Upgrading Your Security for the New Year

This week, we shift from holiday shopping season to the holidays themselves. For many people, this means the chance to relax and enjoy the fruits of their labor. The time for planning and purchasing has come and gone. Now, it’s time to treasure the company of family and friends. Additionally, we also use this time to reflect on the year and make changes for the year ahead. These can include creating personal goals, as well as ideas for projects or “want lists” around our homes. At Northeast Security Solutions, we also encourage you to consider upgrading your security in the new year. As technology grows, so too does your opportunity to add convenient and effective security around your home. In this post, we aim to help you achieve this goal!

First, we’ll explain the value of working with an established security company to create a complete security upgrade plan. Then, we split these options into a couple categories. For starters, we’ll look at alarm-related upgrade options. Security system equipment makes up a significant part of any home’s overall security. Therefore, we’ll look at some ideas related to this equipment. From there, we’ll take a look at a couple other ideas. Specifically, we’ll share some ideas to add both surveillance and fire safety-related security. Now, let’s get started with a look at how we keep customers “in the know” when it comes to security equipment upgrades!

Receiving an “Education” on Your Upgrade Options

Of course, the advent of the internet age has changed the game when it comes to product research. By the time we speak to many of our customers, they have an idea as to what they want to purchase. However, we still recommend reaching out to potential security providers for help when considering upgrading your security. We do so for a couple reasons.

First and foremost, we often know of upcoming products and upgrades right as — or even before — they hit the market. In many cases, we surprise customers by offering a better version of a desired item. This alone often encourages potential customers to reach out to us. Furthermore, we can frequently upgrade your security more efficiently than you may realize. For example, we can often completely upgrade an alarm without replacing all of the system’s components!

Unfortunately, customers often overhaul their security measures more than they need to. This adds additional expense and headache. Picking up the phone and reaching out to local security providers can help ensure the most effective and efficient security upgrade possible! Next, let’s look at our most popular type of security upgrade, involving “powering up” your security system.

Alarm-Related Upgrade Options

As we mentioned earlier, we consider an alarm system one of the “building blocks” of any complete security plan. Over the last few years, alarm technology has evolved quite a bit! In fact, we recommend that our customers reach out every year or two just to see what extra security they may have the ability to add. In this section, we’ll discuss a couple ways we can add security. These additions include security sensors themselves, as well as the latest and greatest in alarm monitoring. Now, let’s get started with a look at some alarm equipment upgrade ideas!

Unique Security System Sensors

Of course, most people know about our most “basic” security sensors. These include door and window sensors, as well as motion detectors. However, many customers do not know about some of their other options for securing their home against break-ins. For example, we offer glass break detectors for areas with large windows. These sensors add tremendous security in rooms with sliding doors or picture windows. Moreover, we also install “shock” detectors on windows that can activate your alarm before a burglar even opens your window! Additionally, we can also install security screens that detect a thief cutting or removing window screens.

All of the sensors mentioned above add tremendous security against burglary-related threats. For even more all-around security, consider adding environmental sensors to your alarm. These sensors can detect conditions such as extreme cold, or the presence of water. The ability to stay informed of these types of events can help you address potential emergencies quickly. In turn, this can help you keep weather-related conditions from turning into emergencies. For more information, check out our Specialty Security Sensors for Your Home. Now, let’s look at the benefits of upgrading your security monitoring.

Upgrading Your Security Monitoring

Alarm monitoring has long remained one of the most powerful security services we offer. This service creates a central station response upon alarm activation at your home. Traditionally, we would create an alarm connection to our central station using your existing phone lines. However, this technology has evolved, allowing us to create more security and convenience than ever.

Upgrading your security monitoring now involves installing our Alarm.com-powered cellular dialer. This device uses a cellular network, rather than a phone line, to monitor your home. Therefore, phone outages no longer affect your security system’s ability to call our central station for help. Of course, this feature alone greatly enhances your alarm’s security.

Furthermore, our cellular dialer allows for interactive cellular monitoring. This feature allows you to use the Alarm.com mobile app to control your security system. Now, you can turn your alarm on and off remotely with your cell phone. Moreover, you can set up text alerts based on alarm activity. Therefore, any alarm activation or system arming or disarming event can create an instant alert. These features make our cellular monitoring one of our very most popular security upgrade options. Let’s now turn our focus to some additional security upgrades to consider this year.

Other Important Security Upgrades

Of course, even the best alarm system only provides a certain amount of security. To bolster this defense, we recommend adding some additional security items. In this section, we share a couple ways you can make your house even more secure in the coming year. First, we’ll see why the home surveillance market has made tremendous gains in recent years. Then, we’ll take a look at some valuable fire safety-related tips. Let’s get started!

Keeping “Eyes” on Your Property at All Times

In the not-so-distant past, homeowners considered installing cameras a “commercial” security measure. Cameras often proved bulky, difficult to install, and expensive. However, a few industry breakthroughs have changed things! For starters, advances in technology have allowed high-quality cameras to come with a reasonable price tag. These same technological advances have also made cameras smaller and more aesthetically pleasing when installed on homes.

Additionally, different types of cameras have emerged, allowing us to install cameras in unique locations! For example, doorbell cameras provide exceptional security at your entryways. These cameras allow to you communicate with visitors and view both live and stored footage of the area around your doors. Additionally, smart cameras have made it possible to install cameras without running wiring back to a recorder. This allows us to install cameras in homes in which running wires would provide difficult or even impossible! Due to these developments, we recommend installing surveillance as part of any security upgrade. Now, let’s take a moment to focus on improving your home’s fire safety.

Extinguishing and Escaping Fires

Fire extinguishers provide our customers with a quick, effective way to control the spread of fires. Unfortunately, we run into a couple issues when it comes to extinguishers in homes. For starters, many homeowners fail to purchase any fire extinguishers at all. We consider these devices a basic and essential piece of any security plan. Additionally, we often find that customers buy the wrong types of extinguishers for the job.

For example, did you know you should fight any grease or cooking oil-related fire with a very specific type of extinguisher? These extinguishers, called class “K” extinguishers, can douse kitchen fires that no other extinguisher could properly fight. Moreover, using the wrong type of extinguisher can actually make fires spread more quickly! Feel free to check out our post on Fire Extinguisher Classes and Best Practices for more information on this subject.

Finally, we also recommend having equipment on hand to help with escaping fires that you cannot extinguish. Unfortunately, homeowners often get caught in their bedrooms during fires. It’s often too late to try putting a fire out at this point, making escape the best option. Rather than trying to run through a burning home, we recommend having escape devices on hand for this scenario. Rope emergency fire ladders, such as this model by QWORK, quickly connect to window frames to allow escape from upper-story bedrooms. Collapsible escape ladders such as this Kidde model offer this security in an easy-to-store form, deploying quickly after opening. Having an escape device in each upper-story bedroom can provide the safest means of exit possible to all of a home’s residents during a fire.

Putting it All Together and Upgrading Your Security this Year

We hope that this post helps you implement some updated security measures in the new year. This season provides the perfect opportunity to design and install these upgrades. We encourage you to contact us with any questions you may have about the material presented here. As we mentioned earlier, we also encourage you to work with us to design a “blueprint” for your new security measures. We offer free site surveys to both new and existing customers alike.

During our visit, we can address any security concerns you may have. Moreover, we can help spot and update any outdated security equipment as efficiently and effectively as possible. Together, we can create a complete plan to upgrade your security to keep you, your most valued possessions, and your loved ones as safe and secure as possible!