Keeping Your Security Up to Date

Like just about any type of technology, security equipment gets less effective as it ages. Of course, some of the reason behind this lies in the fact that electronics get less effective and more prone to failing to work as intended as they age. Moreover, older security equipment often fails to have the new and improved security features that we now offer. For this reason, we recommend that our customers periodically check in to make sure they still have the most effective security equipment availbale. In this post, we provide several important tips to help you with keeping your security up to date.

First, we’ll focus on a couple different types of burglar alarm updates we can provide. These will include examining updates of both your alarm equipment itself as well as your security monitoring. From there, we’ll see how adding smart home devices can provide a huge overall security upgrade. Finally, we’ll also look at adding both still and recorded images to your home’s security. The ability to have “eyes” on your home at all times provides a huge security boost. Now, let’s get started with some tips to update your security system.

Burglar Alarm Updates

As we’ve said in several posts, burglar alarms (also known as “security systems”) create the cornerstone of our home security measures for most of our customers. Installing an alarm creates a couple layers of security. For starters, an alarm creates a blaring siren response upon detecting a breach. This alerts anyone on site to the potential danger and often scares the thief away. Moreover, our burglar alarm monitoring service also creates a police dispatch if necessary. In this section, we’ll look at ways to update both of these services. First, we’ll discuss burglar detection equipment upgrades to help add security. Then, we’ll share the latest and greatest in alarm monitoring options.

Upgrading Your Equipment

A big part of keeping your security up to date involves making sure you have the best equipment available. In our post on Smart Security System Design, we touch on the importance of choosing the best sensors for your security needs. In general, alarm systems generally have a combination of door and window sensors, as well as motion detectors. However, many people fail to take advantage of some effective alarm technology that they may not know about.

To make your alarm as effective as possible, we often use more unique alarm sensors to stop criminals. For example, glass break detectors catch the sound and vibrations caused by breaking glass. These sensors can secure an entire room against this type of attack. We also offer shock sensors that sense the vibrations caused by someone attempting to pry or break through a window. Finally, we can even install security screens that will activate your alarm upon getting cut or pulled away from your windows. All of these ideas secure your home better than any cookie-cutter alarm system design with only door sensors and motion detectors. Now, let’s see how you can add the most effective alarm monitoring possible.

Modernizing Your Monitoring

As we pointed out earlier, a monitored alarm can call out for help and set in motion a visit from the police upon detecting a burglary. In order to create this response, we must connect your alarm to our central monitoring station. Traditionally, this process involves tying your property’s existing phone lines to your security panel. Unfortunately, phone-line based monitoring comes with some serious shortcomings. For starters, any phone outage effectively negates alarm monitoring for systems monitored through a phone line. Of course, events such as severe weather and traffic accidents involving telephone poles can affect phone service. Furthermore, burglars often cut phone lines before attempting a break-in.

For these reasons, we recommend installing a cellular dialer to monitor your home alarm. These dialers use a cellular network, rather than a phone line, to communicate with our central station. This allows your alarm to stay monitored without any phone lines present at all. Furthermore, our cellular dialer, powered by Alarm.com, creates added security and convenience. For example, it offers “interactive” security monitoring that puts you in unique control of your security system. The benefits to this type of monitoring include both security and convenience-related features.

When we refer to interactive security monitoring, we refer to the ability to control and receive direct communication from your security system. Using a mobile app, our Alarm.com customers can arm and disarm their security systems. Furthermore, the Alarm.com app also allows you to create alarm notifications for important events. These can include alarm activations, as well as system arming and disarming events or other status updates such as low system batteries. Finally, the Alarm.com cell dialer works on a popular smart home network to create truly unique security. In fact, we’ll focus on exactly this type of security in our next section!

Adding Smart Home Security and Functionality

Our Alarm.com customers can install smart devices that connect to our cellular dialer’s Z-Wave smart home receiver. The term “Z-Wave” refers to a mesh network providing communication between our Alarm.com dialer and smart home devices that operate on this network. As one of the most popular smart home platforms, Z-Wave technology gives you many options to add smart security devices. Our customers control these smart home appliances with the same Alarm.com app that they use to control their security systems.

For example, these devices include appliances such as Z-Wave light bulbs that you can control remotely to make your home look occupied while you are away. Additionally, Z-Wave locks allow you to let contractors or housesitters into your home without providing a key. Moreover, the universal Z-Wave outlet allows you to turn any appliance into a smart home device!

For example, customers often plug coffee pots, hair curlers, or other potentially dangerous devices into these outlets. This allows them to ensure they’ve powered down any electrical appliances that may start a fire. Of course, if they’ve forgotten to do so, they can fix the issue with the push of a button. The ability to intsall Z-Wave smart home devices is yet another important reason customers often request interactive monitoring features. Next up, we’ll shift our focus to adding image-based security features in your own home.

Creating Image-Related Home Security

Any discussion of keeping your security up to date deserves the mention of adding image-related security measures. When it comes to home security, a picture often is worth a thousand words. Image-related security measures can help you solve a crime, rather than just alert you to one. We have ways to add both still pictures and video security to your alarm.

For example, image-capturing motion detectors can snap a picture and send it to our central station upon alarm activation. This helps the central station verify the presence of a thief in your home. If the central station dispatcher does spot something wrong, they can then pass this information along to the police in order to potentially create a quicker response.

Furthermore, our Alarm.com smart cameras add an even deeper level of security, making them one of our most poppular means of keeping your security up to date. These smart cameras provide both live real-time video and motion-based recorded video clips that you can access on your phone at any time. Furthermore, you can even set up video notifications to give you live alerts when these cameras detect motion. This can help you catch anything from the return of your kids from school to an unwanted guest sneaking around your yard!

Putting it All Together and Keeping Your Security Up to Date

We hope that this post aids you in keeping your security up to date! Additionally, we encourage you to contact us with any security-related questions this post may raise for you. We are always glad to help both new and existing customers upgrade their security measures. Moreover, we also invite you to take advantage of our free site survey program. We provide complimentary security audits and equipment quotes to any current or prospective customers. While on site, we can create a plan to keep your security as current and effective as possible. Furthermore, we can also make suggestions based on our own observations of your property. Together, we can help you create a complete security plan to keep you, your home, and your family as safe and secure as possible!