Home Security Tips to Keep Your Family Safe

The purpose of any home security system is to keep your family and your property safe. Whether you choose a full-featured monitored home alarm system or a simple burglar alarm, though, there are other steps you can and should take to ensure your family’s safety. These tips from law enforcement professionals will make sure that you and your family are doing everything you can to take advantage of your home security system.

Replace Hollow-Core Doors with Solid Doors

Hollow core doors are inexpensive, but they’re easy to break through. Likewise, inexpensive paneled doors, even those marketed as exterior doors, may not be thick enough to deter a break-in. Choose 1- to 2-inch thick solid hardwood doors, and make sure that any glass sidelights are unbreakable safety glass.

Install High-Quality Locks

While an alarm system may alert you or the authorities that a burglar has attempted to break into your home, but it can’t keep thieves out. Evaluate the locks on all of your exterior doors, including the door leading into your house from the garage. If necessary, replace them with heavy-duty deadbolt locks and install a heavy duty strike plate in the door frame to prevent your door from being kicked in.

Clear Away Obstructions That May Hide Intruders

Keep foundation plants trimmed below window level so that they don’t provide a hiding place for thieves attempting to break in through a window. If you have a secluded entrance, consider installing a home security system with a camera trained on that door, or a motion-sensitive light and alarm that will alert you if an intruder attempts to get in through that door.

Always Lock Your Doors and Windows

The best locks in the world are useless if you forget to lock them. Lock your doors even if you’re home, especially if you’re in the back yard, upstairs or in the back of the house. Likewise, always arm your security system, even if you’re on the property, and teach your entire family to do the same.

Choose the Right Home Security System

A home alarm system can be an important part of your home security, but it’s only one part. When deciding on the best security system for your home, consider all of your family’s needs. Today’s systems include locks with remote key access and monitoring, monitored home alarms and personal alarms. Most Houston home alarm companies will work with you to customize your security package to best suit your family. For information about all the options available in home security packages today, schedule an appointment with a Houston home security specialist.

Houston Home Security Options for Apartment Dwellers

Living in an apartment shouldn’t relegate you to second class home security systems. Apartment dwellers often leave the task of providing security for their possessions and loved ones to the owners of their buildings. That can be a big mistake. While your apartment building may have decent front door security, more often than not, it’s easily defeated by pressing doorbells until someone presses the catch release and unknowingly lets a burglar in. Once inside the building, multi-family dwellings offer very little in the way of a home security system. Houston police estimate that a large percentage of burglaries and home invasions take place in apartment buildings for exactly that reason. If you’re one of the many H-Town residents who lives in an apartment in Houston, home security is your responsibility as well as your landlords.

An apartment home security system will usually cost you considerably less than a security system for a detached home for one simple reason—there are nearly always fewer entry points to protect. If you’re considering installing a home alarm for your apartment, keep these tips in mind to help you choose the right home alarm system.

Install alarms on all entry points in your apartment. That includes your front entrance door, patio door or back door and any window, even those that are sealed shut.

Consider a wireless alarm system that doesn’t require any damage or alterations to your apartment. Your landlord will have far less reason to object to a wireless system that can be installed with no holes or other alterations to his property.

Keep your neighbors in mind when choosing between alarm systems. Generally, a loud perimeter alarm system is poor etiquette, especially if you’re prone to accidentally setting the alarm off yourself. Your neighbors wont’ thank you for waking them up at 2 AM when you’re sneaking in from a night on the town. Instead, consider a monitored alarm system that alerts someone at a remote location rather than sounding on the property.

Motion sensor alarm systems are especially effective for apartments, because there is so much less square footage to cover. Many apartment security systems also include fire and smoke alarms so you’re doubly protected.

If you’re living in an apartment, take security into your own hands. Contact a Houston home security specialist and ask for their recommendations on protecting your property. You’ll sleep better knowing that your home is protected.

Five Surprising Benefits of Home Security Systems

Everyone knows that installing a home alarm system reduces the chances of a burglar breaking into your home and making off with the family silver – or your new flat-screen television. But what you may not know, is that home security systems provide other benefits for your family as well.

Cut Your Insurance Premiums

Many insurance companies offer lower premiums and discounts to homeowners who invest in protecting their properties. Check with your insurance agent to find out how much you could save by installing a burglar alarm, monitored alarm system or a full-fledged Honeywell security system. Depending on the options you choose, you could save a considerable amount of money.

