Six Myths about Houston Home Security

Are you thinking about a home security system for your residence? Chances are you've heard some of the myths about monitored systems, so let's bust a few of them so that you can make a decision based on the facts. Here are some of the top misconceptions as well as the reality about alarm system monitoringthat can offers you and yours round-the-clock peace of mind.

1) Home security systems are too pricy.

Safeguarding your home can cost less than a dollar a day. Furthermore, a professionally installed, monitored home security system can reduce your home insurance policy by as much as 20%, so the overall cost is even less. Also consider that even if your insurance covers financial losses, dealing with the aftermath of a burglary is burdensome, and there are often emotional costs. Finally, dealing with a locally owned and operated firm can offer even more savings.

2) My home is not a likely target.

With the economy slow to recover, more homeowners are concerned about a potential rise in break-ins. When you install home security system with burglar alarm monitoring, you make your home less inviting to would-be intruders. In roughly 85% of burglaries, intruders gained access through areas not protected by surveillance systems, with 31% marching right in through the front door!

While many of us would like to think that we are protected by good locks, attentive neighbors, and vigilant police patrols, there is nothing as reliable as a good home monitored alarm system for 24:7 protection. With such a system, you can run to the mall or take that 2-week holiday cruise without a second thought about your home security.

3) The alarm controls are too complicated.

If you know how to use a DVD player or PC, you can manage an alarm system. A benefit from professional installation is that the technician will personally demonstrate the simple steps and answer your questions. We’ve seen how school-age children quickly pick up video games and other electronics; they too can learn to arm and disarm the system.

4) My pets will trigger the system.

You may have heard stories about dogs or cats triggering false alarms in the past, but the new sensor technologies have solved that problem for good! Your pets can roam freely at night or while you are out, no problem!

5) Monitoring systems are unreliable.

Again, older systems had reliability issues which have been resolved by the new advancements in technology. Now that unique radio signals are used for wireless systems, they no longer suffer from interference from other sources. The response to a monitored system

6) Installation is complicated and messy.

Nothing could be further from the truth. A hardwire system, ecommended for most one-story homes and businesses, can be installed quickly and neatly by trained professionals. When there is no attic accessibility for running wiring, wireless systems simplify installation for two-story homes . Wireless and traditional hardwire systems are equally effective.

Home Safe Home

Having a home security system does a lot more than protect you and your family from would be criminals; it also can alarm you as well as emergency services when it detects smoke or carbon monoxide. It can protect your family from people trying to break in but it can also alert you if somebody is trying to get out.

This was just what happened in my home when my little boy was just two years old. I had gotten in the habit of turning on the alarm during the day when I was home alone with my children. On this particular day I was busy doing housework while my son was taking a nap. Suddenly I heard the alarm go off and when I went to check I noticed my son going out the door. Had I not had a home security system I might not have known he was outside for quite a while. I hate to think about what could have happened had the alarm not sounded.

The system we have in our home has a 24/7 alarm system monitoring team that is very quick to respond should our alarm be triggered. It is the perfect solution for elderly people who live alone as some of the systems also come with an emergency response button that can be carried on your person in case of a fall inside your home.

The Honeywell security system we had installed in our home detects break-ins, smoke, carbon monoxide, and has the panic button for emergencies. When we go to bed at night I feel very secure knowing my home and family is being watched over by trusting individuals who really seem to care about the job they do. I wouldn’t ever own a home without have a security system that is active and monitored at all times.

So, you're convinced about the benefits of having a safe as part of your home security catalogue, in addition to sensible home design, alarm monitoring etc. How do you choose the safe that is right for you? We've got six top tips to help you protect your valuables properly.

1. Decide in advance what you will be storing in the safe. If you'll mostly be keeping documents in the safe, you'll need a different fire rating than if you were storing disks with information on them, jewelry, furs, etc.
2. Look for products that are UL listed, not just 'tested to UL standards'. Note that the second sentence doesn’t actually say that the product passed the test … if it had, it would be on the UL list. UL stands for Underwriter's Laboratories.
3. Check that your floor will support the weight of the safe. If you have wooden floors, are planning to put the safe on the second story of your home, or even install it in a wall, it will need to be light enough not to crash through or cause any damage.
4. Do you really, really need a 3-hour fire safe? In most cases, the 1-hour safe is more than adequate. A house fire usually burns at around 800 F for about 20 minutes. The lowest rating of fireproof safes protects documents for an hour at 1,700 F. Unless you know something about your house that we don't … there's often no need to spend the money.
5. Do you need accessories? If you have a lot of things in the safe you want to keep organized, you'll need to price shelves or drawers for the inside of your safe separately.
6. Will a standard combination lock do? Unless you have items that would be valuable to international espionage teams in your safe, the ordinary house burglar will not be able to get past a simple safe combination lock. There are no easy tricks for cracking the code, as television makes you think. And if you have an alarm monitoring system in place as well as your safe, having biometric locks on a safe is usually overkill.

The 6 Worst Dog Breeds for Home Security

Guard dogs are an excellent addition to your home security system. While they can only go so far (they aren’t machines, after all, and you should never train them to attack as this can backfire on you), they are a valuable part of a Houston home security system. We all have a rough idea of what a good guard dog should look like - fairly big, strong jaw, etc. Rottweilers and pitbulls are generally thought of as good guard dogs. However, some of the breeds on the 'worst' list might surprise you! If you've been thinking about getting a guard dog for home security purposes, read this first.

Worst Breed #1: Bloodhound

Bloodhounds might be hunters, but they are extremely affectionate towards humans and notoriously unresponsive when someone comes into the house. They are very shy dogs -- not the type that will want to stand up to an intruder.

