Fair Home Security

Affordable home security is something that should be on the smart consumer's mind right now. With economic turmoil and ever-increasing prices, most homeowners simply can't afford to shell out thousands of dollars for home security. And that's completely reasonable.

What's not reasonable is some of the commentary on what to do. Certain "experts" are now recommending "cheap" home security. Except by cheap, they mean fake. I agree that having window stickers or yard signs is better than nothing....but not much better.

While its true that burglary is often a crime of opportunity, its also true that thieves are increasingly savvy. Simply having a yard sign just won't cut it. Why? Because, at best, it only covers one aspect of home security: deterrence. If the thief isn't deterred, then you don't have anything in place to notify neighbors or police. You don't have any sirens to scare off the thief when he hears them. If he chooses to enter your home despite your yard sign, he's in the clear.

So, what is the solution, then? The solution is an affordable home security system that you install and program yourself. The GE Simon 3, for example, is a reliable, effective home security system. And the Kit starts at $209.00. You can add more contacts for relatively little cost , and with a little ingenuity and know-how, you can attach hardwired contacts (much cheaper) to a wireless transmitter for next to nothing. Even with a large house, you can have complete home security for under $500. Then, you can sign up for monitoring at only $9.00 per month with no contracts. Now that's affordable home security.

Hardwired Home Security: Ademco Vista 20P

When it comes to Do It Yourself Home Security, wireless home security systems are frequently the systems of choice.  This is true because they are easier to install and program, and because most companies seem to push these as the best option.  And, its true, in many cases, that wireless home security is the best option for individual homeowners.

However, there are times when a hardwired home security system makes more sense.  For example, if you are in the process of building your home, hardwired home security is often the best choice.  Why?

While wireless systems are incredibly reliable, hardwired systems are still more reliable.  Additionally, most hardwired devices are cheaper than wireless devices.  Finally, depending on the size of the house, a hardwired system can extend up to 1000 feet.  You would have to purchase repeaters to extend a wireless system that far.  These are some of the reasons to purchase a hardwired system.  And among hardwired home security systems, one name stands out above the rest.

The Ademco Vista 20P is truly one of the best hardwired home security systems.  It is a proven, reliable system that allows you to accomplish pretty much any home security feature you desire.

With 8 built-in zones (but the possibility, with expansion modules of 48 zones), two partitions, an easy to use LCD display keypad, up to 48 user codes and the ability to add wireless devices, the Vista 20P offers unprecedented value to the do it yourself installer.

The installation and programming are more difficult than a wireless system, but can still be done by the average homeowner.  And, to make the process easier, SafeMart includes its exclusive 90 min. installation DVD.  This will walk you through every step of installation and programming in great detail, so there's no need to be overwhelmed.

If you think that hardwired home security is right for you, then the Vista 20P is probably the system that you want.

Alarm Monitoring: Livewatch

You may already know about alarm monitoring.  You may already have it up and running.  And if you do, thats great.  Your home is safe and your security system is working to its fullest capacity.  However, you probably don't know about some of the additional features available for certain security systems.

If you have a GE Simon 3, GE Simon XT, or GE Concord, your system is compatible with SafeMart's Livewatch service.  So, what is Livewatch.  Well, first, here's what its not.  Livewatch is not a central station monitoring service.  It is an alarm monitoring feature, but purchased by itself, LiveWatch will not do what central station monitoring does.  It is intended to be purchased in conjunction with alarm monitoring, not in replacement.  However, if you choose not to have central station monitoring, Livewatch does increase the level of self-monitoring.

Essentially, Livewatch allows you to control your system remotely and receive remote notifications of any events or alarms.

1. You can arm or disarm your system easily via internet access.  This can also be done quite conveniently from your PDA (Blackberry, Razr, etc).

2. You will recieve voice, text mesage, and email notifications (depending on your customization) of any events at your home, whether your system is armed or not.

3. If you have central station monitoring, alarms will be routed through your Livewatch system directly to your central station.

You do need to purchase a GSM module for this (I've discussed GSM Modules before here).  Basically Livewatch gives you a whole new level of control over your home security system.  It also gives you the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you can monitor your system activity anytime, anywhere.

Alarm Monitoring

Alarm monitoring has been mentioned here before, but I want to speak about it again.  It really is an incredibly important aspect of home security and, unfortunately, many homeowners don't realize that.  So, here we go:

Once you've purchased, installed, and programmed your home security system, you're all done, right?  Well, not necessarily.  When your system is up and running, its doing something known as "self-monitoring."  Self-monitoring means that your system will sound locally in the event of an alarm, and you'll receive a phone call (if you set this up) alerting you to any events in your system.  And certainly, this is better than nothing....but not too much better.  Why?

