Tips to Choose a Home Security Professional for a Houston Burglar Alarm Installation

According to the Houston Police Department’s statistics, there were over 2,300 burglaries in July 2011. Unfortunately, that was not an exceptional month for the HPD – it’s well within the average range for the number of burglaries that happen every month in the city. A home security system can help you keep your home, your property and your family safe, but it’s important to choose the right Houston burglar alarm company to sell and install your home security system. The Electronic Security Association, a non-profit member organization of home security and burglar alarm system professionals, offers the following tips to find the best Houston burglar alarm and home security professionals for your needs.

Choose a local company for your home security needs. A Houston home security expert knows the market and knows the area well enough to make reasonable recommendations for your home or business security needs.

Ask your property insurance agent to recommend a home security company – and a home security system. Insurance companies have a vested interest in guaranteeing that your home is as protested as possible because if someone makes it past your burglar alarm system, the insurance company ends up paying out. Many insurance companies will offer as much as a 30% discount on your insurance premiums when you install a home alarm system. Your agent can tell you which security systems will net you the biggest savings.

Contact the Houston Police Department’s Robbery Unit and ask them to do a home security audit and recommend a style and type of burglar alarm or home security system that’s best for your property. The police department can’t recommend specific Houston home security vendors, but they can help you define the best systems for your needs, which you can then compare with recommendations made by home security companies.

Make appointments with three to four Houston burglar alarm companies to do a security assessment of your home and give you a quote on their home security recommendations. Always ask the company for the name of the person who will be keeping the appointment and ask for positive identification before allowing him to enter your home.

Compare the quotes against each other, using a checklist to find the deal that will provide the best security for your home at the best price.

Protect your property and your family from burglaries and home invasions. Contact a Houston burglar alarm vendor to find the best home security system for your needs.

Driveway Alarms Add to Home Security Systems

In Houston and surrounding cities and suburbs, it’s not unusual for homeowners to not be able to see the end of their driveway from their windows. Home security systems often include driveway alarms to increase the security and awareness of homeowners whose main purpose is to safeguard their families. While basic home security systems focus on alarming entry doors and first floor windows, all of which can serve as entry points for burglars and home invaders, driveway alarm systems serve as an early warning system to alert homeowners that someone has entered their property.

At their most basic, driveway alarms employ motion sensors and operate like most burglar alarms. When something breaks the motion detector beam, the sensor sends a signal to a receiver, which alerts those in the home with some sort of audible signal. More complex home alarm systems include a driveway alarm that ties into an integrated home security system. In that case, the signal may trigger notification to the homeowner’s smartphone or alert an alarm monitoring company that someone has entered the premises that are being protected by the security system.

There are do-it-yourself options for driveway alarms, but most of those are extremely limited in both range and reaction. They may only come with a single motion sensor, and may not be capable of tying into other home security systems Houston homes may employ. This can be especially important if you’ve decided that you want to include alarm system monitoring in your security criteria because most home monitoring companies rely on equipment that is compatible with their monitoring systems.

If you do decide that you want to monitor traffic in and out of your driveway or paths to your home, there are several considerations to keep in mind.

First, be sure that you choose a burglar alarm system that’s rated for outdoor use. They should be designed to withstand snow and rain, as well as to deal with the variations in light over the course of the day.

Choose a burglar alarm that is programmed to avoid being triggered by small animals so that you’re not constantly being pinged when a neighborhood dog trots past your driveway. At the same time, be sure to locate the sensor where it’s not likely to be triggered by blowing branches and leaves so that you’re not awakened by the wind on breezy nights.

For best results and the best security, consult a Houston burglar alarm company for recommendations on driveway alarm systems, alarm system monitoring and Houston home security systems.