With Halloween approaching, stay informed of home security basics to keep your
home, families, and kids safe
Vienna, Virginia - October 25, 2010 - According to The National Crime Prevention
Council, more than 23 million people fell victim to personal and property crimes
last year. October is National Crime Prevention month, and with Halloween approaching,
keeping families and kids safe from malicious trick-or-treaters, mischief night
pranksters, vandalism, criminal attacks or intruders is no doubt top of mind for
many homeowners.
Fortunately, innovative, easy-to-use and reasonably-priced
home security systems and monitoring technologies enable homeowners and
parents to guard against Halloween misbehavior, burglaries and "crash and smash"
attacks, in which intruders smash a security panel upon entry. Below are a few tips
for homeowners to consider in keeping their families safe on Halloween, and every
day:
- Arm your security system—remotely.
Sounds simple, but it is too often forgotten. If you have a security system, arming
your system is perhaps the easiest way to stay safe from intruders, and it only
takes a second. Now, with free home security
mobile apps, you can even arm your system while you're at work, on vacation
or just on the go. It's also important to recognize that you're probably not the
only one who arms and disarms your security system. Look for a system that allows
you to set up multiple users (the contractor, the babysitter or your kids, for example)
and customize settings for each person so that you can be notified when activity
occurs that is out of the ordinary.
- Control house lights—even from your cell phone.
Intruders are less likely to break into homes that they perceive to be occupied.
Using a home automation and energy management system
offers the ability to create custom light schedules and automatic, event-triggered
lighting rules designed to fit your routines. Some systems allow you to remotely
monitor and control lights using your computer or mobile phone from anywhere in
the world. Set a variety of lights to turn on (instead of turning on all of them),
or use dimmers to give your home a lived-in look when no one is there. Also add
outdoor lighting for added safety at night so it's easy for you and your neighbors
to spot trespassers.
- Set up outdoor video cameras.
Utilizing outdoor security cameras
to detect would-be intruders (or even just trick-or-treaters) is a simple way to
provide peace of mind when it comes to the safety of your home and family. Use cameras
that have Infra-Red night vision technology, can operate in any type of weather
and are easy to install. Security cameras and
video monitoring technology should let you view live video, receive motion-triggered
video clips and control cameras remotely from any computer or smartphone—including
iPhone, BlackBerry and Android devices.
- Stay connected with your home and your family.
Staying in touch and aware of what's happening when you're not at home is easier
than ever before with home security mobile apps.
Choose a user-friendly security system that offers
real-time email and text message notifications to be sent to you about activities
that matter most. Not all events that happen in the home are alarm events that require
emergency response. For example, try using
strategically placed sensors in your home to find out when the kids get
home from school, a door or window is left open, if the liquor or medicine cabinet
is accessed, and more.
- Be protected, even during a "Crash & Smash" attack.
Make sure your security system provides the highest level of protection. The
best protection ensures that even in the worst case, if an intruder enters
your home and smashes the security control panel (committing a "Crash & Smash" attack)
a signal will still be sent to the central monitoring station for immediate assistance.
Remember, Halloween is supposed to be a fun time for you and your kids! To prevent
intruders from having too much fun at your home at the expense of your family's
safety, keep your home protected by following all of the tips above.
About Alarm.com Alarm.com Incorporated provides wireless and web-enabled
security and activity monitoring technology to hundreds of thousands of residential
and commercial customers throughout the United States and Canada. Alarm.com products
and services are offered exclusively through a network of over 1000 licensed and
authorized Security Dealers. The company is headquartered in Tysons Corner, VA,
just outside of Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.alarm.com.
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