1. Unless you are physically at the property, it may not help that you received a private call from your system.  Police frequently refuse to respond to calls from private homeowners who say that their house is being burglarized when the homeowner is not at the scene.

2. Your alarm will sound locally, hopefully alerting neighbors.  But what if it doesn't?  Some people don't live close enough to hear interior alarms, and if its the middle of the night, your neighbors may sleep through the alarm.  In that case, your neighbors are no longer of any assistance in this regard.

The best option is to have 24 hr. monitoring from a central station.  It costs as little as $9 per month and guarantees that a UL listed, central station is monitoring your system 24 hours a day.  Why is this important?  Its important for a number of reasons:

1. Your central station will monitor your system 24 hrs. a day.  In the event of an alarm, they will call your home to verify that everything is fine.  If they don't reach you, or if you do not correctly verify that the situation is normal, they will immediately contact police, who do respond to central station monitoring calls.

2. In the event of a fire or health emergency, the central station will immediately contact emergency personnel without first contacting you.

3. Many homeowner's insurance companies offer a discount for a monitored home security system.  Often this discount will more than cover the cost of central station monitoring.  (Remember, its only $9 per month).

Many people choose not to purchase central station monitoring.  After all, its an additional cost.  But that cost is only $9 per month!  You just spent a great deal of money investing in a home security system.  You've taken your time to install the system and program it.  Your system should be working to the fullest capabilities to protect you, your loved ones, and your home.  Without central station monitorig, thats just not possible.

GE Simon XT

The GE Simon XT is an advanced, versatile, user-friendly wireless home security system.  I just wanted to share a little product demo video with you about the XT.  And remember, if you purchase a Simon XT Kit from SafeMart.com, you receive a free Installation DVD, available exclusively from SafeMart.

Environmental Sensors and Your Security

When most people think of home security their thoughts rest almost exclusively on intrusion prevention and response.  And while this is certainly the primary function of home security systems, there are secondary, and in some cases, equally important functions, such as fire, carbon monoxide, and flood sensors.  Lets take a minute to examine each of these in detail.

1. Fire Detectors: It should be evident why you need smoke/fire detectors.  In fact, its required by law in many, if not most, places.  But if you have a security system, your smoke detectors should be tied into it.  That way, if you have a fire in your home, your detectors will sound locally, notify your system, and if you have monitoring (which you should), your system will alert the central station, which can immediately notify local emergency personnel.

2. Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Carbon monoxide is an incredibly toxic gas, and whats worse, its completely odorless, sightless, and tasteless.  It can be caused by furnaces, gas fireplaces or water heaters, etc.  Each year it kills many unsuspecting people and affects many others.  Even if it doesn't cause death, C.O. poisoning can lead to nausea, dizziness, unconsciousness, or even brain damage.  A C.O. detector will alert you locally and through your system if C.O. levels exceed a safe level.  You can also program it to contact your monitoring company who can immediately notify emergency personnel.

3. Flood sensors are not necessarily as absolutely vital as fire or c.o. detectors.  As a general rule, flooding will occur in the basement and is unlikely to affect anyone in the way fire or c.o. can.  However, its still an important option on your home security system.  A flood sensor will alert you when water triggers the device.  A flood sensor will allow you to immediately respond to the presence of water in your home, possible preventing thousands of dollars worth of damage.  And as any homeowner who has experienced flooding can tell you, water damage can be incredibly extensive and, for that matter, expensive.

These are not the only options available to you, but they are three of the more important.  For the minimal cost involved in any of these sensors, there is no reason not to have this level of protection.  Your home and family's safety far outweigh any financial investment.

Wiring Hardwired Devices in Series

Today is part of the FAQs section of the blog.  We frequently get asked how to wire hardwired devices in series.  Its not that complicated, but it does take the right knowledge to wire this correctly.  So, first things first, why would you want to wire hardwired devices in series?

Wiring hardwired devices in series allows you to place multiple hardwired sensors on the same zone.  So, if you have a room with five windows, you can place hardwired sensors on all of those windows and connect them to the same zone.  Since the number of zones you have is limited, this is helpful.  And since all of the windows are in the same room, you don't need your system to tell you anything more specific than that there is an event in the living room.

