Sound The Alarm!

If a burglar tries to break into your apartment you want everyone to know it. You want a siren so loud the thief cannot think straight; one that gets the attention of everyone in the area so they know someone is committing a crime.

Protect America offers alarm sirens that will make a burglar turn on his or her heels and run like the wind. Devices like the X10 Powerhorn Siren can reach 105 db. They can be plugged in anywhere in your apartment and work through your existing home wiring.

The siren responds to an alert signal sent from your home alarm system Command Station and makes a sound no burglar is going to stick around and listen to.

The point of home security alarms is to make criminals uncomfortable. If they are uncomfortable when they come to your door they will not stay. In your home you want an alarm that does not just notify the alarm company, but one that notifies everyone within earshot and scares the intruder into leaving before they get the chance to take anything.

The noise won’t bother your neighbors when they realize that burglar won’t be coming back to the building again. Protecting your own home improves the apartment building security across the board.

Burglars Are Fast, But Your Alarm Is Faster

Studies have shown that most burglaries are carried out in under 10 minutes. A burglar alarm needs to be faster than the burglar. A weak point in your wireless home security defenses provides a criminal with more time to get in your house and take what they want.

Install the best equipment at every entry point to your house. Use motion detectors in your yard and outdoor lights to eliminate the burglar’s stealthy approach. Use reinforced glass windows with glass break sensors and anti-lift devices.

Outdoor security cameras put the idea that they can be identified into the burglar’s head.

With each line of defense, whether they are home automation products or yard security signs, you take time away from the criminal. Suddenly that 10 minutes gets reduced by so much that they simply are not fast enough to beat your home security system. The right equipment takes time and makes it work for you.

If you do manage to capture a thief’s face on camera, make sure to provide the police with that tape so they can be on the lookout for him. Your burglar alarm could help prevent another family from being victimized.

Smoke/Co2 Alarm Maintenance

Smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms are like most other electronic devices; as long as you take care of them properly they will get the job done. Maintenance on these devices is very basic and should not present problems even for the electronically illiterate.

Check your sensors regularly to make sure that dust does not settle in and clog them. A build up of dust and other particles can prevent the detectors from picking up the presence of smoke or carbon monoxide.

A battery-operated detector will beep and a light will flash indicating time for a new power source. Most fire alarms will last nearly 10 years but should still be checked regularly. When this happens jump on it quickly; do not let the battery run out before replacing it.

Obviously you want to avoid getting them wet since water and electricity have never exactly been a match made in heaven. If they do come into contact with water, carefully dry them off and make sure to test the sensors extensively in the next few days to make sure they still work properly. If there is any noticeable problem after this replace them immediately.

A faulty or damaged alarm is not going to protect you or your family, but they will leave you vulnerable for as long as they are in your house.

Carbon Monoxide (Co2) Detectors

Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless and impossible to detect without a sensor. It is produced when fossil fuels are not completely burned and can come from open flames, chimneys and other things typically found in a house.

This toxic gas can be produced by cars so it is important to have a sensor in your garage. If you spend a lot of time working out there, if your washer and dryer are in the garage and it is attached to your house, you could be exposed to high levels of Co2 without knowing it.

Carbon monoxide poisoning induces nausea, vomiting, headaches, and fainting among other things. Co2 symptoms may have you thinking you have a run of the mill stomach ailment or the flu when you are actually in the early stages of poisoning. A detector can avoid this mistake.

These sensors are not smoke alarms, so it is necessary to have those in your house as well. There are dual sensors that can detect both, but make sure you know if yours can so you do not leave yourself vulnerable on either front.

Make sure to test the Co2 detector regularly (either weekly or monthly) using the button on the device to make sure it is working properly.

National Fire Protection Assoc. Statistics

If you want to play the numbers game it is undeniable that smoke detectors save lives. According to research done by the National Fire Protection Association in 2004, 96 percent of homes in the U.S. had at least one smoke alarm. However, of the reported home fires from 2000 to 2004, nearly half were in homes where there were none.

In the same period, 65 percent of fire-related deaths were in homes with no working smoke detectors. The increase of these sensors in homes across the country has contributed to the nearly 50 percent decrease in fire-related deaths since the late 1970s.

From 2003 to 2005 there was an 18 percent increase in reported carbon monoxide incidents in the U.S. This is attributed to Co2 detectors becoming more common, not Co2 incidents themselves.

A person can be poisoned by large amounts of carbon monoxide over a short period of time or small amounts over an extended period of time, which is why these detectors are so important.

If numbers do not lie then it only takes simple arithmetic to realize that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors have saved countless lives over the past few decades and are an effective means of protecting your family from fire and Co2-related accidents.

Surviving Home Invasions

In past instances of home invasions, criminals have intimidated people into giving the security monitoring company the password to cancel an alarm. An intruder would not normally know what your password is, however, so giving the wrong one would force the alarm company to dispatch the police.

A home invasion can be a frightening ordeal and is the perfect reason for protecting your home with a security system. The best defense and first place to start is always a good alarm. If a criminal manages to get into your house anyway, there are things you can do to protect yourself as much as possible.

