Do It Yourself Home Security

History of Home Security...(Sort Of)

2010-03-10T11:55:00.011-06:00

If you lived in ancient Rome or Greece (or anywhere in the ancient world for that matter) you were limited in your options of protecting your home. Sure, if you were a king, emperor, provincial governor or any other member of the elite class, you may have had some options when it came to security. But, if you were an average Roman, it was a sturdy door, your slaves, and you to fend off any would-be attackers...oh, that and a giant Beware of Dog sign. A giant Beware of Dog what??

Apparently, things don't change much over a few thousand years. You still see beware of dog signs to this day, but none quite as elegant (or permanent) as the Cave Canem mosaics placed outside Roman villas. This particular one was found in the excavations of Pompeii, rediscovered in 1824. Source

Moats and Gates

This is a pretty slick idea. You have a city or personal castle that you want to protect against raging hordes of barbarians, or nighttime thieves...what do you do?

You build an enormous ditch (read river) around the outside of your property and fill it with water. This, like guard dogs, is apparently a pretty natural thing for humans to do. I say that because moats were used in ancient Egypt, Europe in the middle ages, and ancient Japanese imperial cities. Source

They were used to protect fortified cities, sacred temples and shrines, the palaces of noblemen and kings. Safe to say, if you were inside of one of these moated castles, you were living in a relatively safe place. And, let's be honest...it looks really cool.

The gates idea goes hand in hand with this. Even if you got through the moat, the gate was going to keep you from getting in. Basically, in the middle ages, you would have two of these gates. The idea is that the guards would trap you between these two gates. Then they would drop heavy items on you, or shoot you with arrows through...wait for it...murder-holes. Yeah, they were serious about security. Source

Guards

In Ancient Rome, it was a big no-no to bring the armies of Rome into the city itself. It had been done, but always with great damage to the Republic. But, at the time of Caesar, and later, Augustus, the state organization switched from Republic to Empire. Still, the people loved their traditions, and weren't interested in Roman armies hanging around. So, if you're the Emperor, you'd like some military protection in the city of Rome, but can't have the military itself. What do you do?

If you're a genius like Augustus you create a paramilitary force called the Praetorian Guards. Basically, they were to keep peace and order in the city, and protect the emperor and his family.

It was a great plan. Worth noting, however, that the Praetorian Guard sometimes did the opposite of their protection role. When things got crazy with the Emperors and the Guards had enough of their foolishness, they would kill the emperor and pick the new one themselves. This was always a possible downside of personal guards...if they're close enough to protect you, they're close enough to harm.

Home Safes

Home safes aren't an overly difficult thing to make, so thats why they've been so ubiquitous throughout much of human history. What do you do to make a safe? Take a chest, slap a big lock on it, and you're in business (at least on a simple level). That concept evolved until you get to the

all iron safe of the middle ages. These began to be a bit more burglar-proof. But, of course, they weren't entirely, and given enough time and dedication, the thief would probably have all of your stuff. Source

Eventually, as the technology developed, safes became impregnable, utilizing unique keys, fire and explosion-proof materials, and, of course, combination locks. Today, you can put your stuff in a safe, blow up your house with some dynamite, and smash your safe with a sledgehammer...and it'll be totally fine (depending upon the safe, obviously).

Security Systems

We finally come to the security system. And while all of the above are still in use (ok, maybe not moats and murder holes, but I digress), the electronic security system has come to firmly embody the modern age of personal and property protection.

With high-speed wireless systems like the GE Simon XT or reliable, incredibly expandable systems like the Ademco Vista 20P, home security is at a whole new level; and its just beginning.

In the next couple of years, we're going to see completely customizable, ridiculously expandable, simple to use next-gen home security equipment. Only, home security (as an idea) will become (dare I say it?) a thing of the past. In the next era of home security, its all about home automation. The ability to use your security system to control everything in your home easily and remotely is already here, and that technology is really just ramping up.

Home Security Monitoring

2010-02-25T08:59:00.003-06:00

Home Security Monitoring is one of those things that is often overlooked, except here at DIY Home Security, where we talk about it way too much. But that's a different story.

We talk about it so much because we believe in it and its importance. And we think you're not using your security system (or your grey-matter) to its full extent if you're choosing not to monitor.

