So far this summer, we’ve had more than our fair share of inclement weather. Storms have produced both lightning and water-related damage to many of our customers’ alarms. Of course, this has also often come with damage to our customers’ properties. During these stretches of bad weather, we try to help our customers add security equipment to alert them to potential weather-related dangers. Furthermore, we even offer equipment that can help alleviate the damage done in these situations! In this post, we share some ides to help you add extreme weather security for your own home or business.

We will begin with a look at environmental sensors. These specialty alarm sensors can alert you to weather-related issues. From there, we will examine how smart home devices can provide incredibly quick and effective reactions to extreme weather. In addition to providing alerts to potential issues in your home, these devices give you the power to address them with a convenient smartphone app. Finally, we will look at how installing surveillance can add extreme weather security. Creating a way to look at your property remotely can help you keep an eye out for damage caused by a hostile environment. Now, let’s get started by focusing on the important role played by environmental alarm sensors.

Environmental Sensors

Our environmental sensors provide a valuable early alert to conditions that could create a disaster if not addresses in a timely fashion. We offer sensors that create alerts for environmental issues that have the potential to cause damage to your property. For example, our “hi-lo temperature” detectors can create an alert if your home experiences dangerously hot or cold conditions. This can help alert you to frozen pipes or HVAC equipment failures. Additionally, we offer flood sensors that can detect the presence of water wherever we install them. Environmental sensors can help you detect and address these issues before they create a mess that takes a significant amount of time and money to repair.

An Interlogix wireless freeze/flood sensor.

Environmental sensors, such as this combination freeze and flood sensor by Interlogix, can quickly alert you to weather-related disasters.

In addition to the obvious security these sensors create, they also provide an unexpected benefit. In our post sharing 5 Surprising Home Security System Benefits, we explain that insurance companies base their rates on the perceived risk of an incident at your home or business. Therefore, providers frequently offer rate discounts for taking measures to proactively address these risks. Often, installing environmental sensors can trigger just this type of discount! We encourage our customers to ask their insurance company about this potential. The ability to add this important security and save money can make installing this equipment an easy decision! Next up, let’s look at a couple smart home devices that add unique weather-related security.

Extreme Weather Security through Alarm.com Smart Home Devices

Over the past several years, customers have begun leaning heavily on cellular dialers to monitor their alarm systems. These dialers allow customers without phones to experience the security of a monitored burglar alarm. Additionally, cellular dialers can act as a backup for customers who do have phones. This ensures alarm communication in the event the home’s phone lines go down. Finally, an interactive cellular dialer, such as ours powered by Alarm.com, packs even more features. For example, interactive cell monitoring customers can control their alarm systems with their cell phones. This feature alone has helped make Alarm.com our most popular alarm monitoring option.

More importantly for this post, the Alarm.com cellular dialer also acts as a Z-Wave smart home hub. This allows us to install Z-Wave smart home appliances that you can control with the same smartphone app that you use to arm and disarm your home security system. Moreover, any Z-Wave connected devices can also send you push and text notifications. This means that environment-related smart home devices can send you important alerts about weather-related issues. In this section, we’ll take a look at a couple of these devices. First, we’ll focus on our Alarm.com smart thermostat. This device allows you to both control and track the environment on your property at all times. From there, we’ll look at the Alarm.com Water Valve + Meter, one of the most powerful environmental security devices the industry has ever seen.

The Alarm.com Smart Thermostat

Like other smart home appliances, the Alarm.com Smart Thermostat allows for both remote control and instant event notifications. In this case, the “control” feature entails the ability to set the desired temperature at your home from a smartphone or other internet-connected device. This feature allows you to manually adjust the temperature at any time. Furthermore, it allows you to set temperature schedules based on your own regular activity. For example, businesses often set their thermostats to cool down at closing time and heat back up again an hour before the first employee comes in.

An Alarm.com notification warning a homeowner of excessive HVAC run time.

Alarm.com thermostats provide real-time control over your home’s environment. They also detect potential issues with your appliances to help keep your energy costs as low as possible.

Additionally, this device also provides instant alerts in the case of temperatures outside of a customizable range. Therefore, you will receive an alert for either a dengerously high or low temperature. Finally, this device can track HVAC efficiency to let you know when you may need repairs. For example, the pictured alert can tell you that your HVAC equipment has to work harder than usual to maintain your desired temperatures. Obviously, this knowledge can help you call for repairs before the issue leads to major damage in your home. Next, let’s look at another unique Alarm.com smart device that provides extreme weather security.

The New Alarm.com Water Valve + Meter

At the beginning of last year, Alarm.com announced the release of their new Water Valve + Meter. This new offering works with customers’ existing Alarm.com water sensors to provide proactive security against flooding. For example, if one of your water sensors detects a leak, this piece of equipment will shut down your home’s water. Because it contains both a valve and a meter, it can do this without the need to purchase any additional equipment. The device’s meter feature also allows it to detect leaks, even in areas without water sensors. In fact, the water meter helps provide homeowners with unique insights into their water use! This can help you address inefficiency’s in your property’s infrastructure, as well as help you address areas where you could cut back on water usage. Now, let’s see how cameras can help you keep an eye out for weater-related issues!

Using Surveillance to Check on Conditions at Your Property

Of course, many people realize the security-related benefits of installing cameras on their properties. Cameras can help catch criminals who prevent acts of vandalism or burglary. Additionally, smart cameras can even send instant text alerts upon detecting motion, allowing you to take the quickest action possible to address potential issues. However, we often surprise customers when we suggest adding cameras to monitor their homes and businesses for other reasons. For example, adding basement cameras can help customers verify any alarms coming from flood sensors. Outdoor cameras can also alert customers to the effects of inclement weather on their property’s exterior. This can include spotting downed trees and power wires in the vicinity of your property. This additional security makes adding video surveillance to your security plan an even easier decision!

Putting it All Together

We hope that this post will help you add valuable extreme weather security to your own porperty. Moreover, we encourage you to contact us with any questions you may have about this important topic. We use a variety of approaches to help customers stay one step ahead of weather-related threats. Furthermore, we also provide free site surveys to both new and existing customers alike. While on site, we can address any weather-related or general security concerns that you may have. Additionally, we can make suggestions of our own based on what we see during our visit. Together, we can create complete security plan to keep your property, as well an everyone in it, as safe and secure as possible.