US Alarm Companies

If you are away from your home for an extended period of time, remember these simple security tips before you leave.

• Be careful who you tell when you plan to be away from your home. Ask a trusted neighbor to watch your home.
• Maintain your lawn before you leave or have someone mow your lawn while you are gone.
• Do not let deliveries accumulate. Have a neighbor pick up mail, newspapers and packages daily. If that is not possible, then stop deliveries so they do not pile up.
• Ask a neighbor to use your garbage cans. An empty garbage can is a tip-off that you are away.
• Leave your car in the driveway. This gives the appearance of an occupied house, and prevents burglars from backing up a van for loading.
• Don’t leave keys under your doormat, flower pot or window ledge-intruders check these first.
• Use timers for lights, televisions and sound systems to turn them on and off at different times to give your home a lived-in look while you are away.

A home alarm system reduces the chances of your home being broken into. Even if the alarm system does not keep a burglar from breaking in, it may cause him to stay a shorter amount of time.

What Should a Home Alarm System Include?

A basic home alarm system should include a control panel, keypad, siren, inside motion detectors, and door and window contacts.
The control panel is comprised of: all wiring connections, the battery backup. This is also where the alarm system connects to the phone lines. If possible, phone lines should be underground until they reach the interior of the house to prevent accidents or tampering.

• The keypad is where the system may be armed and disarmed.

• The inside motion detectors detect movement in a room. Specialized detectors can be installed for people who have pets. Internal motion detectors should not be the only or even primary means of detection because they don’t work until the intruder is already inside.

• All external doors and windows should have contacts and/or glass break sensors that enable the home’s alarm system to monitor whether they are open or closed.

Most systems use a combination of contacts placed at doors and windows in conjunction with internal and external motion sensors. Some additional features to consider including in your home alarm system plan are: smoke detectors, panic buttons, alarm screens for windows, and closed circuit TV cameras.

Home alarm systems are an integral part of any home security plan, and can be quite effective if used properly. Often burglars will simply bypass your home because of the posted alarm decals or signs. Most thieves aren’t willing to risk being caught just to get away with a few small items that could be grabbed in the time between the alarm going off and the police arriving.

Security systems need to be properly installed, maintained, and monitored. The alarm system should have an audible alarm that can easily be heard by the neighbors, as well as a silent alarm option in case of a forced home invasion, so that you can silently set off the alarm under the ruse of disarming it if the burglar is present. The audible alarm should be programmed to reset after a few minutes. It is likely that the burglar will run as soon as it goes off, but your neighbors will have to listen to it until it is disarmed.

It is also vital that your emergency contact list be up to date as well, so that in the event that you can not be contacted, a trusted person can be notified and respond for you. Burglars know and check all of the common places that keys are left out doors, so it is highly recommended to leave a key with a trusted neighbor in case of an emergency, such as a break in, or a child that has simply lost their key. It is not unusual to have a neighbor wait for the police, and allow them inside for inspection and then secure the home until the owners can return.

Other tips for maintaining your home’s security include:

• Post a “Beware of Dog” sign in clear view of homes entrances.
• All entry points of home should have exterior lighting and should be controlled with motion detector sensors. (check light bulbs on a monthly basis to ensure all lights are in working order)
• Trim all lower tree branches to a height of more than 7 ft. (So that no one can hide under them.)
• Keep all bushes and shrubbery trimmed to a height of less than 3.5 ft. (So that the bushes don’t provide a hiding place for intruders.)
• Keep all exterior buildings locked at all times.
• Do not leave lawn equipment or ladders in your yard.
• Lock all windows, don’t forget those on the second story.
• Lock all gates leading into your yard.
• Always lock your vehicles even if they are inside the garage.

You, like most people probably believe that “Only other people get robbed” or “It won’t happen to me.” No matter where you live, your income or your lifestyle; robbery and home invasions are a fact of life. In 2008 a home was broken into every 8 seconds. This doesn’t mean that you’re defenseless; just that you need to protect yourself. 90% of police believe alarms deter burglary attempts.
Use the following tips, along with a monitored home alarm system to protect your home and family.

• Install and use a home alarm system. Be sure to post security decals in   plain sight. They are a great deterrent!
• Lock all windows and doors. This seems common sense, but more often   that not burglars simply walk in through an unlocked door.
• Don’t place valuables in plain view from windows. This increases the   temptation for thieves to smash and grab.
• Keep trees and bushes trimmed away from windows.
• Use motion activated lights outside, especially around the front door.
• Post beware of dog signs.
• Put interior lights on timers if you will be away for more than a few hours   at night to make it look like someone is home.
• If you will be away for more than a couple of days have a neighbor bring   in mail and take the trash can in and out so that it looks like your normal routine is being maintained.
• Don’t put your family name on the front of the house, or the mail box.  This makes it easier for a thief to get your home phone number and call to see when you’re gone.
• Keep all exterior storage, gates, and tools locked up.