So, in that spirit, I thought once a week I would give just one point that makes sense for alarm monitoring. Check back every week (I'll try to make it every Thursday) and I'll give you yet another reason why you need home security alarm monitoring. If you're not convinced at the end (I have no idea when that will be) I'll give you back all of your money...which, as you know is absolutely none! Nice.

Ok, without further ado, here is week one of: Why you need to have alarm monitoring!

Homeowner Insurance Discounts

Insurance companies love it when you have home alarm monitoring. Why wouldn't they? If there is a fire or someone breaks into your home, they're on the hook...unless you have alarm monitoring that will contact a central station who will in turn, contact police or fire personnel.

So, great, you get to make your insurance company happy! Oh, you don't care about that? Well, they do. That's why most insurance companies offer a discount (sometimes up to 20%) on your premium for homeowners insurance when you have central station alarm monitoring. That's a significant savings.

And with SafeMart, you can get UL-listed alarm monitoring for only $9 per month...which means in many cases your alarm monitoring will be free, or at least incredibly cheap.

Now that's a good reason!

Alarm Monitoring

2010-02-11T09:11:00.004-06:00

Alarm Monitoring...so important, so often overlooked. Now, I know I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again, if you have a home security system, you should have Central Station Alarm Monitoring. Ok, lets talk about why thats the case:

Scenario 1: Someone breaks into your home when you are away

With Monitoring: Your system sounds an alarm locally, and then notifies the central station. The central station will try to contact you, to avoid any false alarm responses, but if they are unable to do so, almost immediately, they will notify local police and/or emergency services for dispatch.

Without Monitoring: Your system sounds an alarm locally. Additionally, some panels will allow your system to call you and notify you of an event. You can rush home or call the police. Only problem is, in most cases, the police won't dispatch for you, an average homeowner, unless you are a physical witness of the events. Sorry.

Scenario 2: Your home catches on fire when you are away.

With Monitoring: Your smoke/fire detectors sound locally, and your system immediately notifies the central station. They immediately notify emergency personnel without attempting to contact you first. Fire and rescue will be dispatched immediately.

Without Monitoring: Your smoke/fire detectors sound locally. Hopefully a neighbor sees the smoke/fire in time to call a local fire department.

Scenario 3: Someone breaks into your home while you're there. The person finds you and tells you to disarm the system immediately.

With Monitoring: One of two things: You go to your system and enter a durress passcode. This will silence the alarm system, announce that its been disarmed, etc. At the same time, it will send a duress alert to the central station, who will immediately dispatch police. Second option. You can't disarm in time, and your central station still calls. You tell them it was a false alarm and when they ask you to verify using your verbal password, you give them the verbal duress password. The intruder will be none the wiser, but central station will immediately dispatch emergency personnel.

Without Monitoring: You go to your system and enter the correct password. The siren, your only source of notification is gone. You hope that one of your neighbors heard.

Scenario 4: Your home catches on fire when you are at home.

With Monitoring: You focus on the important things, getting yourself and your family out of the house, taking any valuables, memorobilia you can grab on the way. At the same time, your system contacts the central station who immediately contacts your local fire department. You were able to focus on the most important things, and still have a fighting chance of saving your home.

Without Monitoring: You focus on the important things as well. At the same time, your system does nothing, other than sounding a local smoke/fire alarm. You hope that you neighbors hear the noise and call 911 so you still have a fighting chance of saving your home.

The above seem a bit dramatic? It may seem far-fetched to imagine someone holding you up in your home while you enter a duress passcode, or your house catching on fire. But really, you know its not that far fetched. Thats why you have an alarm system, thats why you have smoke detectors. They're not useless without alarm system monitoring, but they aren't working to their full capacity.

And since you can get UL-Listed, Home Alarm Monitoring for only $9/month from SafeMart, why wouldn't you?

ADT Buys Brinks

2010-01-26T11:59:00.004-06:00

What??? Did I just read that right? ADT bought Brinks? Well, yes, practically speaking. ADT is owned by Tyco. Tyco recently purchased Broadview, which is Brinks' new name. Additionally, according their website, Tyco owns seven companies that make security equipment. Are you noticing a trend?

Tyco was already dominant in the home security market through ADT. Brinks is number of two of the "big guys," so we're not looking at much competition anymore. Ok, great...why do I care?

