Installers of Home Security Santa Monica systems offer advice to keep you and your house safe and secure.
Look at the sign.
The alarm company sign you place in your front yard is the single most crucial part of our system. Burglars report they avoid homes with alarms in study after survey, so even letting a robber know your home is guarded (even if it isn’t) can cause them to leave. A burglar won’t tell you these things.
Alarm systems are only sometimes trustworthy.
However, alarm systems are not particularly effective at apprehending criminals. According to one research, when there is no alarm, police officers are typically reacting to the complaint of an eyewitness, which is much more reliable, so they are more likely to catch burglars in the act. How come that? Because an estimated 80 to 95 per cent of alerts nationwide are false. If your alarm isn’t supported by sound, video, a private security guard, or an eyewitness, many sizable police departments won’t respond. If you repeatedly false alarms, your city may also fine you.
Systems are getting better.
This is not to imply that Home Security Castle Rock is not worthwhile. On the contrary, today’s high-tech systems can be armed or disarmed directly from a keychain or smartphone. Some of them are wireless cameras that send you a video clip of your children as soon as they arrive home from school, water sensors for your basement, smoke and carbon monoxide sensors that can turn off your furnace automatically, and smoke and carbon monoxide sensors.
Order a camera
The one item you should buy is a camera. Before attempting to enter, most criminals ring the doorbell (to ensure no one is home). You can quickly instal a wireless, motion-activated security camera near your front door for less than $100 and configure it to send you a notification to your smartphone whenever someone enters your porch.
Cover your windows and secure your doors.
Other low-cost strategies to safeguard your castle include: Putting up window covers so burglars can’t see what’s inside (especially if your front door has clear glass panes), instal sturdy locks on your front and rear doors, trimming back shrubbery near windows, and put up out-of-reach outside lighting. Put your lights on timers or purchase LED bulbs that you can control remotely to give the impression that you are at home when you are away. Even a TV simulator that uses much less electricity but imitates the illumination of a genuine TV is available for purchase.
Be wary of agreements that tie you down.
If you decide to go all out with an alarm system, be aware that cancelling will be quite challenging. Most alarm firms have three-year contracts requiring you to pay the remaining amount in full if you cancel early. Some even contain an automatic rollover condition that you must cancel by a certain deadline. Then, for another three years, you’re stuck if you miss that opportunity.
Do your research before hiring.
The security sector is rife with scammers, so ask your friends and neighbours for recommendations of trustworthy businesses, check with your local BBB, and choose a firm that has been in operation for some time. Always compare what the sales representative tells you to the specifics of your contract. Because they are paid by commission, some salespeople will say anything to close a deal.
