How to pick the best security system for your home

Often, people assume that the only reason for installing a home security system is to help protect their homes against intruders. While that may indeed have been the case until a even few years ago, the fact is that there are considerably more reasons for installing such a security system these days. Current generation home security systems are much more sophisticated compared to older systems, and they support a far greater range of alerting services than was available previously. Here are five of the most important reasons to consider a home security system.

Burglar Alarm Monitoring

Obviously, one of the primary reasons why you should install a home security system continues to be for burglar alarm monitoring. Burglar alarm systems can offer substantial peace of mind for homeowners, especially for those living in high-crime areas. Numerous studies have consistently shown that burglars tend to stay away from homes that are protected by home security systems. Most providers of residential protection services offer 24X7 monitoring and fast response times to break-ins and other incidents. They allow homeowners to secure not only the main doors and entrance points to their homes but also basements, bay windows and almost every single entry point into a building. Residential burglar alarm systems are often enabled to directly alert police and other emergency responders at the first sign of an intrusion. The systems are rigged to send audible signals to alert residents of a break-in while also scaring intruders off.

Fire and Smoke Alerting

A home security system often provides a very reliable alerting mechanism in the event of a residential fire or other similar emergency. Modern security systems can be wired to detect home fires and dense smoke and they can be used as a supplement to existing fire alarms. When a smoke detector senses the presence of smoke or fire, the system immediately alerts a service technician while also sounding an audible alarm to alert residents of any danger.

Medical Alerting System

A home security system can provide peace of mind in another very important way. They offer elderly people and those with serious medical conditions a way to live independently in their homes without being worried about being left alone in a medical emergency. Most providers of home security services offer wireless devices that subscribers can wear around their wrists or neck. In an emergency, all that the consumer has to do is to press a button on the wireless device to initiate a two-way conversation with a system monitoring professional. In a medical emergency, the company that is providing the home security service can quickly alert first responders to dispatch an ambulance and medical personnel.

Flood Detection

A growing number of home security system providers have begun offering services that can help homeowners protect their property against water damage. The services are enabled via sensors that are installed in a basement or other low-lying area within a home. The sensors are designed to detect flooding in an enclosed area and to quickly alert the homeowner as well as fire responders about the situation.

Carbon Monoxide Detection

Numerous people die each year as the result of carbon monoxide poisoning. The gas is color less and odor less and can often be present especially in homes with older heating systems and furnaces. Many states currently mandate the use of carbon monoxide detectors in homes because of the threat it poses to people. A home security system can be set up to alert residents as well as emergency personnel if there are any increases in the level of carbon monoxide inside a home.

For a vast majority of people, summer is the season for vacations, water parks and trips to the beach. For burglars, summer is a season of opportunity. Numerous studies have shown that crime rates typically tend to soar during the summer months for a variety of reasons. According to the FBI, burglary rates overall increase around 10 percent in summer with some crimes such as rape, shooting up by close to 16 percent. The worst months of the year for crime rates, according to the FBI, are July and August. So what gives?

Summer Burglaries: Crimes of Opportunity

The reason for the sharp spike in crime rates during summer are fairly easy to pinpoint. Summer is when school is out and teenagers overall tend to get into more trouble with issues such as theft, assault, drugs and alcohol. Summer months are also when many homeowners tend to go on vacation, leaving largely unprotected homes and property behind them. In addition, people often tend to overlook common sense precautions, such as locking doors and securing windows, more often during the summer months than any other season. Law enforcement authorities often note that burglaries are a crime of opportunity. So when people make it obvious that there is no one at home or leave valuables such as phones, wallets, cameras and stereos in plain sight, they become much more attractive targets for burglars.

Burglary Protection Tips

Consumers can take several measures to reduce their chances of become another victim of summer time crime rates. Here are a few of them.

• Install a home security system. Burglars tend to go after easy targets and generally avoid homes that have window decals and yard signs indicating that the property is protected with a burglar alarm system. A recently released study by Temple University shows that crime rates were three times lower for homes protected by home alarm systems compared to homes that did not have such a system.
• When going away on vacation, do not make it obvious that no one is at home. Newspapers lying uncollected on driveways and mailboxes overflowing with mail are obvious indicators that no one is at home. So before going on vacation, suspend mail and newspaper delivery services. Set interior lights on timers with staggered timings so that the home is not completely dark at night.
• Ensure that the exterior of the house is always well lit and that bushes and shrubs are neatly trimmed. Burglars like homes that offer them an opportunity to hide or to carry out their activities unnoticed. So one way to avoid becoming a victim of summer time crime rates is to install bright exterior lights and to cut back bushes so would-be burglars have no place to hide.
• Participate in Neighborhood Watch programs or start one. Law enforcement authorities often maintain that neighborhood patrols are one of the most effective ways of bringing down crime rates. Communities can reduce crime risk dramatically by having neighbors get together and keep a collective eye out for suspicious activities and individuals.