I care because I don't think the "big guys'" model is a good one. Giving you a "free" system or charging you little down may seem good on the face of it. After all, who wants to invest all that money upfront? Well, if you read the fine print and count out the monthly payments, you'll soon realize you're paying for your system...over and over.

I suppose maybe there's an upshot to all of this. Since ADT, via Tyco, just swallowed its own competition, homeowners may look elsewhere to see what options are available to them. In that case, they may begin to realize that the "great security deal" they got wasn't so great after all. And thats a good thing...if you like saving money, that is!

SafeMart's CEO

2010-01-13T12:08:00.001-06:00

For those of you interested, here is a link to the LinkedIn page of SafeMart's CEO.

Home Security and CES 2010

2010-01-12T09:40:00.004-06:00

Hey folks,

Just got back from CES 2010. As always, there were about ten million things worth seeing. However, my brain started shutting down after a while, so I didn't get through everything. But, what I did get through was interesting and I thought I'd share it with you. Ok, well actually I'm just going to share one thing with you, but it will comprise most of the cool stuff I saw: home integration.

In the past we've had home automation and home security. And, certain systems (the ElkGuard is the best example) allow for integration between the two. Other systems are, at best, clunky when it comes to custom home integration. But, that seems to be changing. Control4, DLink and a few others all showcased their complete home integration systems...and man, were they sweet!

So, just wrap your head around complete control, with remote access. On business in Switzerland and want to look in on your security cameras? No problem. While your'e at it, you might as well check on the thermostat, dim some lights and shut off the music you left on in the living room. And its all seamless. As the Guiness guys would say: Brilliant!

There were a few other things that I'll let you know about as we go forward. They should really make things interesting.

Until next time...

Home Security in 2010

2010-01-05T10:06:00.003-06:00

Well folks, we're back now from a long hiatus. We've been working on a ton of great stuff over at SafeMart, from new monitoring options to better more advanced system packages. I wanted to highlight just a few products/services to keep your eye out for in 2010. (Note: some of these have been around for years, but are worth taking another look at). So, in no particular order:

1. Freeze Alarms: Ok, thats pretty boring sounding. Plus, they've been around forever. True, but most of us haven't seen a winter this cold in a long time. If you don't have a freeze alarm and you don't want to spend thousands of dollars when a pipe busts, you should get one. Available http://www.safemart.com/Freeze-Alarms/Basic-Feeze-Alarm-wVoice-Alarm-FA-B-CCA.htm for $65.

2. The DSC Alexor: This is a fairly new system. It was released with a lot of hype but sort of died out after that. I would say this: If you are in the market for a versatile home security system, that is super-fast, and can handle some decent upgrades, the Alexor may be for you. Check it out here http://www.safemart.com/Wireless-Home-Security/DSC-Alexor-2-Way-Wireless-Alarm-Kit-KIT495-1CP01.htm. Starts at $299

3. New Releases in Home Alarm Monitoring: I'm not going to get into this much, even though its the most exciting thing coming down the pipe, since its not fully live yet. Just check back at this link from time to time if you have a Honeywell system. We'll be offering you great products at an incredibly low price. Stop by and see us. And if you simply want central station alarm monitoring, click the above link. Its available at wholesale pricing.

Expandable Home Security

2009-08-21T08:32:00.002-05:00

Part Five of a Five Part Series Taking a Quick Look at the SmartMoney System

Expandable home security is something that few homeowners think of, until its too late. But here's the reality: Things change. You may add-on to your home, realize you didn't purchase enough security devices, or your security needs may simply change over time. Either way, you need to expand.

With most companies, what does that mean? Well, it means that you're going to pay a premium, both for the device itself and to have them add it on.

What does it mean with the SmartMoney package? It means that you pay the same wholesale price as everyone else, and you don't pay a dime to have it programmed into your system. Should I repeat that?? You don't pay a dime to have it programmed into your system! Its the ultimate expandable system.

Still not convinced that the SmartMoney Home Security Package is the most innovative, hottest offering on the market? Click on the link above to check it out in detail.

Compare Home Security

2009-08-20T11:16:00.002-05:00

Welcome to part four of a five part series in which we're taking an in-depth look at the SmartMoney Home Security Package from SafeMart.com.

