Having a Home Security System

When my job transferred me to the area around Houston, Texas, my husband and I were very excited to get out of the cold weather in Michigan. The house that we moved into was in one of the nicest subdivisions in the Houston metropolitan area. We chose this particular subdivision because it was handy for me to get to work.

Everything about our new home in Texas seemed great at first. After two months of living in our quiet neighborhood, my husband and I went back to Michigan to visit some family and friends for a few days. We thought that our home was relatively safe. With it being a newly built home, that the locks on all the windows and doors would deter any form of break-in. We couldn't have been more wrong in our thinking.

When we returned home to our house in Houston, we noticed that the glass on the basement door had been broken and the door was left wide open. My husband quickly called the police and informed them that we had had a break-in. The police then showed up and confirmed that we had been robbed. I was devastated and did not feel safe in my own home anymore. The police officer suggested that we look into having a home security system installed. The officer also informed us that many thieves look for homes that do not have an alarm system installed.

Without hesitation my husband called Safeguard, a Houston Home Security company. The company representative was extremely helpful and walked us through a step-by-step guide on what type of alarm system that would best fit our needs. There was no debate that we needed an alarm installed that week. They informed us that the alarm could be installed in as little as three days and could even save us money on our homeowner’s insurance. This made me feel right about our choice for choosing this security company.

The alarm was installed the next day. The woman that installed our Honeywell security system showed my husband and I on how to work the keypad. We were amazed at all the great features that this alarm came with. We did not even have to worry about our cat setting off the alarm when we were not home. This was one feature we had to have with the alarm system monitoring our home at all times.

Thanks to the great quality service of this company, my family and I feel safe again.

4 Home Security Products to Combine with Alarm System Monitoring

Alarm system monitoring really is the gold standard when it comes to home security. However, the stress of a break-in, and the possibility of still having to claim on insurance after a window is broken, or even just a few things are stolen, should obviously be avoided! If you already have an alarm system monitoring contract and want to know what else you can do, read on for the top four new combination home security products.

1. Video door phones

The hi-tech version of the peephole, only much more reliable and detailed, a video door phone lets you see who is at your door before you open it. A popular choice is to install these somewhere away from the front door in the house. Occasionally the psychological pressure of having someone standing only a couple of feet away from you (despite being on the other side of a thick bit of wood!) can mean people open the door against their better judgement.

2. Night vision cameras

Thieves will find ways around sensor lighting for night times, either discovering an alternate route that doesn’t trip the light, or simply waiting until it has turned itself off. Night vision cameras are an excellent alternative. If your alarm system monitoring company responds to a call but the intruder has gone by the time they get there, the night vision camera will provide a clear picture of the suspect for police to seek.

3. Biometric locks

Lock picking is a common way for thieves to gain entry into houses with little noise or disturbance. Also, if you are concerned about how secure a key actually is (they can quite easily be lost, copied, or simply lost track of), consider a biometric lock. Biometric locks are one of the most reliable home security products to help ensure safety. Make sure that only your residents' fingerprints are entered into the lock database, and they certainly won’t be picked!

4. Window films

These not only help prevent the contents of your home being seen from the street, they also make it much more difficult for burglars to smash a window to gain entry. Your alarm system monitoring firm will have plenty of time to arrive if a thief has to pick his way through a strong adhesive film containing shards of glass to get entry into the house.

Choosing a Strong Home Security Pin Code

If you've just had a monitored alarm installed, one of the last things the technician would have given you before he left was the default pin code, and instructions for changing it. We all have our own little tricks to try and remember the passwords that we need to remember. Where we can, we'll re-use passwords as often as possible. Where there are odd requirements, like having a combination of letters and numbers, having some capital letters, or having a non alphanumeric character, we often use things that are strangely predictable … without even realizing it! The pinpads provided by alarm monitoring services reduce the possibilities only to numbers, though, making security much harder to ensure. Here we look at how to choose a strong pin code for your alarm monitoring service.

1. No birthdays!

Tempting as it is to use yours, your spouse's, or your kid's birthday when you need a numeric-only password, this is a very bad idea for home security. This information is actually very often in the public domain. The other thing to consider is that (sad as it might be) a large percentage of burglaries are committed by people known to the victims.

2. No other personal numbers

Using your anniversary is discoverable by someone determined, and your phone number is inordinately easy. It is definitely not in the interests of your home security to use either of these numbers. Nothing with a personal connection to you is ideal, including the numbers on your licence plate (which may be visible from the alarm system keypad, even), your employee number, and even your name spelled out using the numbers that would be on a mobile phone numberpad.

3. No repetitive or patterned numbers

111111 is pretty easy to guess -- so is 999999, and 123456, 987654 and others are not far off. Simple patterns are guessable, and if somebody is watching you enter your code on a keypad, the action of your fingers when typing in a pattern of numbers will be easy to distinguish.

