The Importance of Home Security
Keeping home and family safe is the number one priority for most people. Home security is one of the important things when being a home owner. Simple things like making sure your locks are secure is very important. Fast Keys have various different keys and locks. With two million home burglaries reported in the USA each year, the importance of installing a good security system is obvious. Homes with security systems are, overall, three times less likely to be broken into, but there are many different kinds of security system available, which can leave prospective purchasers unsure about which is best for them.
Monitored vs. unmonitored systems
Monitored security systems are designed to alert a security center when they detect signs of a possible burglary. The security center then alerts the police and contacts the property to check it’s not a false alarm. A password is normally used to ensure that the person answering the phone is the homeowner. Though monitored systems involve paying a monthly fee, they do guarantee a response is guaranteed, no matter when or how often an alarm is triggered.
Unmonitored systems simply sound an alarm and sometimes flash lights when they detect a problem. These cost little to maintain, but mean that the homeowner or neighbors need to be ready and willing to call the police when they go off. They can be a practical choice in areas with good neighborhood watch schemes.
Wired vs. wireless systems
Wired alarm systems draw power from the mains supply, so never need to have their batteries changed. This category also includes alarm systems that use the phone line, i.e. almost all monitored systems. They are easier to maintain, but there’s a risk that a burglar will find and cut the wires. This risk can be reduced by burying external wires and running internal ones inside walls or underneath floorboards. Unfortunately, these are not practical options for everybody and are particularly difficult for people living in rented accommodation.
Wireless systems are harder for burglars to interfere with and if they are placed intelligently, may be extremely difficult for them to find. These systems need to be checked periodically to make sure they are still working, but this is balanced out by their lower overall cost.
High Tech options
One of the bonuses of wireless security systems has traditionally been that they are easy to customize. In fact, that’s becoming the case with all home security systems, with home security companies in Nashville offering an increasingly broad range of options to their customers. These typically include motion detectors, vibration detectors and hidden cameras, as well as traditional sensors attached to windows and doors.
Technology is also making it easier to control home security systems remotely. Homeowners can view footage of their properties at a distance using laptops or smartphones and can arrange to receive regular automated security updates. When away on vacation they can use these methods to turn lights on and off in different rooms in their home, making it look as if someone is there.
Despite the frequency with which burglaries occur, fewer than one in five American homes have security systems. Criminals prefer easy targets, so if it is obvious that an effort has been made to make a property secure they will usually look for an easier target elsewhere.