Today we're going to compare home security options between SafeMart, Protect America and ADT on the basis of cost, but focusing also on monthly contract length and a few other factors. I'm not really going to give much commentary here. I'll just let the numbers speak for themselves.

Ok, so whats it cost? Well, this is where the affordable part comes in. You pay $78.95 down (plus the cost of any additional accessories), and then $29.95/month for the next 24 months. Its a low cost, short term payment plan option.

So, lets see how that price compares to Protect America or ADT?

For 36 Months (the length of ADT's and Protect America's contracts) the cost is as follows:

ADT: $1,419.64

Protect America: $1,078.20

SmartMoney: $875.80

Why is it so much cheaper? Two reasons: 1. Our monthly cost is less than ADT's. And our initial contract length (24 months) is less than both ADT and Protect America. 2. After the initial contract of 24 months is up, our monitoring cost goes to wholesale pricing: $9/month! With the other guys, your monitoring price stays high.

Just a few other comparisons:

Renters Allowed to Purchase Package?

ADT: No

SmartMoney: Yes

Protect America: Yes

Return Policy:

Industry Standard: 3 Days

SmartMoney: 3o Days

Thats some pretty powerful stuff. Oh, and one more thing. As opposed to many other companies, SafeMart allows you to add accessories to the SmartMoney package at any point during the two-year contract...for the retail cost. We don't charge you any extra fee to program them into your system. Now thats impressive!

Reliable Home Security

2009-08-19T12:04:00.002-05:00

Today we'll examine part three of the five part series on SafeMart's innovative new home security package: SmartMoney

Every company's home security system is "reliable." And by that (including the scare quotes) I mean that every company claims their system is reliable. Ok, so lets look at this in two ways. If you're choosing a home security system, especially if you're choosing monitoring, there are two aspects to reliability: the reliability of the system itself (panel, accessories, etc) and the reliability of the company you choose. We'll examine both.

Lets start with the system itself. This is a generally true statement, so long as you're choosing a reputable company. If you're not, beware. I know of many companies who either sell older, dated models as the newest item out there, or they actually sell junk equipment. In choosing a home security system, make sure you choose the right system (Ademco Vista 20P, DSC 9047, either GE Simon system, etc). Don't go with knockoff names or systems that aren't big names in the industry.

Now to the second point: the reliability of the company. When you're choosing a system, its not enough to ensure that the system is top of the line; you need to make sure that the company you go with is top of the line as well. Why? Because you're relying on this company to help you get the best product, at the best price, with valuable, dependable technical support. And you want to make sure that if something happens with your system, you have someone who knows what they're talking about that you can call for help. Some of these companies you see running around probably won't even exist in six months. Is that who you want to trust with protecting your most valuable possessions?

Ok, now we've laid ground rules, lets move on to application. How does the SmartMoney Home Security Package fare with regard to reliability?

The DSC 9047 is an incredibly reliable system, recognized as such across the industry. The accessories that come with the system are similarly state of the art, and they are all backed up by solid manufacturer warranties.

Now to the company. SafeMart offers trained tech support and customer service. The SmartMoney package is programmed for you by trained professionals with a great deal of experience in the industry. If anything goes wrong, you can be certain that SafeMart will still be there, still offering the same great service they always have. But don't take my word for it. Look at our report on the BBB (hint, we have an A+ rating), or at the Inc 5000 (annual list of the fastest growing private owned companies in the nation...yeah, we're on there!).

Simple Home Security

2009-08-18T09:24:00.000-05:00

Simple home security has never been easier... no really, I mean it!

Welcome back to part two of our five part series on SafeMart's new home security package: SmartMoney. Today we're going to be looking at the simplicity of the thing.

Lets run through an ordinary DIY purchase and installation, and then lets compare SmartMoney and see how it stacks up.

Ok, first the DIY. Once you've decided you want to go DIY, you'll need to choose your system, and your accessories. If you're ordering from a reputable company, you'll be able to get someone to help you do this. Once you've decided, you purchase your system, and wait for it to arrive. Now its at your house. You need to install the system. So, you read through the installation manual, and trudge ahead. If you chose one of the more popular systems from SafeMart, you'll receive an installation DVD that makes it pretty easy. Still, you have to program your entire system, install sensors and then do a test. At this point, if everything is working, you'll be ready for monitoring. And, again, if you went with a reputable company they should be offering you free tech support during this process. So, its not overly difficult, but you will have to do some wiring, be familiar with some industry terms to really follow the installation manual, and then actually program it yourself.

