What Kind Of Home Security System Do You Need?

There are several simple and low cost security measures that anyone can put in place around their home to greatly enhance their security. And usually it's a good idea to put some of these common sense measures in place first when you give attention to home security. But after you have done all that you can to reduce the likelihood of someone breaking into your home otherwise, it's a good idea to start seriously thinking about installing a home security system as well, especially if your budget will allow it.

To start with, an alarm system can just consist of sensors that are placed on all the windows and doors that are connected to a main system. When armed, if any of those sensors detect an opened window or door, it alerts the system which begins a countdown of a set number of seconds for the alarm to be deactivated by the owner if returning home, until it sounds a very loud siren to warn of a possible intrusion. This kind of relatively simple alarm system has been in use and proved to be very effective for many years now.

But advancing technology has made other additions and enhancements available that can improve your security level even further.

For instance, now you can add motion detectors to a security system to make it even more effective. By putting motion sensors inside the home, even if the thief manages to bypass the entry sensors, they will still be caught by their movement inside the home and the alarm will be triggered.

Another increasingly popular option is to connect the alarm system to an outside monitoring service that will determine if an alarm being triggered is a real emergency or just a false alarm, and in the case of a real break-in will report that to local law enforcement. Most of the time the connection with this service has been made through regular phone lines, but recently some companies have started using cellular phone service instead. This eliminates the possibility that someone could cut the phone lines in advance and prevent notification of the alarm service, and it also allows alarm monitoring even when the power is out if the security system uses a backup battery in such situations.

Another increasingly popular addition to home security systems is video surveillance of the outside of the home. The low cost of security cameras has made this kind of option more affordable than most would initially believe. By installing small, discreet cameras at strategic locations outside the home, you can monitor what is going on and even record it if you wish. These cameras can also be connected to motion sensitive devices so that they alert you when movement is detected and can begin recording upon being triggered. There are plenty of things that can be done with video cameras to enhance a home security system, but this should give you a few ideas of what is possible though.

So do you need these added security enhancements? As with many questions involving consumer purchases the answer is maybe. If your budget simply doesn't allow for them at this point, then a simple alarm system is certainly better than none at all. But if you can afford to install some of the options mentioned above as well, it can be a good investment that helps promote more peace of mind.

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

Home Business PC Security For Dummies

The Internet is a powerful tool for home-based businesses. If used effectively, it can be your best friend; but if you dont secure your computer, it can be your worst enemy. Im sure youve had your fill of warnings about the latest killer computer virus. So Im not going to harp on about the latest threat, or the potential for damage. What I WILL do is provide some protection tips and links for the layperson.

The Internet is a powerful tool for home-based businesses. If used effectively, it can be your best friend; but if you dont secure your computer, it can be your worst enemy. Im sure youve had your fill of warnings about the latest killer computer virus. So Im not going to harp on about the latest threat, or the potential for damage. What I WILL do is provide some protection tips and links for the layperson.

(And now for the obligatory disclaimer: Im no tech-head Im an advertising copywriter and website copywriter. So this article is certainly not definitive or exhaustive. Its simply an overview of some useful and easy to use solutions which should meet most of your requirements. I have no affiliation with the vendors or their distributors, and would encourage people to shop around before buying.)

When you run a home-based business with one or two computers the main things you need to protect against are malicious hackers, worms, viruses, hijackers, trojans, spyware, and adware. For most people, the following tools are all you need.

Firewall e.g. Outpost Firewall Pro

Basically, a firewall stops unwanted stuff getting in. Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro is powerful and easy to use. You can get it from http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpost/ for USD$39.95. It claims to provide the following protection.

Detects and blocks all intrusions by hackers
Blocks data theft attempts
Operates your computer into stealth mode, making it invisible to intruders
Analyzes your inbox and Quarantines Internet worms and viruses
Monitors network activity of your PC
Protects your children from illegal, inappropriate web sites
Provides full access to a thorough history of your connections
Prevents data leak from your PC
Averts invasions of your privacy through the Internet
Conceals your surfing habits when browsing the Web

As a general note, your firewall will be the hardest security software to use because it'll ask you a lot of questions, such as:

Such and such program is trying to connect with such and such server on the internet.
Such and such server is trying to connect to your computer (these are the ones you have to be very careful of, as they may be people trying to hack your computer).
A particular application has changed in some way. Do you want to make changed components shared with all other applications which interact with it?
A program is attempting to change a registry value. Is that ok?

You'll also get a lot of these sorts of questions when you first install the firewall. Once you've set up a few rules, they'll go away because the rules will handle most things.

You can also set the firewall to block active content (javascript, activex, etc.) on websites you visit and emails you receive. If you normally visit only trusted websites and you don't get much spam, you don't really need this feature. But if anyone is visiting dubious sites, or if you get a lot of spam, or you're just very careful, it's a useful feature. TIP: If you do a lot of web surfing, configure Outpost so that whenever you visit a new site, it asks you if you want to allow or block active content (select Options | Plug-Ins Setup, then click Settings, then choose the Exclusions tab and check the box at the bottom of the screen Add Web sites to the exclusions list on the first visit).

Virus Protection e.g. BitDefender 8 (Standard)

Basically, virus protection identifies and quarantines known viruses on your computer. You can get BitDefender 8 (Standard) at http://www.bitdefender.com/bd/site/products.php?p_id=2# for USD$44.95. It claims to provide the following protection.

Scans and disinfect infected files on access, minimizing data loss
Allows you to recover infected documents
Filters against viruses that spread via instant messaging and file sharing software
Monitors your file system, registry and Internet activity
Blocks infected e-mail messages

TIP: Set your virus protection up to do a full system scan every night. (If you choose BitDefender, do this by clicking Antivirus from the left of the main window, then clicking on the Scheduler tab.)

Various Free Utilities

Basically, the following tools grab the things the virus and firewall software miss.

Adaware http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?qt=adaware&tg=dl-2001. Scans your PC for known data-mining, advertising, and tracking components and cleans your system, so you have more privacy while you surf the Web.
Spybot - http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?qt=spybot&tg=dl-20. Searches your hard disk and registry for threats to your security and privacy.
Spyware Blaster - http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?qt=spyware+blaster&tg=dl-20. Prevents spyware from being installed on your computer.
CCleaner - http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?qt=ccleaner&tg=dl-20. Cleans up junk and temporary files and invalid registry entries and gives you a lot of extra space on your hard drive.

TIP: Update and run each of these utilities at least once a week. Youll be surprised what youll net especially if you havent purchased a full firewall system and anti-virus system.

Conclusion

In my humble opinion, its well worth your while to invest in a firewall application and an anti-virus application. There are a few freeware programs out there that claim to do the same job, but in my experience, they dont quite measure up. And when it comes down to it, theyre so inexpensive especially in comparison to the cost of downtime and/or computer repairs!

Outpost and BitDefender offer online purchases, and send you a license key in an email, which you then use to download the product. You can pay a little extra for them to send you a CD.

The applications listed above certainly arent the only ones available. Im not even claiming theyre the best. But when used together diligently, you should find you have a lot less trouble with your computer, youll have the peace-of-mind of enhanced privacy, and youll minimize the risk of lost income due to downtime.

Good luck!

Glenn Murray is an advertising copywriter and search engine (SEO) copywriter and heads copywriting studio Divine Write. He can be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222 or at mailto:glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com for further details or more FREE articles.