Stop Waiting for the Cable Guy

The latest home alarm systems do far more than protecting your home from intruders. They actually allow you to control access to your home from afar, often controlled by an app on your iPhone or a Smartphone. With a smart security system installed, you can program a one-time-use lock code so that a repairman can let himself into your home so you don’t have to wait there to let him in. Changing the locks was never this easy before.

Program Your Locks to Phone You When Your Kids Get Home

Kids are forgetful. They know they’re supposed to let you know they got home safely, but how many afternoons have you sat there waiting and worrying? With the right key/alarm system, you can program your lock with a separate key code for each of your family members, and set it up to phone you when each of your children uses his key code to get into the house.

Monitor Your Home Remotely

With an alarm system that includes video monitoring, you can check in on your home from work or anywhere else you can access the Internet. That allows you to keep an eye on pets and nannies, or just check in to see what’s going on if you’re notified that your home alarm has been activated.

Allow Your Parents to Maintain Independence

Many older adults end up in nursing homes or assisted living units because their children worry about falls and accidents. A home alarm system with a personal alarm can set their minds to rest, secure in the knowledge that if mom or dad falls at home, they can call for help.

If you’ve been considering an upgrade or a new alarm system for your home, talk to a licensed installer of home security systems to find out about the latest advantages in alarm and security technology.

Tips for More Effective Home Security Systems

Any police department will tell you that home security systems help protect your property from intrusion and theft. Following some common sense advice when choosing an alarm system, an alarm monitoring company or a home security system installer can make your premises even more secure.

Don’t Count on Fake Security Signs

Real burglars know the difference. Generally, home alarm companies only allow actual customers to display their “Protected by” emblems. Any burglar operating in Houston, for example, would be familiar with all Houston home security companies and wouldn’t be fooled by a fake sign.

Contract With a Licensed Burglar Alarm Vendor to Have Your System Installed

In Houston, your alarm system must be installed by a licensed company or vendor who must register your new security system with the city. Working with a licensed installer protects you in case problems arise. Among other things, most localities require that licensed alarm installation companies cover insurance that will cover any losses resulting from a company or installer error.

Invest In A Monitored Alarm System For Better Security Coverage

An alarm that only sounds in your neighborhood if someone breaks in is only as good as your neighbors. If you live in an area where most of your neighbors are at work during the day or where your neighbors might not notify the police if your alarm sounds, it won’t do much good to protect your home. An alarm system that alerts a monitoring company or calls you to let you know that your alarm is going off is much more effective.

Make Sure Your Phone Or Cable Lines Are Safe

If your alarm system relies on your phone or cable lines, be sure that the lines are shielded from being cut or otherwise damaged. If your alarm system monitoring fails because the wires were disconnected, they can’t alert anyone that there’s a break-in.

Use Common Sense in Deciding on Perimeter Protection

Alarmed doors and windows provide “perimeter protection,” which is an alarm that sounds when someone gets into your house. Alarming every window can be expensive, so use your common sense. If your windows are easily accessible, you might benefit from glass-break protection. A combination of window locks, window bars and door alarms may be a more economical solution.

Choosing a company that’s experienced with many different home security systems offers many benefits, not the least of which is that they know the advantages and disadvantages of the various security types. If you’re considering a home alarm system for your residence, contact a licensed alarm vendor and get the benefit of the company’s experience.

Choosing a Home Security System for Your Home

While violent crimes have dropped in the Houston area over the past few years, home break-ins and burglaries keep rising at alarming rates. The best way to protect yourself and your family is with a home security system. Houston police and security experts offer the following tips and information to help you choose the right home security system or home alarm system for your home.

1. Make your home less attractive as a target. Home security systems can’t do it alone. Make your home a less attractive target by trimming overhanging bushes and eliminating blind spots where intruders could hide out of sight as they try to break in.

2. An alarm system monitoring service will alert you if an intruder enters your home while you’re at home. The simplest home alarm systems sound an alarm if someone breaks a circuit while the alarm is armed. They’ll let you know if someone breaks in so that you can alert the authorities or take other actions to protect yourself and your family. Louder systems may also alert your neighbors if you have any living close by. They can be useful during the day to scare intruders off and to alert neighbors that there’s a problem at your house.

3. Remote alarm systems notify police or emergency services if the alarm is tripped. The next step up the ladder are home security systems that automatically dial a specified number or series of numbers if your burglar alarm is tripped. The number may be an automatic phone dialing system that alerts police, fire department and emergency medical services and dispatches them to your home.