Worst Breed #2: Newfoundland

These dogs are almost as unresponsive as bloodhounds to intruders -- they often don't even bother barking. They are intelligent and readily trained, but just don't have a protective instinct.

Worst Breed #3: Saint Bernard

They're lovers, not fighters, these dogs. Unless your burglar has a drool-phobia, a Saint Bernard is not a crucial part of a home security system.

Worst Breed #4: Bulldog

Despite looking a little like they have been in plenty of pub fights in their life, bulldogs are not the ideal security breed. They are more lapdogs, and their floppy ears may inhibit their hearing.

Worst Breed #5: English Sheepdog

English sheepdogs may try to herd people, but they generally do not try to attack or scare them away. Again, the heavy fur may inhibit their hearing, making them less useful as home security.

Worst Breed #6: Basset Hound

Basset hounds are a small dog -- which doesn’t immediately preclude them from being good guard dogs -- but in this case, they really are terrible! They are gentle and non-confrontational, so while they are good hunters, they certainly are not home protectors. A monitored alarm system would stand you in much better stead.

Home Security Reality Check -- December Property Crime Rundown in Texas

When you live in your house for a few years, and don't hear so much as the rustle of a leaf after you go to bed, it can be a little too easy to get complacent about home security. There are many safe neighborhoods in Texas -- but there are also bad things happening to good people all the time! Today we take a quick look at a segment of what's been happening on the crime front in Houston, and why Houston home security companies are urging people to be more cautious than ever.

Man suspected of sexually assaulting and robbing two women inside their homes

These two Houston cases have brought home the awful fact that sometimes a burglary doesn't just mean insurance paperwork to fill out and a fee … sometimes it means very real danger to your person. Two similar attacks have occurred in southwest Houston in November and December.

Several businesses hit by burglar

In the Rivers-Oaks area, police detained a suspect that had broken into around 6 businesses, it was believed. The businesses included a shoe repair shop, restaurants and a car service company. The alleged offender was found walking with a laptop it was believed was taken from one of the businesses the same morning -- police were alerted to the crime spree by security system alarms going off in the area.

Children's Toys Stolen

The Children's Center in Galveston was burgled early in December. Thieves took six sacks of toys from the premises which was not fitted with a burglar alarm. The toys were destined for 35 foster children, and it is thought to be someone who wanted the toys for their own children that stole them. Police replaced the toys.

Multiple house and apartment burglaries

Spotcrime.com lists an enormous number of break-ins and burglaries to houses and apartments in Houston over the December period, well into the hundreds. Security systems could have prevented many of these crimes, helping either catch serial offenders, or simply deterring burglars from going any further.

What Macaulay Culkin Taught Us About Security Systems

It may not be the most realistic film available today (but then again, what Hollywood movie has more than a passing resemblance to reality?) … but Home Alone certainly taught us that having burglars in your house can be hilarious. We aren’t advocating the actual use of any of these home security techniques … hopefully your common sense will prevent you entertaining the idea! It does provide a very entertaining, child's-eye view of home security, however.

1. Tar on the stairs, ornaments on the floor

After pouring adhesive tar all over the stairs, Kevin in "Home Alone" places broken Christmas ornaments all over the floor -- yeowch! Unless you wear a tinfoil hat, this method probably doesn’t appeal to you … but maybe you should keep a bucket of tar by the stairs just in case!

2. Heated door knobs

In the film, Macaulay Culkin heats the doorknobs from the inside, so that the Wet Bandits can't open them from the outside. This burns the emblem from the door knob into Daniel Stern's hand, provoking some hilarious screams that would probably be less funny if they were your own!

3. Paint cans on ropes

From the top of the stairs, in a gag with a very Nintendo sort of feel, Kevin drops paint cans which swing into the perfectly aligned faces of the Wet Bandits. Unfortunately this home security tactic, less messy or potentially dangerous to yourself than the others above, is also least likely to work! You'd anticipate the cans missing at least 90% of the time.

4. Irons on ropes

Again, this only worked in the movie because good old Daniel Stern stood still and looked up. The iron imprint was very, very funny … pity it would be a fire hazard in real life!

Obviously, home security is much funnier in the movies than in real life. You are probably as likely to hurt a member of your household as any unwelcome intruder with these tricks … monitored alarm systems I think will remain the gold standard, even for the comedy lovers. They'll have to get their kicks watching Robin Williams for a while yet!

Violent Crime Rundown by State: Texas

Robbery is one of the most common crimes in America -- a burglary (house robbery) occurs every 14 seconds or so in this country, according to Bureau of Crime statistics. Today we are looking at living in Texas, and how the state compares with violent crime statistics across the nation. We'll look at what a Houston burglar alarm or Houston security system may have saved many residents form this past year. All stats are for the 2008 period.

Overall Safety

Texas's overall violent crime rate is a slightly lower than the national average -- .374 compared to 0.378. We're right about average for the country -- home security systems are just as necessary here as anywhere else.

Robberies

Texas again lands up just shy of the national average for robberies, the figures for which include burglaries. There were 0.140 cases of robbery per capita in Texas in 2008, compared to the national average of 0.149.

Aggravated Assault

Aggravated assault can also be a home security issue, and Texans are more vulnerable (marginally) than people in other states. The aggravated assault rate was 0.211 cases per capita, compared to 0.207 cases per capita nationwide.

Murders and Forcible Rape

These are often thought of as an outside-home security issue; however intruders have often been known to forcibly enter people's homes for these crimes. The Texas murder rate is 0.005, same as the national average, and the forcible rapes per capita are 0.019 compared to the national average of 0.017.