Security World News » burglary

How to Select a Home Monitoring System

janetslagell — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:40:13 +0000

Regardless of the recent reports of lower crime rates, that doesn’t make having a home security system any less important. After all, statistics still show that homes without a security system are 2-3 times more likely to be the target of a home invasion. So, rather than pretending that crime is going away, home owners need to be proactive in the vigilance against crime. One of the best ways to do this is by ensuring that you have the best home monitoring system you can afford and then to be sure to activate when you are home and away.

If you are one of the many people who have considered getting a home security system installed, but have yet to do so then there is no time like the present. Take some time to checkout sites like Angies List, the BBB and Local Price to determine what companies are available in your area and then set up some home security consultation. As part of your home security consultation, be sure to ask the following 15 questions:

What is the monthly monitoring rate?
Who will own the equipment after the installation? Is the equipment new or used?
Can the home security system be monitored by another company?
Is there a warranty for the parts and installation of the security system?
Do you offer no contract home security systems? If not, how long is the home monitoring contract?
Is the monitoring company local?
Is it necessary to have a telephone back-up system?
Is there an extra charge for fire, theft, duress, or emergency medical response calls?
Can the system be upgraded when new equipment or technology become available? Will these upgrades require new control panels or keypads?
Is there an insurance program with monitoring, in case of fire or theft?
How long has the company been in business?
Who has access to the records of the home monitoring service customers?
Are the security system installers licensed and bonded?
How many window and door sensors, keypads and deactivation/activation devices come with the basic package? The advanced system?
Is there financing available for the installation?

Having a home alarm monitoring system is one of the best things you can do to protect your family. It may take an hour or two of your time to get the information and about the same amount of time to get the system installed; but since it only takes a few seconds for the average home to broken into the time spent on protecting your home and family is certainly time well spent.

© janetslagell for Security World News, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alarm Monitoring, alarm system, burglary, Home Invasion, Home Security System, personal safety

This article is sponsored by the home security store. We invite you to navigate throughout our website. We have dozens of sections covering a variety of home security kits, security cameras, personal safety products, environmental control devices, wired and wireless security products, and much more.

Your Home Security Checklist: What You Can do to Keep Your Family Safer

janetslagell — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 23:19:56 +0000

What do you have that you consider to be priceless? Is it a piece of jewelry? A family heirloom? Your home? While most of would agree that these items and many other possessions are valuable, there is one part of life that has an infinite price tag of untold worth…yeah, you know what it is-it’s your family. After all, there is nothing in your life that is worth more than those who make up your family relationships. No, that doesn’t mean that everyone’s family just stepped out of Mayberry or off of Walton’s Mountain, but for most of us, our families hold the largest percentage of available space in our hearts. So what can we do to ensure that those we love are safe at all time?

No matter where you live, it is vital that you have security measures in place. After all, crime knows no region or city line lines. So whether it is being sure to activate your vacation home security systems in Tampa or keeping your yard unappealing to would-be thieves, taking care of your family should be one of your topmost priorities. To help you do just that, ADT-one of America’s leading home monitoring companies, has a list of things you can do to reduce your risk of becoming a victim of a home invasion or a home medical emergency. How does your home and everyday practices measure up?

You have a personal emergency response system to contact emergency services if help is needed.
A neighbor or nearby relative has a spare key to your home.
All medications are kept in clearly marked containers and stored in one place along with a easy to understand dosage schedule.
The kitchen and bathroom cabinets are arranged so that the most commonly used tems are within easy reach.
There are fresh batteries in carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.
Your home’s interior is painted with bright colors, so that walls, doorways and architectural elements are easily seen.
You have a usable stepstool with a no-skid surface.
All flammable products and decorative elements (curtains, towels, pictures, etc…) are kept away from the stove.
Household cleaners are capped tightly-preferably with child-proof caps- and kept away from the ignition sources and out of the reach of children or pets.
You keep in touch with friends, neighbors and family.
You have a telephone and a lamp/light switch within easy reach of your bed. Also, many security experts recommend that if your vehicle keychain has an alarm on that your keys be kept near your bed as well. In the case of an emergency, simply push the alarm button and other will hear the noise and come to investigate (this also works as a great deterrent to a would-be thief).
All stair cases have handrails. Also, bathroom should have grab bars in the shower/tub and toilet areas-this is especially important for homes where there are elderly people in residence.
There are nightlights in the hall or bathroom.
Any cords are kept out of pathways.

