When we work with customers to create a home security plan, we must do so with all of a home’s residents in mind. For many families, this means interacting with their secuirty equipment at standard times. Residents may leave for work and school at similar times, locking doors and arming their alarm behind them. From there, family members may start arriving home and, later, going to bed at similar times. Of course, security equipment gets deactivated and reactivated at similar times most days under this arrangement. However, we must often get a little more creative when designing security for families on multiple schedules. In this post, we’ll explain the challenges this presents, as well as how we address them.
For starters, we’ll review the scenarios that can lead to security difficulties when dealing with varying schedules. From there, we’ll focus on the solutions to these issues. The first couple solutions involves security system-related best practices. Then, we’ll discuss some smart home-related solutions to potential security pitfalls. Now, let’s get started with an overview of the obstacles we face in creating security for families on differing schedules.
Challenges Creating Security for Families on Multiple Schedules
As we’ve touched on, creating security for families with a uniform schedule doesn’t always require too much creativity. However, families with people coming and going at different times presents a different experience. For starters, security system use can create unwanted noise at various times of the day and night. Luckily, we have some fairly straightforward ways to cut down on this.
More importantly, houses with residents on different schedules often create issues that compromise your security. Off the bat, this situation can lead to people failing to activate their security equipment. After all, when people work different shifts, attend night classes, or have vastly different calendars in schedules to arriving home and leaving home, they often do not know if they leave home last. This can lead to residents failing to secure your home, as they do not realize they should do so.
Making sure your security system stays armed when needed represents one of the security challenges for families with multiple schedules.
In the rest of this post, we’ll look at a couple different angles for solving these issues. In the next couple sections, we’ll discuss a couple security-system related approaches to this threat. From there, we’ll also look at adding some equipment that can streamline your family’s security procedures. Let’s dive in with a look at a couple of alarm-related best practices.
Security System Arming and Disarming Best Practices
Of course, one of the difficulties of a multiple-schedule household revolves around not waking people up while coming and going. As we’ve already mentioned, operating an alarm often leads to noise issues. For example, walking into an armed home generally causes your alarm to “beep” until someone turns it off. On an even more disruptive note, alarms generally also beep throughout a lengthy “countdown” when someone arms the security system on the way out. Both of these events make comings and goings even noisier than usual. This can lead to lost sleep for those on different schedules.
Fortunately, we offer fixes for this issue. For starters, many security systems have a “quiet arm” feature. This allows residents to leave home and arm their system without an audible countdown! We encourage customers who may need this function to make sure the alarm system they install has this option and that they know how to use it. Furthermore, we also offer remote keyfobs to elminate the “disarming” countdown that commences upon coming home to an armed security system. These keyfobs allow you to disarm the security system from outside. Therefore, the alarm no longer needs to “remind” you to walk over and turn it off upon arrival. Next up, let’s see how interactive monitoring features help improve security for families on multiple schedules.
Taking Advantage of Interactive Security Monitoring Features
One of the potential security threats we’ve brought up for families with multiple schedules involves not utilizing existing security equipment. Unlike families with similar routines, those that work on differing schedules often fail to realize that they’ve left the house after everyone else. Therefore, they may fail to arm the security system on the way out. Of course, once everyone leaves the house, most customers have no way of knowing that this has happened. Luckily, we have a unique way of addressing this common concern.
Our cellular dialer, powered by Alarm.com, creates direct communication between our customers and their security systems. This allows us to offer interactive security monitoring services. The interactive features created by this type of monitoring include the ability to remotely arm and disarm your security system using a smartphone app. We can offer this because our cellular dialer acts as a dedicated cell phone board inside your alarm. In turn, this lets you send commands to your security system the same way you would send a text. Worried about your alarm’s status while everyone is away from the house? Simply open your phone and check on it. If needed, you can then arm the system with the touch of a button.
For added security, interactive monitoring customers can also create customizable alerts. For example, you can receive text alerts regarding any alarm activation. Moreover, you can also receive notice any time somebody arms or disarms your security system. Finally, and most relevant to this post, you can receive time-based alerts about events that do not happen. For example, you may know that everyone generally vacates your home by noon. Now, you can get a text if the alarm stays disarmed past this point! From there, you can quickly arm the system and get your security back in order. For more information on interactive security alerts, check out our Guide to Alarm.com Alerts. Last but not least, let’s examine how smart products can help your own family’s security efforts.
Smart Products for Added Security
Of course, security systems represent a highly significant portion of any complete security plan. However, we also need to build on this base with other security measures. When working to creating security for families with multiple schedules, we often use smart home equpment to do so. Most people understand the “convenience” aspect of installing smart home appliances. After all, using your phone to control your home’s electronics from both near and far adds quite a bit of ease. When you combine smart home efficiency with security-minded equipment, it can do quite a bit to add security when people come and go at different times.
Smart locks, such as this model by Yale and powered by Alarm.com, allow users to control their locks remotely and receive instant locking and unlocking alerts, adding both security and convenience.
For example, smart deadbolts allow you to lock and unlock your doors remotely. Our preferred Alarm.com models even send out alerts when your doors stay unlocked past a certain time! This allows you to eliminate worry about your home staying unlocked as the last person leaves. Furthermore, smart cameras and smart doorbells can give you a visual of activity around your house as both residents and guests enter and exit your residence. Moreover, we even install smart thermostats and temperature sensors that can help you regulate energy costs during periods of lower activity in your home. For more information, feel free to check out our 7 Important Security System Additions for Your Smart Home.
Putting it All Together
We hope that this post will help you see how you can create security for your own family, especially if you run into the issues described here. Additionally, we encourage you to contact us with any security-related questions you may have. We will happily answer any questions that the material presented here raises for you. Moreover, we also invite you to take advantage of our free site survey program. We offer complimentary security audits and equipment quotes to both new and existing customers alike. During our visit, we can address any areas of concern you may have. Furthermore, we can also make suggestions of our own based on our observations of your property.
Perhaps you already have a solid security “base” in place, but wish to expand on your suite of security products. Or, maybe you do not have much in the way of security yet, and wish to get a complete plan started from the ground up. Either way, we are more than happy to help. We’ve helped hundreds of customers both enhance their security and start their security projects from scratch. Together, we can create a plan to keep you, your most valuable possessions, and your family as safe and secure as possible!