Now on to SmartMoney. With SmartMoney, once you decide you want to go with this system, you'll see an easy webform with your options laid out. No guessing as to which accessories go with the system, they're all on screen for you to see. What happens next is really what simple home security is all about. You'll receive an email with a list of all of the items you purchased. That email has a link to a pre-programming page. Here, you simply tell SafeMart which device is supposed to go where in your home. After that, they program it for you. When your package arrives, all of the sensors are already programmed in, and the system is ready to go. All you have to do is set time and date, change your user codes, mount the sensors and do a simple test. And, the SmartMoney package includes a DVD to walk you through even those basic steps.

So, what am I saying? Should you always choose SmartMoney over DIY? Absolutely not! For many people, DIY is the best possible option. They're inclined to "do it themselves" and they're ready for the task. It will save them some money and allow them to "get their hands dirty." But, if you're looking for a really simple home security solution, it doesn't get any better than SmartMoney. Stop by and take a look!

Inexpensive Home Security

2009-08-17T13:43:00.000-05:00

Welcome to part one of our five part series about the SmartMoney Home Security Package. Over the course of this series we're going to look at the affordability, reliability, simplicity and expandability of the system. Finally we're going to compare the system to ADT and Protect America. So, lets dig right in!

The first question that comes to many people's minds when they consider home security is: How much will it cost? Now, I'll be the first to admit that this isn't the best factor on which to base your decision. However, people being people and the economy being what it is, its a big factor, if not the primary factor for the average homeowner.

So, what will it cost?

To start out it will cost you $78.95. That's $49 for the setup fee and the first month's payment of $29.95. Now, if you decide to add additional accessories, you'll pay for those as well. Then, its $29.95 per month for a contract length of 24 months. If you're just beginning your research, that may not seem like a big deal. But consider that the industry standard is a 3 to 5 year contract. When you do this, you realize that the SmartMoney package is just that: a smart way to use your money.

Stay tuned for further installments when we cover the other topics I mentioned above.

Home Security and Automation

2009-08-06T12:28:00.003-05:00

There are home security systems that do everything a home security system should do. They monitor your home via security devices and alert the system when a door or window is opened, a motion detector picks up activity, or a smoke detector senses fire. You can then have your system contact a central monitoring station to take the appropriate action. These systems will definitely give you peace of mind. Then there are home automation systems that do everything they should do. They control lights, thermostats, home theater, audio and more. These systems will increase your comfort and convenience level and make day to day living more enjoyable.

Then there's the Elk M-1 Gold. It is a top-line innovative home security and automation system. It will do everything a home security system should do (and sometimes even more) and it will control home automation perfectly. It is the best of both worlds.

I'll be doing follow-up posts on the Elk M-1 to illustrate just how impressive this system is. But for now, I'll leave you with two simple examples of how the Elk can integrate your home security and home automation in pretty neat ways.

1. You can turn off lights in a room if the motion detector doesn't sense any activity for a set period of time (say 3 minutes). This will help cut down on your energy bill and your energy wastefulness.

2. You can have the front porch and front room lights come on when your car passes a driveway sensor that you've installed. It gives you the comfort of having a well-lit house in just the areas you want when you come home after dark.

Visit SafeMart's site for more information on Elk's amazing products. I think you'll like what you see.

Introducing the SmartMoney Home Security Package

2009-08-04T11:44:00.004-05:00

SafeMart is pleased to announce a new home security offering: The SmartMoney package. So, what comes with the SmartMoney package?

DSC 9047 Security System
2 Wireless Door/Window Contacts
1 Pet Immune Motion Detector
Yard Sign
Window Stickers
Installation DVD
Pre-Programming
24 Months of UL listed Alarm Monitoring

So, here's how it works. You purchase the SmartMoney system, tell us what options you want and fill out an intuitive user-friendly form to tell us how you want your system programmed. We then program your entire system, send it to you and you do the easy stuff: like mounting sensors and setting time and date.

Ok, so whats it cost? Well, this is where the affordable part comes in. You pay $78.95 down (plus the cost of additional accessories), and then $29.95/month for the next 24 months. Its a low cost, payment plan option.