4. Randomness is a top priority

Make sure there is absolutely no reason that you choose the number you do. Have each member of the household pick one of the numbers, and put them in age order. There are lots and lots of combinations of numbers for keypads … if you have a six digit code, there are a million of them. It is easy to pick something random, and while it may be harder to remember for a couple of days, the repetition will soon take care of that. Don’t sabotage your alarm monitoring service with a crackable code!

Security is More than Just a Feeling

Sadly, we live in a world where home break-ins and other home vandalism is prominent. Whether it’s someone breaking in to steal your valuables, or simply trying to scare you and vandalize your house, break-ins are more prominent than you may think. If you've not yet spent time looking into ways to protect yourself, your home, and your family from the threat of a break-in, you should spend some serious time researching home security.

Home security systems are an excellent way to put your family's safety and security at the forefront of your priority list. There are a wide variety of options available when it comes to home security systems. Whether you prefer electronic home security system or you're simply looking for something to deter the approach of criminals, there is an option available for you. You will also notice that there's an option available for every economic possibility. If you can't afford to install a full-on electronic security system, complete with all the bells and whistles, you shouldn't have to settle for nothing. The good news is, you don't have to. There are a wide array of options available for those homeowners on a budget as well.

In today's uncertain world, putting your family safety and security on the top of your list is something we should all consider. If you want to continue feeling safe in your own home, consider a home security system. While no method is fool proof, a home security system can deter burglary attempts by more than 80%.

If you're interested in learning more about home security and available security options, continue visiting as we will continue to bring you more insightful information, as well as tips and tricks for helping you make your home and your household more safe and secure. Remember, your house should be your family’s castle, and that means it’s your responsibility to protect not just your home, but your family as well. Again, number one on your list should be the installation of a high quality security system…you’ll sleep a little easier. We can guarantee it.

Nothing But the Best for Your Home Security

As you know, we’re dedicated to your home’s security. As such, we’ll research a number of resources to bring you the latest in home security. Home Alert is one of our favorites, and today we’re going to discuss some of the most popular home security options.

There is a large, very important need for home security. There seems to be no limit to what the 'bad guy' can accomplish. They can come in when you are right there sleeping. They can monitor your home in ways in which you will simply never be able to tell. And, they can provide you with a terrifying approach to life each and every day after they have attacked you. By using effective home security, you can really cut down on the times and the abilities of these things happening to you.

Home security is quite versatile. There is something out there for everyone on any budget. In fact, simply putting a home security tag in your window from a company can be a deterrent for robberies itself. Nonetheless, there are many things to consider. First, consider probably the best option and that is monitoring systems that work to monitor the home when you are not there. Should something trigger it, it will react and someone can see just what is happening or can send someone down to look at it.

Other options in home security including home alarms that when triggered can call police or emergency services. You can also use a variety of locks that cannot be broken into as well. There are so many ways in which you can effectively protect your home that there is no reason not to.

When it comes to protecting your family and your home, nothing should stand in your way. You need to safeguard all aspects of that home so that you can sleep easy every night knowing that someone or something is out there looking out for you. And, when you are away from your home, you need to know that it and all of your possessions are safe as well. Home security can do these things for you.

What Do Door Locks Do?

Home Alert (a homeowner driven safety publication) is an excellent resource for home owners seeking to boost their security at home and provide their family’s with that ever coveted safe and secure feeling. In the spirit of security, we thought you might want to check your own Home Security IQ! We’ll start with door locks.

Your awareness of the need for security, is the best place to begin a discussion on physical property security. What is security awareness? Our definition is multi-faceted, and includes the ability to identify known and unknown threats, being aware of the technologies, products and services that can defuse those threats, knowing how to operate the products and systems you have, and most importantly the awareness that these systems must be used, and must be used all of the time. This security awareness may be more important to the security of your home and business than any of the security hardware or systems you install. Why is this? Any lock or security system will not do you any good unless you use it!

An old adage states that "locks only keep honest people honest", and is possibly very true. If the "bad guys" really want to get in, all we can really hope for is to slow them down. If you, with our help, choose and have installed the correct hardware and/or systems, we CAN slow them down -- or at least discourage them from threatening your loved ones and your property.

We've all heard the stories, usually from older relatives, about never having to lock our doors or cars, because the town was so safe, and they knew everyone. Well, it is sad to say, but those days are gone. When people choose not to secure their property, they are not doing only themselves a disservice; they are also hurting their community. If any one of us makes it easier for the "bad guys" to prosper, they will multiply, our communities become less safe, our property values decline, and our quality of life suffers.

Yes that's right, if a lock is not locked, it's only a decoration. You need to be aware of using your locks every time you leave as the "bad guys" don't advertise what day they are coming!