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

Motion Detectors And Your Home Security

Being fully aware of what is going on around your home, both day and night, is a good strategy for home security. And having measures in place that make a break-in to your home very difficult when you aren't there decreases the likelihood that a successful home intrusion will take place. And advancing technology continues to arm homeowners with more and more sophisticated ways to protect their home and family with devices that constantly monitor what is going on around the home.

One of those devices is the simple motion detector. For years they have been used in other applications like garage doors where it prevents allowing the door to close if it senses movement or a blockage underneath the door. But now they are being increasingly used in home security systems to help inform the homeowner of outside movement,especially at night, and also even set off surveillance systems that can capture on video what is happening as well.

So how can you include motion detectors in your home security system? One of the most simple ways to do so is just to install lights around the house at strategic spots that have motion sensors in them and turn on automatically when triggered at night. These kind ofr lights can be found at any hardware or home improvement store and are very inexpensive. They can be wired into your home lighting system and turned on manually, or you can also use battery powered units that are light sensitive and can only be activated when darkness falls. Just be sure to replace the batteries regularly.

For more advanced home security systems, motion detectors can be used to trigger the home alarm system when activated. They are often installed inside the home in addition to sensors that monitor the doors and windows. If someone does gain entry to your home while you are away they will detect the movement and trigger the alarm. This works very well if you don't have pets or small animals that would be moving around the home and could trigger false alarms.

They also can be used outside to turn on video surveillance cameras for more advanced security systems. When installed with video cameras, they can trigger the camera to begin recording whenever motion is detected, and also notify you of the movement if you are home. Since the video camera only captures the action when motion is detected it doesn't have to be on all the time and this saves a lot of video tape or hard drive space depending on how the camera saves the video information.

As you can see the humble, hard working motion detector can be used in a variety of ways to help guard your home and family. Why not begin thinking about how you can include them to enhance your own security system today?

Find out more about a home security system and motion detector alarms by visiting our Home Security Review website.

Homeland Security Industry Growth through Consolidation

Homeland Security Firms Evolve and Expand Product Portfolios

By: Ann-Marie Fleming February 2006

In early February, President Bush presented his fiscal year 2007 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The request for $42.7 billion indicates a 6 percent increase in funding from the 2006 budget.

Elaborating on the priorities of the FY 2007 budget request, Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff explained in a recent press conference, "The budget focuses on strengthening our initiatives in protecting our borders, increasing our preparedness, expanding our intelligence gathering and sharing, and improving maritime and transportation security."

This bodes well for companies operating in this arena, in particular those with technology surrounding surveillance, detection and identification products to assist in meeting the needs of border, port and transportation security and overall homeland security readiness.

Defense sector correspondent James H. Smith in his weekly column, "The Defense Market Report"(exclusive HDS feature), explains, M&A activity continued to be the strategic weapon of choice for companies wanting to move decisively into desirable market niches. Top acquirers used M&A activity to drive their top lines far past the levels achievable through organic growth alone. With an estimated US$38 billion in worldwide M&A activity in the aerospace and defense sectors, 2005 was a very good year. And the current year also looks promising."

As the homeland security industry continues to establish itself as a long term market, many anticipate M&A activity to become more prevalent. Scott Sacknoff, manager of the SPADE? Defense Index (AMEX: ^DXS) describes, "The homeland security market is ripe for consolidation. With so many companies offering single solutions and products, we can expect a number of acquisitions in the homeland security market in the coming years as firms seek to offer a portfolio of security options under one roof."

Building product portfolios has become a necessary strategy for many firms working to address the growing needs within the homeland security arena. Dore Perler, CEO of Sense Holdings, Inc (OTCBB: SEHO) explains, "Today's terrorist activities are a global religious and political phenomenon encompassing a broad spectrum of national security threats. These threats range from a lone aggressor covertly gaining access to a national infrastructure asset, all the way to a organized large-scale conspiracy by a number of well-financed suicidal fanatics. The ubiquitous utilization of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) introduces a particularly difficult challenge to security forces throughout the world. The only effective way to simultaneously confront all of these security threats is by the intelligent application of high technology."

"Sense believes that the solution to this problem requires the mass-deployment of security systems integrating Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Biometric Identification and Micro Electromechanical Sensors (MEMS). These Sensors, or electronic noses, are designed to detect infinite amounts of explosives, chemical warfare agents (CWA), biological warfare agents (BWA) and last, but not least, narcotics. Sense is dynamically involved and committed to the development, integration and deployment of all of these technologies," concludes Perler.

Sniffex, Inc. (OTC.PK: SNFX), a developer of a lightweight handheld distance weapon and explosives detection device explains their strategy for being able to expand their offerings, "As the expenditures for homeland defense continue to grow, the customers that we sell to through our worldwide Representative network are asking for more and more products to sell to their existing customer base. There is a huge demand around the world for products and services that can be used as a tool in fighting terror and crime. We believe that if one or our Representatives is selling Sniffex, they should be selling every other great tool in the arsenal of products and services for fighting crime."

Technest Holdings, Inc (OTCBB: TCNH) has been focused on diversifying their product base for many years to be able to target a variety of the nation's security needs. As Robert Tarini, CEO of Technest describes, "Although significant progress has been made against terrorism in the foreign arenas of Iraq and Afghanistan by our combat troops, many security problems remain unresolved domestically here in the US, in our cities, federal infrastructures and borders. Many of these security problems will be solved by innovative technologies that can be delivered by fast and nimble companies with the ability to address multiple problems through a portfolio of solutions such as Technest Holdings."

As the definition of homeland security has shifted to the concept of global security, the diversity and complexity of security and defense needs continues to grow. As a result, companies have had to evolve and expand with many firms understanding the strength of being able to solve multiple needs through further R&D of existing products and by adding new technology to their portfolios through partnerships, mergers and acquisitions.

Ann-Marie Fleming Ann-Marie Fleming completed her MBA in the United States, where she attended Webster University. She also holds an Honors B.A from the University of Toronto. She has over fifteen years of experience within the financial industry to include retail banking and brokerage, investment banking, and mortgage brokerage within the United States and Canada, with a firm background in corporate research. Disclaimer: www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp, www.HomelandDefenseStocks.com/Companies/HomelandDefense/Disclaimer.asp

Ann-Marie Fleming completed her MBA in the United States, where she attended Webster University. She also holds an Honors B.A from the University of Toronto. She has over fifteen years of experience within the financial industry to include retail banking and brokerage, investment banking, and mortgage brokerage within the United States and Canada, with a firm background in corporate research.