Home Security Devices -- How To Choose A Company To Buy From

It is important to choose the right company when you buy home security devices like alarms. Wrong choices can have unforeseen consequences, including you becoming liable for claims! Here are some of the factors you must look into.

Before you approach a company, do an assessment of your needs. How much protection do you want? What compromises are you willing to put up with? What is your budget?

Remember, there is no such thing as a perfect home security alarm or system. All design is a compromise and choosing and installing home security products is no exception.

The best home security companies are willing to work with you to come up with a solution that is right for you and your family. They will take into account your house and environs, the perceived threats, your family's lifestyle and of course, your budget.

Make sure that the company you are considering has been in this business for at least three to five years.

In addition, they should be able to provide you with local referrals of their existing customers. Follow up on the referrals and find out what their experience has been, both good and bad. Ask them specifically what they did not like about the company or it products.

Ask the company about insurance. That includes workman's compensation, general liability, errors and omissions, etc. Did you know that if the company is not adequately protected, any claims and losses might fall on you?

That's why you must ask to see insurance certificates for all these items. You have every right to ask, because of the potential liability you are exposing yourself to. Make sure you are protected.

Read the contract carefully. If you don't understand something, ask the company and if necessary, your lawyer. Check the warranty period and what the warranty covers.

If you have specific requirements that you agree on with the company, ensure it is put into writing.

If you are using a monitored alarm system, find out whether it is monitored locally or outside the state.

Ensure that the company does the full installation themselves and do not subcontract all or part of the work.

Follow the above tips on choosing a company to supply home security devices and alarms and you may save yourself a whole lot of trouble later on.

James Strobes is a home and office security consultant. For information on home security in general, home safety for children and more, see the foregoing links

Increase Your Home Security With Wireless Security Cameras

Wireless security cameras are becoming extremely popular as an integral part of many home security systems these days. One of the main reasons is their ease of installation. They can also be used for many practical purposes including keeping an eye on your nanny or babysitter when you are away, making sure kids behave when you are not at home, monitoring the security both inside and outside your home at all times, and more.

As mentioned, one of the best features about wireless security cameras is that they can be easily installed almost anywhere. Because there are no wires to run through walls and from floor to floor most of the hard work of installing video surveillance cameras at home has been eliminated. Essentially, you just find a discreet spot for the camera that will provide you with a good view of the area you want to see and then mount it there.

The images from the wireless camera can be transmitted to be displayed on any appropriate monitor, including your computer screen or on your TV, by a receiver that is connected to the viewing device. With the right equipment you can even have several wireless security cameras connected to a single receiver that allows you to shuffle through all of the camera images to constantly monitor what is going on. In fact, if your TV has a picture-in-picture feature you may also be able to view the camera images in the small screen while you watch your favorite TV shows.

There are also software products available that can take remote monitoring to a new level. They enable you to be able to log into your home computer from any internet connection and view the camera video at home whenever you want. So you no longer have to be physically present to keep an eye on things at home.

The other major benefit of most wireless camera systems is that they are very inexpensive. In fact, it may surprise you to see how little such a system can cost. And because of their ease of installation and use, most likely you won't need anyone else to install it for you either, again saving on the total cost of the wireless system.

So why not investigate the idea of installing a wireless security camera system in your home? It's easy, affordable, and very effective for many home surveillance uses.

Find out more about wireless home security and wireless home security systems by visiting our Home Security website.

How To Successfully Use Home Security Cameras

Increasing home security can be accomplished in several ways. Some of those include home security systems and alarms, neighborhood watch programs and more. But home security camera systems are growing in popularity lately. Let see why.

A home security camera system does not have to be expensive or extensive to help you keep in touch with what is going on around your home at all times. Just a few well-placed cameras at very strategic locations can be all that you need. For instance, cameras that are placed at opposite outside corners of your home can provide good coverage of most of the perimeter of the house. You can even connect these cameras to motion sensitive devices that only turns them on when motion is detected in it's surveillance area.

A couple of cameras inside the home can also be used in a very similar way and because many surveillance cameras are very small these days they can be practically invisible to the casual observance. In fact, oftentimes something as simple and cheap as a webcam can be used to capture enough video to give you the information that you need to be able to successfully monitor your home. And these are very small and inexpensive cameras to use.

With these cameras in place, you can monitor what is happening at your home from a great distance by combining them with appropriate software and connecting through the internet to view the results. There is software available that will alert you by email when motion is detected in a particular area. Or you can choose to have the cameras record video continuously for you and save it to a server where you can then access it and review it at your leisure.

Some use these setups to keep an eye on babysitters, or to monitor what their children are doing while they are away.

Of course, even if you do not have children, a home security camera system can still be beneficial for peace of mind when you are away from home. It can help you make sure that no nasty surprises will be awaiting you upon your return home.

So give consideration to incorporating a home security camera system in your security arsenal. It's cheap and very effective.

Find out more about a home security camera system and home security surveillance by visiting our Home Security website.

Home Security How You Can Help the Police Before Your Property is Stolen.

Welcome back to part 7, if you have implemented the recommendations we have made so far you will have gone a long way toward protecting your home. Nobody can promise that you will not fall victim to a thief, so in this article I want to give you a few tips on how you can help the police retrieve your goods if it should be stolen.

Make an inventory of your property.

