Security Systems & New Technology for the Home
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Most people who are a little security conscientious have an alarm panel installed in their
house. I applaud the fact that some people are being pro-active and are taking steps to
protect their property and their well being. Many people do not have security systems at all.
A lot of people often ask me how they can make their homes safer and more secure. There
are many ways the average homeowner can improve the security of their home.
Many people believe that they have enough protection against intrusion with the standard
alarm panel one of the larger firms installs in your house. The problem with these alarm
panels is that they are dependant on your phone line. In many cases criminals are
becoming more sophisticated. There have been document instances of phone lines being
cut before thieves enter the targeted property. Once in the house they can easily disable the
annunciating device. I suggest installing a cellular or radio back up device to provide some
mitigation of this threat. Some people may say their alarm system is being monitor over the
Internet and they do not have to worry about the phone line being cut. In many cases your
high-speed Internet connection is provided through you phone lines or your cable, and an
intruder will disable both. In many cases the alarm monitoring station will call you when
communications is lost, but they cannot send out a response unit based on that alone. You
could call a neighbor and ask them to check your property at that point. Cellular and radio
back up devices provide added protection, but will not necessarily stop a professional
technician. Some people have equipment that will block the transmission of these signals.
I suggest a mixture of devices.
Many people will remark that they have a guard dog. Dogs are a deterrent to a lot of would
be burglars, but dogs can be quickly poisoned or disabled with other means. People who
lose a dog and get their house broken into feel especially terrible.
During the day and on weekends when you are at your house even if you have an alarm
system it is probably rarely armed. If an intruder makes it into the house and stops you from
alerting someone through use of the phone line or your alarm system keypad your very life
could be in grave danger. I suggest having panic buttons installed in every room at your
house. Many options are currently available to accomplish this with both wireless and
hardwired devices. You can also have a mobile panic button to carry around with you in the
house, and in the immediate area outside of your residence. These devices may help in
the case of medical emergencies as well.
If you live in a rural area with a long drive way and you do not have neighbors near your
property you may want to have a driveway entrance notification system installed. This
usually consists of a weather resistant photo-electric beam and a chime device at the
residence. Depending on the configuration of the device it may be able to be disabled
easily. By using a five dollar relay you can install the system so that a constant alarm is
sent when or if the wire is cut.
Camera system have become very inexpensive recently, and are a great supplement for
residential security. A small home can be outfitted with four cameras and a digital video
recorder for around $2500 USD. Police are much more likely to help you when they have
video evidence of an incident in my opinion.
These are just some ways you can improve security in and around your home. There are
many other behaviours and activities you can perform to stay safe.
By:
John Leonard
Investigator
Versatek, LLC
www.versateksecurity.com
September 30, 2007
house. I applaud the fact that some people are being pro-active and are taking steps to
protect their property and their well being. Many people do not have security systems at all.
A lot of people often ask me how they can make their homes safer and more secure. There
are many ways the average homeowner can improve the security of their home.
Many people believe that they have enough protection against intrusion with the standard
alarm panel one of the larger firms installs in your house. The problem with these alarm
panels is that they are dependant on your phone line. In many cases criminals are
becoming more sophisticated. There have been document instances of phone lines being
cut before thieves enter the targeted property. Once in the house they can easily disable the
annunciating device. I suggest installing a cellular or radio back up device to provide some
mitigation of this threat. Some people may say their alarm system is being monitor over the
Internet and they do not have to worry about the phone line being cut. In many cases your
high-speed Internet connection is provided through you phone lines or your cable, and an
intruder will disable both. In many cases the alarm monitoring station will call you when
communications is lost, but they cannot send out a response unit based on that alone. You
could call a neighbor and ask them to check your property at that point. Cellular and radio
back up devices provide added protection, but will not necessarily stop a professional
technician. Some people have equipment that will block the transmission of these signals.
I suggest a mixture of devices.
Many people will remark that they have a guard dog. Dogs are a deterrent to a lot of would
be burglars, but dogs can be quickly poisoned or disabled with other means. People who
lose a dog and get their house broken into feel especially terrible.
During the day and on weekends when you are at your house even if you have an alarm
system it is probably rarely armed. If an intruder makes it into the house and stops you from
alerting someone through use of the phone line or your alarm system keypad your very life
could be in grave danger. I suggest having panic buttons installed in every room at your
house. Many options are currently available to accomplish this with both wireless and
hardwired devices. You can also have a mobile panic button to carry around with you in the
house, and in the immediate area outside of your residence. These devices may help in
the case of medical emergencies as well.
If you live in a rural area with a long drive way and you do not have neighbors near your
property you may want to have a driveway entrance notification system installed. This
usually consists of a weather resistant photo-electric beam and a chime device at the
residence. Depending on the configuration of the device it may be able to be disabled
easily. By using a five dollar relay you can install the system so that a constant alarm is
sent when or if the wire is cut.
Camera system have become very inexpensive recently, and are a great supplement for
residential security. A small home can be outfitted with four cameras and a digital video
recorder for around $2500 USD. Police are much more likely to help you when they have
video evidence of an incident in my opinion.
These are just some ways you can improve security in and around your home. There are
many other behaviours and activities you can perform to stay safe.
By:
John Leonard
Investigator
Versatek, LLC
www.versateksecurity.com
September 30, 2007