Vienna, Virginia - December 7, 2010 - AAA projected that 87.7 million Americans
would be traveling 50 miles or more away from home during the year-end holidays
in 2009, and a similar travel volume is expected for 2010. The fact that so many
homes remain unoccupied for several days or even weeks during the holidays is not
lost on opportunistic criminals, which is why home burglaries tend to spike in December.
The good news is that affordable, easy-to-use home security systems and monitoring
technologies allow homeowners to keep tabs on activity in and around their property,
including the ability to remotely arm and disarm a security system from mobile phones;
control locks, lights and temperature; and even view live video and receive motion-triggered
video clips when suspicious activity is captured with indoor or outdoor home security
cameras.
Alarm.com, which provides wireless and web-enabled security and activity monitoring
technology to hundreds of thousands of residential and commercial customers throughout
North America, offers five home security tips to help travelers keep their homes,
property, and most importantly, loved ones safe during the holidays.
- Add Home Security To Your 'Carry On' Baggage
Whether you're traveling for business, vacationing with the family or just away
from home, controlling your security system is incredibly simple with home security
mobile apps. Many home security systems now allow you to use your iPhone, Blackberry,
Android or other mobile device to monitor activity and control your system while
on the go. You can even watch live or recorded video footage from multiple security
cameras directly on your cell phone with video monitoring that's integrated with
your home security system.
- Guard Against Unforeseen Events
Travelers who leave their properties for extended periods of time are not only vulnerable
to intrusions, but to unforeseen events ranging from a basement flood to power outages
or a broken window. If you have a home security system that is enabled with remote
monitoring, make sure to set up real-time email and text message notifications to
be sent to you about activity so that abnormalities can be quickly identified and
rectified.
- Keep It Locked Up While Away
Holiday travelers often worry about locked doors and windows. You can take advantage
of energy management and automation technology - now integrated with popular home
security systems - to remotely control and monitor doors and be notified in real-time
if locked doors are unlocked.
- Invest in Wireless Home Security
When the power goes out for homeowners with many traditional or broadband-based
home security systems, it also means the security system's ability to send alarm
signals to the central monitoring system ceases. By selecting an always-on security
system that works wirelessly (using GSM cellular technology for example), your home
stays protected 24/7, even during a power failure. Also, phone lines and broadband-based
security systems are unreliable due to the vulnerability of burglars snipping the
wires.
- Don't Let History Repeat Itself
Using a home security system that provides access to a history of property activity
from a web-enabled mobile device or computer provides you with an additional layer
of valuable information that can be used to identify unexpected behavior and suspicious
patterns.
The bottom line is that by leveraging wireless, web-based remote home security and
monitoring technologies, holiday travelers are no longer limited to halting newspaper
delivery and leaving a hallway light on as the primary means to prevent burglaries.
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
1,400 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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