in your home. These are known as glassbreak detectors (or sensors) that, just as their name suggests, senses when a window has been shattered by an intruder. Continue reading Alarm System Components – Part 2
Many people don’t realize that a quality alarm system is capable of monitoring much more than the security of their home or business. For example, if you have problems with flooding in your area, you can have a flood water sensor installed to be notified in the event of a flooding emergency. Most security monitoring providers will not charge a higher monthly fee if you add such devices. If they do, it may be time to start looking for a new monitoring provider!
The following posts will hopefully provide you with everything you ever wanted to know about available alarm devices and sensors. Our first post will be about the door and window sensors, that protect home entry points from intrusion. Continue reading Alarm System Components – Part 1
Due to recently enacted municipal budgetary constraints it was announced at a recent town counsel meeting that local police services would have to be cut back in the small town that I have lived in for the past twenty-three years. This meant that although the regular police protection wouldn’t be effected, overtime hours would have to be eliminated starting the first of the year.
It wasn’t long into the new year that my neighbors home was broken into while they were away for the weekend, which left my nerves somewhat rattled. It was three days later in the same week that I was pulled over for a traffic ticket when I was running late for work that I had enough and I couldn’t help but let the cop know just how I felt.
“Why are you bothering people on their way to work when there are criminals loose in the community”? He told me that his pay has been cut 20% by the deal and if he had his way he’d be out chasing the bad guys but that he was assigned to traffic duty now and if I wanted his job I could have it. As a condolence, he let me off with a warning and gave me a great tip. He told me that I should get a security system on my house and he also recommended ADT Specials, because he had been on a few of their calls and said that every time it was immediate action that made the difference. Continue reading ADT Security – Feel Safe at home
When looking into purchasing an Alarm System for your home, it is a good idea to not just look at rates and how much it will cost you up front, but think of the problems you may have later on. While the system they are installing at this time may be free or at a low cost, and brand new, you want to use it for at least three years, and in that time many things can happen to it.
Thus why we need to know what it will cost us to get service calls and repairs done to the equipment. Some companies have costly service calls and high prices for technical support at your home, so it’s very important to clear this with your sales rep at the time of getting the alarm system.
ADT Dealers for example, can offer you an Extended Warranty on the alarm system, as long as you are monitored by ADT and paying the monthly monitoring fee. This warranty covers all price on repairs and calls to your system for free, and in the long run, this may be very beneficial and help reduce the total cost of protecting your home, while also helping you keep your alarm system in top condition.
Other companies also offer this service, so be sure to ask about it, and how much it will cost, if it is not included in their basic rates.
We all have the potential to be victims of crime. Each of us can REDUCE THE RISK of our homes/property being victimized by eliminating the opportunity. Today we’ll look over some helpful tips to keep your house safe if you live in an apartment or condo. Believe it or not, even in these housings you CAN be a victim of intrusion and burglary, so it is a good idea into looking for a good alarm system. Remember that it is always better to be safe than sorry.
Continue reading Apartment building security
Smoke alarms are available with a pause or hush button that can be used to temporarily silence the alarm. This is a convenient way to deal with nuisance alarms, such as those caused by burning toast or opening smoky ovens, without disabling the alarm. The hush button will silence the alarm for several minutes and then automatically reset itself. Smoke alarms with this feature discourage the dangerous practice of removing the battery or disconnecting the power source as a method of dealing with frequent nuisance alarms. When purchasing smoke alarms, look for alarms with a hush feature, especially if the alarm will be installed near a kitchen or bathroom.
It should be noted that many alarms with a hush feature will chirp intermittently while in hush mode. The chirping will stop once the alarm resets itself.
If smoke continues to build from a real fire while the alarm is in hush mode, the smoke will override the silence feature and the smoke alarm will resound.
We’re proud to present to you a new forum for all things related to Home Security. Join us today to share accounts of security, help find the perfect alarm system, or tell others of your experiences with both alarms and break-ins.
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