Keeping your home and family safe is the responsibility of all those in the home. It may seem like an inconvenience at times, but when it comes to protecting who and what you love, there is no price tag to be considered. After all, some things in life truly are priceless!

© janetslagell for Security World News, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alarm Monitoring, alarm system, burglar, burglary, home monitoring service, Home Security, home security checklist, Home Security System, personal safety, safety tips, tampa home security

Basement Living?

Eric Osuna — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:57:01 +0000

Basement apartments look kind of cool, don’t they? We see them on TV all the time, usually somewhere in some inner-city setting like New York. And while images of basement apartments rarely conjure feelings of luxury, there’s something about the grittiness of a below street level apartment that comes off as somewhat romanticized and attractive. Maybe it’s the hip young poet within all of us that finds something just ‘too cool’ about these nonconformist, dare-to-be-different little quarters. Not to mention they’re always—yes, always—cheaper than your average apartment; usually drastically so.

One of the more famous accounts of basement-apartment living occurs in a series of stories by author Ruth McKenney, collectively known as My Sister Eileen, in which she tells her experiences living in a basement apartment in Greenwich Village, NYC for a mere $45 a month. Sure, the story takes place in the 1940′s, but believe it or not the price is staggering even for that time. So why then is it that basement apartments come to be so damn cheap if the only difference between these and their above street level counterparts is merely they’re location in the building? And why don’t more people take advantage of them?

Well, as it turns out the first answer to these questions is simply that these apartments are nearly always illegal. It’s true, and it mostly has to do with just how unsuitable these locations tend to be as livable spaces. The Department of Housing Preservation & Development offer the following stern warning on their website:

Basements in private dwellings can NEVER be lawfully rented or occupied unless the conditions meet the minimum requirements for light, air, sanitation and egress, and have received approval by the Department of Buildings. […] Owners with illegally converted basements and cellars may face civil and criminal penalties.

Needless to say, most apartment landlords ignore these standards in order to turn over a quick buck, and eager tenants willing to make what they assume to be small sacrifices for an unbeatable price-tag are not scarce—especially, of course, during these tough economic times. Indeed, if you’ve read Ruth McKenney’s book you’ll find that although she might appear to have found an impressive bargain in her quaint bohemian abode, you’ll also be irked to realize she and her sister are cramped in a single small bedroom, the place is completely infested with mold, and they become the victims of a burglary during only their first week as tenants. This happens just as frequently today within basement apartments as they did then, with burglaries being perhaps the most frequent occurrence due to how low their windows—if indeed they even have any—are to the ground.

The DHPD website continues with the following warning to prospective and current basement apartment tenants:

Occupants of illegal basement and cellar apartments face potential dangers such as carbon monoxide poisoning, inadequate light and ventilation and inadequate egress in the event of a fire.

The limited doors and windows within basement apartments make them not only extremely difficult to exit in case of a fire, but it sometimes makes it impossible for rescue personnel to enter. Additionally, the confined space would make the accumulation of smoke rapid and unavoidable. Flooding too can be a major problem for those living in rainy areas as water will inevitably seep through the street-level windows. And, lastly, an invisible predator known only as radon has also been known to make basement apartment tenants their unsuspecting prey. Defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as radioactive material found within the ground, basement apartment tenants are likely to have more exposure to this gas, potentially accumulating various forms of cancer along the way.

This is not to say that all basement apartments should be avoided. I’m certain there are various spacious and nicely accommodating basement apartments on the market today (I wouldn’t mind finding a nice one, myself!). But before you go hunting for one, there’s a few tips (courtesy of eHow.com) you can do to ensure that you aren’t moving into a moldy, flood-proned, fire-hazardous, burglar-targeted nightmare.