Stop by SafeMart and look at the SmartMoney Home Security Package today. And for a little teaser, check out the promotional video below:

Home Automation with the Elk M1

2009-07-22T11:00:00.006-05:00

Home automation is something we frequently hear about, and frequently see in movies or TV shows. Usually its some super-rich home where everything can be controlled with the touch of a button. It also usually seems a little unrealistic. Well, while some of the automation in movies may be ridiculous, most of it is also entirely possible, and you don't have to be a millionaire to have it.

This is where the Elk M1 comes in to play. Its a home security and automation system designed to protect your home and loved ones while also giving you amazing capabilities to automate almost everything you can imagine. And its designed for normal home owners.

That's not to say its cheap. It isn't. It will cost you to have a home security and automation system that does everything you may want it to do. But it is worth it for what you get. Lets take a moment and think up just a few of the scenarios for which you may want to use the Elk M1:

1. We'll start simple: Lets say you get up every morning at 6:00 AM. Well, you can have the light automatically turn on at 6:00 AM every morning as part of your wake-up routine. Or, to give a more practical example, lets say that you are on vacation. You want to give the impression to would-be intruders that someone is still there. Simply set your system to turn on a few determined lights every evening at 7:30 PM and turn them off (perhaps at varying times) at 10:00 PM. This would give the impression that people are home and make it less inviting to burglars.

2. Lets move to something a little more interesting/fun: I heard a story yesterday about how one customer uses this system. He put two driveway alarms along the edge of his driveway. Alarm A is closer to the road and Alarm B is closer to the house. This homeowner wanted the lights to turn on in his home when he or his wife arrived after dark. So, he set his system to turn on the front porch lights and the lights in his front two rooms whenever a car passed Alarm A and then Alarm B and it was after 8:30 PM. That way, if he was leaving and passed Alarm B and then Alarm A, nothing would happen. Or if he came home for lunch, since it wasn't after 8:30 PM, nothing would happen. Pretty amazing stuff, huh?

3. Now a more practical, but still very neat application: If you're like many homeowners, or if you have children and they are like most children, lights are frequently left on in your home. You move from room to room without turning off the lights, perhaps not to return to some of those rooms until you are ready to go to bed. And whats the end result of this? You waste money! So, how can the Elk M1 help you with this? If you have a motion detector in a room, you can set your system to automatically shut off the lights in that room if the motion detector goes for a certain period of time (1 min., 2 min., 5 min, whatever you want) without detecting any motion. And the end result of that? Less frustration with the kids and yourself and....more money saved!

There are hundreds and hundreds of other things that you can do with your system. I'll just leave you with this. If you are interested in home automation and home security, you want the Elk M1. It may cost you a little, but it pays for itself in the long run.

Washington D.C. Home Security

2009-07-21T09:56:00.003-05:00

Residents of Washington D.C. have a unique opportunity in home security. According to the following article from the Washington Post (click here), police are doing free home security evaluations. If you already have home security, this is a great way to see if your system "meets the mark." If you don't already have home security, its a good time to have someone come by to show you why you need one.

Also available in the same article are home security evaluations for Prince George's County and Montgomery County in Maryland, and for the city of Alexandria in the Old Dominion.

APX Alarm Scam?

2009-07-16T16:23:00.000-05:00

According to certain homeowners, APX alarm salesmen are going to door to door using less than reputable practices. Here's a warning from the BBB (click here to view). Basically its a simple reminder that APX has a D- from the BBB, numerous complaints and government actions on their report.

A good thing cannot be repeated too many times, and I've got two good things for you. 1: DON'T buy from door-to-door salesmen. Many (though not all) of them don't know the products they're selling. They frequently use sleazy tactics. Don't believe me? Check out the BBB report above. Ok, on to the next point, 2: DO IT YOURSELF. Unless you like throwing away money by having someone else do something you can do easily, don't get your home security from a full service company. They generally charge way too much, tie you in to a long monitoring contract (which is where they're overcharging you, over and over, month to month), and, in many cases, you don't actually own the system. You merely lease it. Sounds good to you? Great... I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you.

Ok, convinced? Check out SafeMart for the best in diy security.

