Security Merchandise

Following on the tail of Medical Equipment, we will now begin talking about tools that you can purchase to enhance you’re security. The main categories to be discussed will be as follows:
Alarm Systems
Alarms
Miscellaneous

Alarm Systems:
If you can afford it, I highly recommend putting this at the top of your “to get” list. They are absolutely invaluable in terms of both protecting your property and giving you peace of mind. The upfront cost will set you back a couple hundred dollars and then the monthly fee will be around $40-$60. If you are strapped for cash, the initial cost could be covered by a tax refund check. Then, instead of spending over $100 a month on your super-duper cell phone, you could downgrade to a plan that only costs around $40 and use what you save to cover the monthly bill. Also, most insurance companies will give you a discount for having an alarm system that is monitored. Don’t be fooled, however, by the fast talking salesman. He might show you a sheet detailing the percentage major insurance companies may take off your bill but that is only in the BEST case scenario; like having a fire department, police station, and hospital as neighbors. My salesman told me 12% but when I called my insurance company it was only 4%. That’s a big difference when you are talking insurance payments.
When choosing an alarm company, go with a reputable one. ADT or Broadview (formerly Brinks) are two of the more popular ones. This is not a job for your local no name security “firm”. Once you make contact with them, they will usually send a representative to your home to discuss packages, plans and devices. Listen to them but also think for yourself. The goal is to create an invisible security fence around your home so protecting all possible entrances should be your objective. Money may be a prohibiting factor, but ensure you protect the most important. Some of the devices that might or should be offered are door and window contacts, glass breaks, motion detectors, and fire monitoring. They may offer cameras as well but this blog is for the novice so I will not get into that. If you want some advice concerning them just leave a comment.

• Door and window contacts are devices that detect if a door or window has been moved past a certain point.
• Glass breaks are triggered by the sound of breaking glass.
• Motion detectors detect just that, motion. The company representative will usually inform you on just how big an object has to be to set off a motion detector.
• Fire monitoring devices will detect a fire.

Here are a few tips when deciding on what type and where to put certain devices:

• Not every door in your home needs to be protected, only the ones leading to the outside. If you have a door (besides the garage door) leading into your garage, and then another door leading from the garage into your dwelling, consider just protecting the very outside entrance. That way an intruder will immediately set off the alarm but will still have to get through another door to enter your house, the contents of your garage will be protected, and you will save money by not buying another door contact. If you are concerned about somebody coming through your actual garage door, put a motion detector in your garage as well. That way you will be confident that that area of your house is secure. Any other door that you may have in your home that leads to the outside needs to be protected.
• Window contacts can become expensive if you are trying to protect every window. When money is a concern, protect only the ground floor windows, or the windows to you and your kid’s bedrooms. If that is still too expensive, think about placing a motion detector in an area that would cover several windows, thus cutting down on the number of devices needed.
• Glass breaks are double protection for windows. Remember, window contacts work when a window is opened. If an intruder breaks a window, the contact is rendered useless. Again, if you are made of money by all means protect every window in your home. If not, put them in the most useful spots. I highly recommend installing a glass break if you have a sliding glass door. Most of your household goods can be shipped right out of your house through them, and if an intruder didn’t sever the contact, nobody will be alerted.
• Motion detectors can be both a hindrance and effective tool. When you are home, you can usually set your alarm in a certain way that will turn on everything accept motion detectors, allowing you freedom of movement. When you leave, you can program it another way that turns on everything, including the motion detectors. This is wonderful unless you have a large animal, such as a dog or pig running around your house (a buddy of mine had a Vietnamese Pot-Bellied pig as a pet, not lying). If your animal has the run of the house while you are absent, then motion detectors are a no-go. If you can keep it penned up somewhere out of the way, then good for you. Another potential issue is your own movement throughout the house if you turn them on at night. This will be a decision you will have to make for yourself.
• Fire monitoring devices are self explanatory. The layout of your home and also its size will determine how many you need and where they should go. Let the alarm representative deal with this one.

Now that we have discussed some of the alarm devices that should be offered, their usage, and their appropriate placement, let’s talk about the way that they are monitored.

Most professional alarm companies will have a monitoring center that will monitor all of their client’s households 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If an alarm is tripped, they will usually call the contact number you provided to investigate the issue and then alert the appropriate authorities if need be. The way companies monitor your system is through either your home phone line, cellular signal, or both. The preferred method is both since one acts as a back-up for the other.  High winds, snowstorms, and vehicle accidents can all render your home line useless. Intruders can also cut your phone line. Either situation will leave you unprotected.