The first step to securing your home is to make it more difficult for uninvited guests to enter. Burglars look for homes that are fast and easy to access. Therefore, the more effort or skill required to break in, or the more noise likely to be made, the less likely a burglar will even bother to try. Use alarm system signs and/or decals on your exterior doors. This will help deter any home invader.

Re- key your home when moving in. You have no way of knowing who has keys for the old locks! This includes all exterior doors, garages/storage units and gates. The code to the garage door opener should be changed as well. Be sure to use high quality, grade 1 or 2 locks on exterior doors with a 1 inch throw bolt. They may be more expensive, but in the long run, the investment is far less than the cost of the average break in. These locks are resistant to twisting, prying, and lock- picking attempts. Good quality deadbolts will have beveled casings that inhibit the use of channel-lock pliers, that are used to shear off lock cylinder pins. Good door knobs have a “dead latch” mechanism that prevents entry with a shim or credit card.

Experienced burglars know that the garage and back doors are usually the easiest points of entry, and typically provide the most cover. The most common way used to force entry through a door with a wooden jam is to simply kick it open. The weakest point in a door is almost always the lock strike plate that holds the bolt or door latch in place. Most strike plates are only screwed into the soft wood door jamb molding. To prevent this use a solid core or metal door for all entrance points. Preferable with a a wide-angle 160° peephole mounted no higher than 58 inches. While replacing or re-keying locks upgrade to a four-screw, heavy-duty, high security strike plates for both the dead bolt and the door latch. Install it with 3- inch wood screws so that it is secured into the door frame stud. It is also a good idea to use at least one long screw in each door hinge as well. These small steps can deter or prevent most forced entries through a door.

If any of your entry doors have glass in them, make sure that it is “shatter resistant” Any locks within reach from windows should be keyed on both sides to prevent a burglar from breaking the window, and simply reaching in and unlocking the door. Make sure that all patio and sliding glass doors are installed correctly, and leverage your patio track so that the door can not be lifted up and/or removed from the track. This can be done by simply inserting screws into the top track. It is also a good idea to install and use patio door bars. To be most effective these should be installed to both the door and the door frames.

Don’t leave valuables, keys, personal information or garage door openers inside vehicles,even if they are stored inside a garage, and last but not lease LOCK YOUR DOORS at all times.

When you have kids (or even just children on a visit), keeping your home secure is even more important – and even more challenging. Not only do you have to be concerned about simple things with smaller kids – childproofing electrical outlets and stairs, for example – but you have to be concerned about unwanted visitors getting in while the kids are there, as well as whether or not the children in your house have a full understanding of how to keep your (or their) home safe.

Whereas adults have a firm understanding about why it’s important to do things like lock doors and ask who’s knocking before allowing entry to a stranger, smaller children may not appreciate these dangers. It’s always a good idea to explain to your kids that, at least until they’re in their mid-teens, they should always be careful about who they answer the door to and how they answer the phone. Remind them that instead of saying their parents aren’t home, they should reply that Mom or Dad is “busy and can’t come to the phone right now,” and if a number and message are left they’ll reply as soon as they can.

Unless one parents stays at home with the kids, there is also the chance that younger children may need their own keys to let themselves into the house – and if you have a home security system, you may find that you need to entrust your child with the pass code to disarm your alarm if they’re going to be arriving at home when there is not an adult present.

This can present a dilemma to parents who want to practice good basic security practice – frequently changing their passwords to burglar alarms and home alarm systems, as children may have difficulty remembering changing sequences of numbers.

It’s also important that your home security or alarm company understand that there are children in the house and that this may cause unintended alarm tripping. A good residential security company will work with you to come up with a strategy that keeps both your home and your children safe. Even if this impacts your home security system pricing, it’s worth the extra expense for your peace of mind and your children’s (and
home’s) safety.

As children grow older, parents may find they have more latitude in how their security companies manage their burglar alarms and other home protection components, and at this point it’s important to re-open a dialogue with your security as well as investigate other options for residential security systems.

Talk to your children about home security systems, burglar alarms, fire safety, and other things that can make a difference to their and your home’s security during an emergency. Help your children practice passwords, and make sure they have the opportunity to meet with representatives from your residential security company.

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