Automatic Garage Door Closer

2009-05-26T09:44:00.003-05:00

A high percentage of burglaries and home invasions occur by way of an open garage door. It simply makes sense. You're in a rush, you leave quickly and forget to close the garage door. Maybe you think one of the kids will do it. Still, whatever the reasons, (and we can all imagine reasons why the door would be left open) an open garage door is still incredibly attractive to a potential thief/intruder. Ok, so what do you do?

You can make a concerted effort to close your garage door each time you leave your home. Ok, that's good, except you're already doing that at some level and the garage door is still being left open. So, what do you do? I think your best option, the one most likely to protect your home and family, is to purchase an automatic garage door closer.

The Garage Butler attaches to your existing garage door system. After you open the garage door, it is set to automatically shut the garage door after an interval of your choosing. And whats great is that it works with your existing safety features on your garage door controls. So, if your system currently has a safety feature if the door meets resistance, that remains with the garage butler. Additionally, it will give an audible warning signal once the predetermined time has been reached for the door to close.

The Garage Butler is an excellent choice if you're in the market for an automatic garage door closer. And at less than $50, its a steal you won't want to miss.

GE Simon XT Kit: Build Your Own

2009-05-15T10:59:00.003-05:00

The GE Simon XT is one of the finest wireless home security systems on the market. Its ease of use and functionality, not to mention the reliability of a GE product, make it the top choice in the wireless security world. Ok, so none of this is new. Why am I writing to you today?

To let you know that SafeMart.com is offering a new GE Simon XT build your own kit. Up until know any kit came with certain preset items. From there you could upgrade your kit to meet your needs. The new build-your-own kit is nothing more than a panel and a ton of great options to let you customize and design the perfect kit for you.

If you're in the market for a home security system (and you should be), you should definitely be taking a look at the GE Simon XT system in general, and this kit specifically.

Internet Safety

2009-05-05T15:32:00.004-05:00

This won't be a long post. I just wanted to draw your attention to a featured video on Honeywell's Security Channel concerning Internet Safety It is a short, good video; and any parent with a child using the Internet should watch it.

Too many times parents back off of their job to protect their children in order "give them space" or "let them be themselves." And when this comes to Internet use by children, we can only ask "At what cost?" To answer that question, simply turn on the news. Now, you wouldn't let your child go walking around the back-alleys of a crime ridden city neighborhood? So why let them put themselves at as much risk through the Internet.

Now I know that we usually cover home security topics, but I saw this video and I think its important. After all, whats the point in barring the door and setting up an alarm system against burglars and other intruders if you simply give them access through the Internet.

Swine Flu Mask

2009-04-30T16:36:00.004-05:00

Swine flu masks are all the rage these days. News report after news report shows people in various walks of life and living in various countries happily (or unhappily) sporting a mask. So, are they really that helpful?

It all depends. What really helps is avoiding crowds in infected areas, washing your hands thoroughly and practicing good general hygiene. That being said, if you are going into crowds, or if there have been a number of infections in your area, then yeah, its probably a good idea. So, what kind should you get? Well, there are a number of different options out there, the CDC and others give some recommendations, but ideally, it would be a mask specifically designed to help protect against the flu. Here's an example of one that would make a good swine flu mask, an NIOSH approved N95 respirator mask.

Good luck and stay healthy!

Home Security Tips

2009-04-22T16:52:00.004-05:00

Home security is usually one of the last things on people's minds as we head into the beautiful world of spring and prepare for those summer vacations. Unfortunately for us, its not even remotely the last things on a potential burglar's mind. So, here are a few tips to remember for home security at this time of year, especially if you're taking a vacation.

Trim bushes and trees that are close to the house. Keeping these trimmed will remove a handy hiding place for a potential intruder.
Let neighbors know when you are going on vacation. This is good for two reasons. One, so that your neighbor can keep an eye on your house and notify police if there is anything suspicious going on. Two, so that you can have them collect your mail. Nothing says, "I'm not home, come rob me" like a week's worth of mail on the front porch.
Close your garage doors and lock them if possible. An insane number of burglaries are committed through the garage, and its incredibly easy to prevent. But, even if they don't make it into your home, you don't really want them stealing all of your tools out of your garage, do you?
Last but not least..get a security system (you knew it was coming eventually). They're incredibly affordable and provide a measure of security above everything I just mentioned.

Pool Alarm

2009-04-21T14:35:00.004-05:00

A Pool Alarm is an important part of home safety and security, but sadly, many homeowners consistently overlook this life saving device. So first, what is a pool alarm?