1.Avoid basement apartments that are located in coastal areas and flood plains.

2.Local government provides information pertaining to construction permits and building codes that are applicable to every apartment for your reference. Check them out!

3.Radon testing kits are available at hardware and general merchandising stores. Use these kits to check the building grounds for toxic radon gas levels.

4.You should also contact your local police department for crime reports before you decide whether to move into a particular apartment. Preferably, your basement apartment will feature window bars; solid doors and heavy-duty locks to deter criminals.

© Eric Osuna for Security World News, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: basement, basement apartment, burglary, landlord, mold, safety, tenant, tips, tricks

How can I Protect my Home from Burglary?

Annie Blanco — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:51:22 +0000

To protect your home against burglary you should memorize, or at the very least read, the three L’s of a typical Neighborhood Watch program -that is Lights, Locks and Landscaping. With those in mind, make sure all areas of your home inside and outside have adequate lighting. This means lighting the driveway, entrance way, and backyard. Motion detector lights can be a plus. If you buy and install them they can help surprise a potential intruder who comes upon your house. Next, install sturdy locks on all doors and windows (deadbolt locks are ideal for the main entry and exit doors) and keep your lawn and shrubbery well-manicured. In addition, if you go away on vacation, tell someone you trust that you will be away and have them pick up the mail and newspapers. Also, consider putting your lights on timers. Plus, contact your local police department and ask for a “Vacation House-Check.” Depending on the size of your town, an officer should go to your home on a regular basis while you are away and check to make sure your home is secured. Don’t give a burglar a helping hand. Remember, homes without lights, adequate locks, and smart landscaping are more likely to be burglarized. You should take action now and identify potential weaknesses around your property. Then do something about those weaknesses to eliminate the odds of criminal activity.

Business Security Cameras Is Your Best Security Against Burglars

Ralph Winn — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 04:44:01 +0000

Do you have a business? If you do, then you know that burglary is the main crime that you need to be prepared for. The best way to secure your business is to take as many security steps as you can. One of the security steps that need to be taken is to install business security cameras. These cameras can help you deter burglars more than anything else can, besides a good alarm system.

Burglars don’t like to be caught on video because this provides too many chances for them to be caught. Most burglars won’t break into any place that has security cameras because they don’t want to take that chance. If a burglar does break in then you have a way to help the police identify them.

It is always a good idea for you to take time to learn about security cameras for your business. This will help you choose the best ones to secure your business with. It is also a good idea to learn where else these cameras are being used. There are many businesses and other places that they are being used to deter burglars, or to capture people that have broken the law.

One good way to learn about these cameras and how they are being used is to read news stories. There have been many news stories done about this to help the public know what is happening, and also to let business owners know what is happening with them. Read as many stories as you can because the more knowledge you have the better you will be able to secure your business.

There was a news story done about how security cameras are being used in Lancaster to help curb crime. The news story can be found at, http://tinyurl.com/lw7vp3. In this news story they were talking about how these cameras have helped to keep crime down.

They state, “Lancaster has seen some declines in property crimes since the cameras went up, but those numbers have fluctuated — along with the totals for violent crimes. Despite inconclusive statistical evidence, police and the commission say the cameras are providing officers with a new tool. Last year, commission workers called police 492 times and provided video to police 305 times. That work led to 82 arrests and 86 citations, as well as 18 charges pending.”

Now, this may not seem like a lot of help for the police, but without these cameras, they may not have been able to make the arrests that they did. Security cameras are being used on public streets and in residential neighborhoods for the simple fact that they work to help deter crime.

For your business, they can do the same thing if you use them. Don’t just assume that a burglar won’t enter your business because this can be a big mistake. Always assume that they will eventually try to get in and be prepared for anything that can happen. Business security cameras are your best bet for catching anyone that is daring enough to break in, so make sure you start using them right away.

© Ralph for Security World News, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Best Security, burglary, business security cameras