Here's how you do it.  You'll want to refer to the drawing up top while reading this.  At the top of the drawing are the two zone terminals on the control panel itself.  Your wire will run from these to all of the devices, so you want to be sure that you have enough wire to run through all of the devices.  When the wire reaches the first device, you should cut both wires.  After having stripped back the wire 1/4 of an inch to expose the copper, you'll use a splice to connect both ends of the high side wire (yellow in drawing) to both wires running from the sensor itself.  Then, splice the low side wire (green in drawing) back to itself.  Go to the next device and do the same.  You'll continue doing this until you reach the last device in the series.  When you get there, you'll splice the high wire (yellow) to the silver wire (black in drawing) coming from the device and then splice the low wire (green) to the copper wire (orange in drawing) coming from the device using an end of line resistor (red in drawing).

Once you have done this, you have successfully wired your hardwired devices in series.  All of these devices will now act as one zone on your hardwired home security system.

GE Simon XT Installation Manual DVD

Just wanted to let everyone know that SafeMart released the GE Simon XT DVD Installation Guide.  The DVD guide is over 70 min. and packed with information for Do-It-Yourself Home Security.  And remember: the DVD comes absolutely free when you purchase a Simon XT kit from SafeMart.com, and is available at a low price for all others.  Be sure to look at our recent posts for information on our other complete DVD installation guides.

Here's a "teaser" video for the XT guide.  Take a look:

SafeMart.com: Expert Technical Support

When it comes to choosing a home security company, there are a number of factors to consider.  The company you choose needs to have the products that you are looking for.  They need to have accessories for that product in case you choose to add on at a later date.  They need to have competitive prices, if not the very best.  Finally, and perhaps most importantly to the do it yourselfer, they need to offer expert technical support... and they need to offer it for free.

This expert technical support is truly what sets SafeMart apart.  Yes, we offer all of the products that you need.  Yes, we carry any accessories that you would want, and yes, we are competitive on prices and will price match if you find a lower price from a legitimate competitor.  But, above all of that, we offer lifetime, free, expert technical advice on any home security products you purchase from us.

Our technical support staff has undergone extensive training in all of the various items that we carry.  They are able to walk you through any problem you may have with your home security system and are happy to do so.  They are available for tech support calls Mon. through Fri., 8:00 am to 5:00 pm CST.  They are also available for tech support on Saturday from 8:00am to 12:00pm CST.  That means that no matter where you live in the United States or Canada, you will be able to receive expert technical support at a time that is convenient for you.  And for the do it yourself installer, this is really the most important aspect: knowing that you will not be alone when installing your system.

Security Cameras and Motion Detectors

One of the questions we're frequently asked is about using a motion detector in conjunction with security cameras.  Usually the request goes something like, "I only want to record when there is actual motion.  So can I attach a motion detector to my camera so that it only records when the motion detector picks something up?"  Well, thats a fine question.  On some of the older systems, thats how it worked.  But thats because the old systems usually hooked up to a VCR.

Today, however, most people purchase DVRs with their security camera systems.  DVRs now offer a software solution to take care of this.  Basically, your camera is constantly feeding data into your DVR, but your DVR only starts recording when it notices pixel change.  The same set-up allows you to set your DVR to stop recording after a certain period of time without any pixel changes.  This is a much neater way to accomplish the above problem.

Wireless CO Detector - New from SafeMart

Its time again for a new product release.  SafeMart is now offering a new, wireless carbon monoxide detector from Honewyell Ademco.  The new detector offers a variety of advanced technology such as:

Electrochemical Sensing Technology - this technology is the newest on the market and provides extremely accurate measuring of CO levels.

Local Sounder - basically this is a built in siren to notify you that carbon monoxide levels are becoming dangerous

Versatile Monitoring - the detector comes with helpful hardware to make mounting extremely easy no matter what the surface

Tamper Protection - there is a built in tamper switch that will continue to communicate with the control panel if the detector is removed from its base.  It is also impossible to remove the detector from the base without using a tool

There are many other features that make this one of the best wireless Carbon Monoxide Detectors on the market.  

"Ok", you're thinking, "so its one of the best on the market.  Why do I care?  Why do I need carbon monoxide detection anyway?" Each year many people suffer the results of carbon monoxide poisoning: nausea, dizziness, and in some cases, brain damage and death.  Carbon monoxide is silent, odorless and sightless, meaning that you won't know there is a problem until it is too late; unless of course you have a means of detecting the poison before its too late.  When it comes to your family's security and safety, there are no shortcuts.  This detector will provide an added level of protection and peace of mind.  And, as always, SafeMart offers the lowest prices on the highest quality home safety and security equipment.