A pool alarm is a device that attaches to the side of your pool, with a sensor in the water. If any object weighing more than 18 pounds(pet, child, lawn chair) falls into the pool when the alarm is set, it will sound a loud siren at the pool itself and on a base receiver placed in your home, with a range of up to 200 feet.

Why do you need this? Well, the reasons should be clear for anyone who has a family or even has friends or relatives visiting with children. It only takes a short time for a child to fall into a pool and drown. In that scenario, every second counts, and a pool alarm will give you the means to immediately respond.

Still don't think you need one? Here are some sobering facts (source: CDC):

In 2005, there were 3,582 fatal unintentional drownings in the United States, averaging ten deaths per day.
More than one in four fatal drowning victims are children 14 and younger.¹ For every child who dies from drowning, another four received emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.¹
Nonfatal drownings can cause brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities including memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning (i.e., permanent vegetative state).

And just how serious is the problem for small children (also from the CDC):

Children: In 2005, of all children 1 to 4 years old who died, almost 30% died from drowning.¹Although drowning rates have slowly declined,^{1, 3} fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years.⁴

If you have children, I'm not trying to freak you out. However, I do hope you're a little scared. You need to realize the importance of having adequate protection for your children when playing in your swimming pool. There's simply too much at risk not to be prepared.

Ademco 5870API

2009-04-14T14:55:00.003-05:00

The brand new Ademco 5870API is a Wireless Indoor Asset Protection Sensor. Which is a long way of saying that its a small wireless device that attaches to your home or office valuables and notifies your alarm panel if those valuables are being moved. It will communicate with any Ademco security system that accepts their 5800 wireless technology.

Ok, so what does it do? You place the sensor which is 1.8" x 1.7" x 0.63" on any device that you want to protect and that shouldn't be moving. So, this would be a computer, jewelry box, television, safe, etc. You set the sensitivity to one of three settings. Setting 1 is a hyper-sensitive setting, which should only be used for completely fixed items that have no real vibration as a normal part of their placement. So, this wouldn't be a good idea for a computer monitor where you come in, bump your desk as you sit down and the thing vibrates for a few seconds. It would, however, be a good idea for a heavy safe that you have mounted in your closet, which won't be vibrating anyway. That setting means that movement for 1-3 seconds will cause the sensor to notify the panel. The second option (the right one for the computer or computer monitor) is the Standard Security Mode. In this setting the sensor will notify your alarm panel after 5-8 seconds of movement. The third option is for Tilt Mode. This would be for a device (like a jewelry box) that has a lid or a door and will be tilted (when opened, for example). In this case, the sensor will notify the panel after the sensor is tilted greater than 30 degrees.

Ok, so whats the actual benefit of this thing? I mean, if your home is armed at night, this doesn't offer much benefit because the burglar should have already tripped the alarm before he picks up the jewelry box. The main utility is for people who have access, but shouldn't be taking things. So, for example, if you have a maid service come (or any interior work by an outside contractor), you may want this device to protect your belongings, even though the crew is supposed to be in your home. This device, however, isn't just for residential applications. It would also work great for a museum or business where people are coming in and out all of the time but aren't supposed to be leaving with anything.

The item comes in at the low cost of $79.00 and comes in either grey (dark grey) or white. If you are a homeowner with lots of outside workers in your home, or if you are a business owner, you need this device. Stop by SafeMart and get one today!

UK Discounts for DIY Security

2009-04-08T13:23:00.002-05:00

Our friends accross the pond have come up with a great idea: give DIY vouchers to homeowners to beef up their home security. The reason is that police fear that crime will increase during the recession. And, we all now that a great way to avoid being burglarized is to have a home security system. So, if you choose to do it yourself, you'll get a voucher to help defray some of the cost.

This whole thing even makes sense economically (believe it or not). Police spend time and money repsonding to burglaries and other home invasions. According to a study found in the Washington Post, homes with security systems are three times less likely to be broken into than homes without security systems. Thus, less burglary = less police time = less taxpayer money. Now, I know they're spending taxpayer money to give the vouchers, but it'll probably come out in a wash. And, even if it doesn't, at least they're putting your money to something useful.

Source: Brits get a DIY-discount boost to improve home security.