Category: lkcmslk

Hurricanes put your home at extreme risk for damage, especially the windows. High winds or flying debris can easily break through your windows, exposing your home to the elements and sending shards of broken glass into you home.

Here are some ways to help hurricane-proof your windows.

Preparation

When it comes to hurricanes, the most important thing you can do is prepare for the worst so that you can protect your home and family. If you live in a hurricane prone area, you need to take the necessary steps to make sure that your home is equipped and prepared for these dangerous storms.

Ways to Reinforce your Windows Against Storms

Install Hurricane Grade Windows – You can purchase special hurricane grade windows that are designed to withstand the intense winds that accompany hurricanes and other big storms.

Keep in mind that since these windows are built much sturdier than a traditional window, they will cost you more money. That being said, they are well worth the investment since you don’t have any additional preparation to do when a hurricane hits.

Install Storm Shutters – Storm shutters are permanently attached to your home’s windows and can be deployed when necessary. When there is a threat of a storm, you need only pull the shutters down to protect the windows.

There are several different styles, colors, and materials that storm shutters can be made of. If you are unsure which type of storm shutter will work best for your home, you should consult with a professional before purchasing to make sure that you have the right coverage for your windows.

Storm shutters are one of the pricier options for hurricane-proofing your windows. However, if you live in an area where hurricanes are prevalent, it will be well worth the investment.

Plywood – Plywood is a sturdy way to protect your windows during a severe storm. Plywood can be screwed onto your windows before the storm to provide a solid, protective barrier.

You will need to make sure that the plywood overlaps the windows by at least 8 inches all around and that you use heavy duty screws to secure it.

If the plywood is undamaged after a storm, it can be stored away and used for the next hurricane. This is a cost-effective method of protecting your windows, but you will need to make sure you prepare well in advance, so you have time to get every window secured before the storm hits.

No one wants to think about the scary “what-ifs” that exist in today’s world, but the truth is there are situations in which you may need help right away and being prepared for these types of events could save your life.

Panic buttons are a great safety and security option for both businesses and home residences as a way to be prepared for a time when quick response time is a must.

What is a Panic Button?

A panic button is a small, strategically-placed device that allows you, a loved one, or employee, to quickly call for help in the event of an emergency. The device features a button and can take different forms depending on whether it’s used in a home or business. When tied to a reliable alarm monitoring system, they get the fastest response times from the police.

In a business, like a bank or retail store, panic buttons are often located under a desk or counter for quick and easy access and deployment.

If being used in a home, many panic buttons are designed to be worn as a necklace around the neck, so it is always within reach.

Panic Buttons for Businesses

A panic button located inside a business is typically used as a security measure should the business ever experience a robbery or other dangerous situation in which the police need to be deployed to the scene.

There are two different types of panic buttons used for business locations; silent or audible. Each business and their needs are different, so it is important to discuss which variation will work best for your business.

A silent alarm will be completely discreet, meaning the perpetrator will likely not know that someone engaged the alarm. This helps police catch the the robber by surprise.

An audible alarm, on the other hand, will sound an alarm that everyone will be able to hear, including the perpetrator. Audible alarms are a great way to alert others in the building of danger so they can seek shelter or evacuate.

The sound of the alarm may scare the perpetrator off or it may upset them to a point where they lash out and cause harm to those inside the building. Each business needs to determine the possible scenarios they may face and choose the right panic button for their needs accordingly.

What Businesses Need Panic Buttons?

Aside from the obvious ones, like a bank or convenience store, should other businesses have a panic button? Yes, because we’ve seen how panic buttons save lives.

Even a small business with only a few employees and rare foot traffic through their door can find itself in a situation in which police or firemen need to be dispatched immediately. Quick access to a panic button allows your employees to have a first line of defense against any potential threat. This includes protection from fires or other environmental hazards.

Your employee’s safety is your number one priority, installing panic buttons will give both you and your employees peace of mind that they can use this countermeasure to get out of a dangerous situation.

Panic Buttons at Home

Emergencies in the home happen surprisingly often, especially when it comes to the elderly and those with a disability or other condition. Panic buttons are a fantastic way to help seniors feel safe.

One of the best ways to ensure their safety and quick access to emergency responders is to wear a panic button on your person.

A panic button, or medical alarm, is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to get an emergency responder to your residence in a time of crisis.

Who Should Have a Panic Button in Their Home?

Home panic buttons are mainly geared towards the elderly as they are more prone to emergency situations in which they may not be able to go get help such as a bad fall. However, anyone with a disability or pre-existing condition that could land them in a situation where they are unable to reach a phone and call for help should have one.