Keep a list of your processions in a secure place, perhaps in a safe deposit box or with a friend, this will help the police if you do have a burglary, and it will also help to support a claim if you have a house fire or some other kind of loss.

The better the job you do on the property inventory the more help it will be. Now that digital cameras are readily available take pictures of all the rooms in your home and their contents. In case of a loss by fire or flood etc. it will help you in your claim with your insurance provider.

On your property list, show, which room the goods, were in. Describe the article as fully as feasible; include the manufacturer model number, size, color, and the material the article is made of as well as its price. It is also a good idea to include damage marks, repairs, etc because these are unique to your things.

Mark your goods with your Post Code, your Drivers License Number or some other number that is exclusive to you but do not use your Social Security number! Properly marked property is hard for a burglar to sell on to someone else, and it makes it easier to trace them back to you.

Always mark your assets by engraving in an area that cannot be simply removed and is not in plain sight, if you cannot engrave the thing use a permanent marker or an ultra violet pen. Some items are not suitable for marking and this is where a digital or video camera comes into its own.

Now that you have a catalogue of your property make certain you keep it up to date!

Having marked your property make sure that any possible burglar knows about it, a small sticker displayed on doors and windows will do the job. These are generally available from your local police station or crime prevention officer.

Burglary is the most frequent form of theft in the United States; by marking your property you are taking an important step in protecting your home and avoiding the distress that this type of home invasion causes.

In the next part of this series I will be giving you a few dos and don'ts to help you with your personal and home security, see you soon.

Roger Overantout

For more vital home security tips and information about how to protect your home and family please visit www.homesecuritynews.info

You may reproduce this article provided you maintain an active link back to www.homesecuritynews.info

For more vital home security tips and information about how to protect your home and family please visit www.homesecuritynews.info

You may reproduce this article provided you maintain an active link back to www.homesecuritynews.info

Home-Based Business Safety and Security Issues

 by: Vishal P. Rao

Anyone that operates a business from home knows that home-based business security issues often come up. This is just part and parcel of running any home-based business.

Realistically, in order to be successful at a home-based business, a business owner needs to release their address and phone number to potential clients or buyers eventually. Even if this is not done, it is rather easy for potential clients and buyers to research and discover the phone number and location of a home-based business.

Therefore, it can be harrowing at times, for home-based business owners in the issues of safety and security, especially if their home-based business is indeed, in their home, exposing their family members to security and safety issues and risks, as well as themselves.

This is not to say that undue measures should be taken, or that undue fear should pervade. A home-based business is really at no more risk of crimes against person or property than a personal residence or any other type of business.

Pre-cautionary measures should however, within normal guidelines be employed, to prevent any untoward occurrences during the course of a business day and after office hours. These measures can include, but should not be limited to the following:

1. The locking of doors and windows as is convenient and the implementation of safety and security devices, even when the building is occupied. Many home-based business owners don't feel that they may legitimately keep the doors and windows "locked", as they may feel that this will inconvenience their clients. This is not true, as any visit to a corporate building will soon prove.

Whenever visitors enter a corporate structure, they are usually scrutinized well by cameras, security personnel and other safety and security methods. As a home-based business owner, you do have every right to employ locked doors and windows, and even implement security cameras and other devices. It is your right under law, and clients, overall, will understand this.

2. The use of structural security measures, such as deadbolts, dogs, fencing, and one-way viewing glass inserted into doors. Measures such as these are used routinely by homeowners and a business within a home does not rule out the use of these deterrents.

3. The use of a separate phone line for business needs. This is only a small added expense per month, but when clients call, no one in a home-based business person's "family" will inadvertently answer, thus lending to the belief that the business is not attached to a personal residence in any way.

4. The use of legitimate business e-mail addresses. No personal addresses should be used. If a business address is used, it leads clients to believe that the business is larger, with more employees present in the building.

5. Routine office hours should be kept. Answering the phone and taking orders ONLY within set regular business hours will prevent clients from "showing up on the doorstep" after certain hours, and will lend a more professional air to a business.

6. Keeping background noise down during office hours. Clients are quick to "pick up" on background noises. On a professional level, an office should be as quiet as possible, with no interruptions by "family" or "friends". This also is a safety measure, as clients will assume the business is strictly unattached from the residence if they sense no background noise.

7. Emergency phone numbers should be posted in clear view. This includes fire, police, and other emergency numbers.

8. A system of "check points" can be established, whereas a friend or family member can regularly call or enter the building or home, to determine if all is well.

9. An emergency system needs to be in place. Any unwanted visitors or unwanted attentions by others need to be reported completely and thoroughly to authorities, as soon as these instances occur. This is especially true if threats or accusations occur. Business owners do not need to "put up" with aggression or unwanted visits by clients.

10. Common sense is the best detriment to tragedies occurring in a home-based business. Never open the door to strangers, never work alone late at night in a deserted area, never deliver anything late at night to a bad neighborhood, or otherwise put yourself or your family in jeopardy. If something doesn't "feel" right, trust your instincts.

As you can see, running a business within the home doesn't need to be fraught by peril. It does require that safety and security measures are implemented, but this is true of any type of business. Remember, "safety first, money later"!

Vishal P. Rao is the editor of http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com - A website dedicated to opportunities, ideas and resources for starting a home based business. He is also the owner of the http://www.work-at-home-forum.com - an online community of folks who work at home.