The ability to connect your system to a cellular signal will depend on where you live, as not all areas can receive a cell signal strong enough for an alarm system to be reliable. If you are able to get a signal, you are still dependent on that cell services ability to keep their operation running. In late July of 2010, AT&T had an interruption in their wireless cell service that not only affected cell phones, but also the alarm systems that utilized them. Most users in the eastern region of the United States were without signal for at least a couple of days.

Alarm systems for your vehicle are becoming standard. Most are operated by the press of a button on your key and are triggered by the opening of a door or trunk. If you do not have one and intend on keeping sensitive items in your car, think about purchasing one. You can find them at most retail stores that have an automotive department or at your local sound system business. Since there are many options available to you concerning this product you should do your own research into which one is right for you. I will suggest that you have a professional install it as many electronic problems can arise if you do not know what you are doing. Some vehicles come with services such as OnStar that will monitor your car much like the home alarm systems discussed above. They know where you are at as long as you have a GPS signal, can dispatch emergency services to you if need be, and can inform you when an alarm has been triggered. All of this requires a monthly monitoring fee of course.

Alarm systems are a great security tool, but may not always be affordable or practical. Many apartments will not allow you to install your own system, hotels definitely will not nor would you probably want to, and sometimes you just don’t have the money. Next, we will talk about how to overcome these obstacles and still maintain your security, or at least the appearance of security.

Alarms:

Let’s discuss the home first. We will assume that you are on a tight budget and just cannot afford to dish out the large sums of money needed to fund and maintain a properly monitored security system. There are home security systems on the market that cost hundreds of dollars less, but the only catch is that they are not monitored by a central service. Some you can program to dial preset numbers automatically when an alarm is triggered, such as 911 or your personal cell phone, but be prepared for tickets from your local emergency services for false alarms. This would be my first recommendation.

Secondly, there are inexpensive alarms available that are mobile, run off batteries, and simply create a high decibel sound when triggered. Most are big and rather ugly but there are a few, such as the door stop alarm, that is the size and has the looks of a doorstop. Put these under your doors at night and if someone enters it will not only set it off, but also make it harder for the intruder to get in.

There is dummy equipment on the market. These items look like the real thing and may even have a little red light indicating that they are working, but they are not. These come cheap and will create the facade that your home is protected. This is especially good if you host parties where you may not know all the guests.

Lastly, if you are familiar with someone who is being monitored by a proper security company such as ADT you should consider asking them to order you a few yard signs and stickers regardless if you bought any security equipment or not. Potential intruders or burglars will see these and may automatically cross you off their list of targets in favor of a home they think is unprotected.

All the equipment I listed above for the home can also be applied to your apartment, minus the yard signs and stickers of course. Even if your apartment comes with an alarm system, ensure that there are no gaps in your security. If there are, fix it!

Phony car alarms exist as well. These devices will emit a blinking red light fooling a thief into thinking that your car is protected.

When dealing with hotels/motels and college dorms, you are pretty much limited to mobile security devices. The only other recommendation I will make not covered above is getting a nanny cam so you can be absolutely sure your items were not pilfered, and if they were, you can pursue legal action. Most hotels and colleges do not accept responsibility for lost or stolen items and just because you put a “do not disturb” sign on your hotel door doesn’t mean the staff will adhere to it. If you’ve done any extensive traveling you have probably run into this problem before, I sure have.

Next I will simply list some devices that I may have already covered and other devices that wouldn’t be considered alarms but can be used to enhance your security. I will refer to this list throughout later posts in this blog so keep that in mind.

Miscellaneous:

• Wireless Alarm System-Already covered
• Door Stop Alarm-Already covered
• Door Contact Alarm-Already covered
• Window Contact Alarm-Already covered
• Motion Sensor Alarm-Already covered
• Glass Break Alarm-Already covered
• Fake Door Contact-Already covered
• Fake Window Contact-Already covered
• Fake Motion Sensor-Already covered
• Fake Car Alarm-Already covered
• Nanny Cam-Discreet, portable video camera designed to covertly record any area you designate.
• Wireless Motion Alarm-Can be used in any small space such as your car or hotel room. Detects the change in air pressure due to the opening of a door and emits a high decibel alarm.
• Outdoor Motion Lighting-Mounted outside and activates when it detects motion.
• Time Switches-Turns on your lights at a preset time.
• Indoor Motion Light-Turns on your interior lights when it detects motion.
• Key Chain Alarm- Attaches to your key chain and emits a high decibel alarm when you activate it.
• Large Rear view Mirror-It is larger than a normal rear view mirror and is great in enhancing your ability to detect someone following you. It also allows you to see more of the traffic around you creating a safer driving environment.

This concludes my post on Security Merchandise. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to submit them. As the topics become more in-depth, the time between postings may lengthen. This is necessary to ensure that the content is as accurate and informative as possible. Thank you for bearing with me.

*Click on the words in red to be hyperlinked to that item*