Seniors, or those over the age of 65, are at a high risk for falls. If you are in your home alone and you fall and are unable to get up, having a panic button at the ready will ensure that help is on the way.

Those at risk of having a stroke or heart attack should also consider a panic button for their home. Your chance of survival for either of these conditions is greatly increased if you are able to get medical assistance quickly.

With help only a press of a button away, you can feel safe knowing that if you have an emergency, help is immediately on its way.

When to Get a Panic Button

There are several factors that play into when you should get a panic button for your home. Don’t wait until after a disaster to implement this safety measure. If you fall into any of the following categories, you should consider getting a panic button for your home:

• You live alone
• You are over age 65
• You have a history of slips and falls
• You have a history of stroke and/or heart attack or are at high risk as determined by your doctor
• You have a disability that impairs your ability to get around safely
• You have a condition that causes seizures, such as epilepsy

Panic buttons save lives on a daily basis. You and your family can breathe a little easier knowing that in the case of an unfortunate emergency event in your home, access to help is just the press of a button away.

The last thing you want to be anxious about during your work day or on vacation is the thought of an unsafe home without a security system. It can be extremely stressful knowing your family and property are at risk, especially when you know there are steps you can take to make your home more secure.

One of the main reasons many people don’t have security systems is because they think that security systems only work with phone lines—and many people don’t have phone lines. People may even think that phone lines should be more secure because they plug directly into the source, right?

Wrong.

Today’s technology has advanced to the point where there are better options for home security systems that don’t rely on phone lines! In fact, these options don’t just eliminate the need for telephone lines—they give us even more control over our home security and keep our homes safer.

The Difference Between Wireless and Cellular Security

When it comes to home security, there is a big difference between cellular and wireless systems.

Wireless home security means that the control panel and sensors around your home are linked via radio waves instead of physical wires in your home.

The term cellular refers to how the control panel communicates with your security company’s alarm monitoring center, also known as cellular monitoring. These cellular-based security systems use mobile cellular networks—instead of phone lines—to contact the monitoring center in an emergency.

Security Systems Without Landlines: How It Works

Because most homeowners rely on cellphones and no longer want to pay for a landline, companies are adapting to our changing world by offering the option to upgrade security systems to cellular technology.

Traditional alarm systems are typically connected to the monitoring center through a landline and a home phone. Their backup was cellular data in case the phone line went down.

Today’s cellular alarm systems rely on cellular data to be the primary communication path—it’s no longer just the backup option. Cellular alarm systems leverage cellphone towers near your home to communicate with your alarm monitoring center, and they are still effective in areas with limited cell service. Cellular monitoring doesn’t require the use of a phone, and you don’t have to pay a phone bill for the cellular data.

Thanks to cellular technology, cellular alarm systems are now reinforced by cellphone towers, improving their safety and speed compared to landline-based systems.

Advantages of Using Cellular Technology with a Security System

Cellular alarm monitoring offers significant advantages over landline-based systems, even though it requires that you have a cellular communicator in your system. Advantages of using cellular alarm systems include:

• Access your security system anywhere, anytime
• Text and mobile alerts, updates, and notifications
• Lower costs—including not needing to pay for a landline
• Much more reliable
• Home automation features
• More secure
• Safer because burglars can’t cut your phone line to disarm your alarm system

Making the Change to Cellular

One of the most important decisions is choosing the right company to take care of your alarm monitoring. What good is having the quicker cellular communication if your monitoring company can’t do its job well?

Find a monitoring company that offers remote and on-site maintenance. Companies like Alarm New England have a proven track record of responding to emergencies and dispatching personnel who are familiar with upgrading landline security systems with cellular technology.

You’ll be glad you made the switch to a home security system without a phone line and picked the right company to help you make the change.

When people think of a break-in to a house, they generally imagine that the crime happens in the dead of night. In this scenario, one often visualizes a stealthy criminal or team of criminals slinking into a home and quietly placing items into large duffel bags before making their exit.

They do this without waking the family or alerting the neighbors to what they are doing, and they escape before the break of dawn.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Burglaries Don’t Happen Like They Do in Movies

While midnight heists are commonplace in pop culture, real-life burglars behave quite differently. In reality most break-ins happen between 10am and 3pm because robbers want to gain entry to the home while the inhabitants are away. Entering an empty home means they can get away with making louder noises and have a lower chance of being caught.

With the kids off at school and the parents at work, late morning and early afternoon is the perfect time for somebody to try to ransack a home and take whatever valuables they can find.

Criminals will go for the most expensive, small items that are easily accessible on tables or countertops or in drawers. Laptops, tablets, jewelry, firearms, and cash are the prime targets of a home robbery, along with anything else which has high resale value.