4. Monitored alarm systems provide personal coverage. Some Houston home security companies offer alarm systems monitored by real people. If the alarm is tripped, it notifies human monitors at the home office of the alarm monitoring company. Depending on the system, the company may try to reach you by telephone or may be able to turn on video or audio monitoring to check your situation before alerting authorities that you need help.

5. The most elaborate home security systems combine personal monitoring with wireless services. The newest home alarm systems are complete home access systems. You can wirelessly change the locks on your front doors so that you can issue a one-use key code to a plumber or repair person, or set your alarm system to notify you if your teenager doesn’t check in after school. Alarm monitoring services can help seniors remain in their homes by providing personal monitoring and alerting authorities in case of a fall or other emergency.

Houston Home Security System Helps You Avoid Becoming a Statistic

The statistics about home break-ins and invasions are disheartening. In Houston, police report that burglaries have increased over the past three years, and that many of the homes broken into are making repeat appearances on the list. In fact, according to some Houston home security experts, there are at least a dozen homes that have been broken into at least three times. Home security systems help reduce the chances of a home burglary, but many people believe that they don’t really need a home alarm system. After all, they say, I haven’t really got anything worth stealing in my house.

Aside from the obvious fact that burglars don’t know that you have little of value in your home, there’s a misconception about what many burglars consider to be “worth stealing”. Here are some statistics about what burglars make off with when they break into a home.

• 22% of burglars steal cash, and it doesn’t have to be much. Can you afford to lose the money you were saving for grocery shopping this week?
• 15% steal tools and building supplies. Your circular saw and electric drill are worth something on the street, after all.
• 11% steal furniture, televisions, cameras, cell phones and computers
• 8% steal food, drinks and liquor, while some simply dump food and drinks on the floor, leaving a mess to clean up.
• 8% steal jewelry, furs and other valuables like the family silverware or artwork
• 4% steal gasoline
• 2% steal guns and ammunition

Still think you don’t need a home security system because you’ve got nothing worth stealing in your home? How about your garage? How about your family?

A home security system, especially a monitored alarm system for your home, can keep your family from becoming a part of these Houston crime statistics:

· Burglaries and thefts account for 70% of the crimes reported in Houston

· The number of burglaries has risen each year since 2005

· Nearly 85% of all burglars in Houston get away with their theft.

A monitored alarm system can reduce your chances of being a victim of burglary to almost nothing, and may increase the chances of any burglary ending in an arrest and the return of your stolen items. For information about home security systemsavailable in your community, consult a Houston home security company.

Houston Home Security Systems Go Hi-Tech in Housing Bust

Traditionally, home security innovation and purchases have been spurred on by new construction or by new home owners. But the latest trend in Houston home security is riding another wave—the housing downturn. As home sales slow and new construction lies dormant, the home security industry is trying to entice existing homeowners, many of whom already have home alarm systems, with cutting-edge high-tech innovations.

The newest Houston home monitoring trend is to connect your entire home to the Internet. Systems designed by companies like Honeywell International for the Houston home security market go beyond sending out an alarm if a burglar targets your house. Drawing on the same type of wireless technology that lets you unlock your car from your iPhone may soon allow you to turn on your lights, adjust your thermostat, monitor your energy use and watch the rooms in your house from afar from a website or an iPhone app.

The Changing Face of Home Security

Houston, more than many other cities, is a young and upwardly mobile city, with tech-savvy entrepreneurs who look for more value in everything. It’s no longer enough for a home security system to ping the emergency responders if something trips the alarm in your home. With cars that phone home if you get into a fender-bender and cell phones that allow you to track whether your teen is staying under the speed limit, it was about time that the home alarm market joined the future. Today’s typical home alarm system customer wants more than emergency alerts –he’s looking for wraparound services that fit his lifestyle and make his life easier.

The newest Honeywell security system offerings include a service called Total Connect that allows customers to adjust lighting remotely, monitor temperature changes in their homes and remotely unlock the front door for the electrician or the cable guy. That allows you to save your valuable time off from work for more important things like taking in your daughter’s school play. You can even wire your liquor cabinet or medicine chest to alert you if someone happens to open them while you’re not at home.

If you’re still making do with a basic burglar alarm or worse, no home security system at all, call a Houston home security company to learn more about what the future of home security has to offer you.