Get to Know Your Neighbors

Knowing when a robbery is most likely to happen makes it easier to plan ways to prevent a robbery. Having a neighborhood watch designed to keep tabs on houses is a good way to ensure that everyone is invested in protecting the community from crime.

Having engaged neighbors in general is important to securing the area. If your next-door neighbor knows you’re not expecting anyone to come by your house to do work on anything, they’ll be able to prevent a fake moving company or plumber from slipping into your home and making off with your valuables.

What Time of the Year Burglaries Are Most Likely to Happen?

You should take steps to prevent break ins especially during the summer months, as this is when break-ins reach their annual peak. When families leave town for vacations, their homes become easy targets. A criminal knowing they have all day or night to rob a home is a criminal that’s confident they can take whatever they want without fear of being caught.

Summer is the season with the highest crime rate, so if you’re worried about something happening to your home while you’re away, there are plenty of different ways to secure it.

Install a Video Doorbell

Installing a video camera doorbell is one of the newest ways to protect your home from thieves. These systems usually will allow you to lock your home up remotely and also include an app that lets you watch the camera on your phone or tablet while you’re away from your house.

If you’re worried about a thief trying to take that parcel you’ve been waiting for, you can turn the phone on around the time the package is supposed to be delivered and keep track of the package until you’re home. If anything happens, you can alert the police quickly before the thief has much time to able to make their getaway.

These systems also allow you to check the door when somebody unexpected arrives at your home and you can see if it’s just a friend coming by for a surprise visit or some stranger who you want nothing to do with. And, if they get pushy about things, you can call the cops on them without having to engage with them face to face.

The Benefits of a Home Security System

If you’re looking into getting a comprehensive home security system, you should do some research into exactly what kind of system you want and what will work for your family. If you have young children, consider how they may interact with the system. For instance, young children may not understand the system and may be unable to enter in the security codes should they accidentally arm the alarm.

The best security system accommodates the needs of your family and protects them without creating additional issues that could lead to false alarms or require frequent battery changes. Talk to the different security companies to see exactly what sorts of systems they can offer you and what are the price ranges for those systems.

Also ask if the security company has an app for the smartphone that you can use to arm and disarm the system should a family member set it off and call you in a panic.

This will allow you to fix things before the police need to be alerted to the situation, saving you from costly fines for false alarms.

Home Security on a Budget

If these opens are too expensive for you, a simple lockbox or small hidden safe might be more than enough to keep a criminal from stealing the things you’re trying to protect. Making sure your windows are always secured and that you have working deadbolt locks on your doors may be more than enough to protect your home.

The age of the average criminal who commits a home robbery is 25, and usually they don’t plan out what they are doing. Therefore, offering up a solid bit of resistance may be enough to encourage them to give up and leave.

Each year Security System News picks a class of young professionals who have excelled in the security industry to be a part of the “20 under 40” Integrator Class. As the name suggests, this group consists of 20 people under the age of 40 who have proven their excellence in different areas of the security world. Each class of nominees are chosen from monitoring companies, residential companies, and commercial systems integrators.

This year Alarm New England’s own Vice President, Alexandra Curtiss was selected as a nominee. Alexandra’s focus on implementing new strategies to an older industry as well as building a dynamic team in Boston, made her a perfect candidate for the class of 2017.

“My entire team comes from outside the security industry,” she noted. “We really look for people who are super motivated, have new ideas, and for us it is a real plus to bring people from outside the industry, and bring those skills and fresh ideas to the company.”

As a local security company that focuses on the customer first and last, it made sense that when coming back to her family company, she designed the DIY model with the end user in mind. Alarm New England offers an incredibly easy do-it-yourself home security system option that has become very popular in the past few years. However, like any do-it-yourself project, the instructions and support is paramount.

“I worked for a couple of really cool companies, learning about a data-driven, metrics-orientated sales organization and what a world-class software tech support organization looks like as well as how to do marketing,” she explained. “So I brought some of those ideas back to the family security business came back specifically to integrate smart home automation, build an inside sales organization, an inbound marketing funnel and digital marketing program, [build] a DIY installation process and a stellar tech support organization.”

Security is becoming a technology and an industry that people are excited to talk about. Customers are proud to pull out their phone and show off everything that the Honeywell Total Connect App can do.

We offer state-of-the-art wireless DIY security systems from Honeywell, as well as the care and quality monitoring that a boutique dealer can offer. For 45 years, we have been protecting New England homes and properties. Our 110 local employees span across 5 offices and care deeply about your safety because we live right down the street! Like all good things, this deal is only available for a limited time. So click or tap get special offer below to take advantage of latest promotion.