Here are a few tips.

• Get to the security panic button on your command station or use a portable one if you have it and sound the alarm.
• If your phone and security system include voice dialing, use the speaker-phone to call 911
• Come up with a false password in advance to let the monitoring company know you are under duress.
• Do not try and stop an intruder from taking money or property (your safety is more important than possessions or cash)
• Set up signals over the phone with family and friends so when they call you can let them know you are in trouble without alerting the intruder.

Medical Panic Buttons

We have all seen the cheesy commercials and heard the famous line “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” The truth is, as corny as those old commercials were, medical panic buttons can save lives.

A medical panic pendant from Protect America can be worn around the neck like a necklace, on a belt like a pager or carried in a pocket. In the event of a medical emergency that prohibits the wearer from getting to a phone, one push of a button will alert the monitoring facility.

The alarm company then immediately notifies and dispatches emergency services to injured party’s location. These devices are designed for the elderly and people who have conditions which place them at higher risk of medical emergency.

A panic button for the elderly and others at high medical risk is a way for them to maintain their independence and be safe at the same time. Many people who reside in assisted living facilities would be able to live on their own if they had a device like this as a safety precaution. Without one, however, the risk may be too high.

Injuries to elderly people who fall are usually made worse by prolonged times lying on the floor, accompanied by repeated attempts to get back to their feet. This only exacerbates the problem.

Medical panic buttons provide wearers with independence while giving their families peace of mind, knowing that their loved ones are safe.

Two-Way Voice Monitoring

Two-Way Voice is another monitoring option offered by Protect America that is slightly different from the standard service. With this option a landline telephone connection is required, however the security company does not call your home phone in the event of an alarm being triggered.

Instead, the signal is transmitted via the telephone line, but the central monitoring facility contacts you through the command station itself. The GE home security station acts as an intercom, connecting you directly with your service company without having to pick up a phone.

This service allows everything from activating and deactivating your alarm to communicating with the security company to be centralized and controlled at the command station. The idea is to streamline communication between the customer and the alarm company to make things as easy and efficient as possible.

Talk with your family and see what option is most convenient, and always make sure the intercom is placed somewhere everyone in the house can access. This service requires an upgraded command station from the standard option.

Choosing Emergency Contact Numbers

Choose your emergency contact numbers wisely. These are the numbers given to the monitoring company to call in the event of an alarm being triggered in your home. They will try to contact someone in the house first, then the proper authorities. After that they will call the numbers you provide in the order you give them.

Having a trusted neighbor or family member who lives nearby is the safest bet. You want it to be someone who can get to your house quickly after being alerted to an incident.

In the case of an accident or medical problem a nearby emergency contact may be able to get there before the authorities. You can usually provide up to three contacts with two numbers for each person. Choose people that are typically easy to get in touch with so they can be reached quickly. Do not use pagers or answering services.

Other important emergency numbers you must provide the security and monitoring company with are for the local police and fire departments. These are the numbers used to send help to your home when an alarm is triggered. You will be asked to include these on most order forms when purchasing a security system. DO NOT put 911 down.

If you use 911 it will simply connect the representative to the emergency dispatch in their area, not yours. Look up the number for the local police and fire dispatchers in your area if you are not sure what they are.

Getting the Alarm System Up And Running

Choosing the right home security equipment is like the recipe for a great meal. The installation of that equipment is the equivalent of putting all those ingredients together and cooking the entree.

You have to make sure that everything is installed properly so each component of your home alarm system does its part of the job. If there is one weak link in the fence the whole thing becomes vulnerable.

This is why it is important to do things right the first time around and then test the equipment regularly. You want to know that the system is in working order, not just assume that it is. Because when you assume … well, it changes from one word to a couple.

If you are unsure how to install something, let the professionals handle it. While the devices are being installed, pick the technician’s brain about the best ways to conduct routine maintenance and keep your system at peak performance.

If you ever notice any problem or lack of efficiency in your home security, contact the alarm company right away and bring the issue up with them. It is better to call and ask a question than ignore a potential problem and give an advantage to burglars.

Equipment Compatibility: Know What You're Buying

Before you know what you should buy you need to know why you are buying it and how it will be used. Outdoor motion detectors have specific ranges that they can cover. A yard that is 800 square feet will need more sensors, or at least a much stronger one, than a 200 square-ft. yard.

Take some measurements and figure out how large the area is you want to cover. Then shop around for sensor that will get the job done. It is better to go with a well-known manufacturer when buying items like this. They are usually more reliable and come with better guarantees.

The other major issue is compatibility. Make sure that the equipment you purchase is capable of working well with your home alarm system. The first place you should look into for additional equipment is the company you bought the alarm from in the first place.

Even if you spend a few dollars more, having components made by the same manufacturer can help avoid many problems. Remember that not all equipment is made equal and while price may be a factor, performance has to come first with home security equipment.

Wireless Security Offers an Array of Products

Think "wireless" when shopping for new home security. Wireless security is not only more affordable and convenient, it also allows for a greater array of easy-to-use products that are reliable.

Check out this shopping list of wireless products that consumers can choose from to create or customize a wireless security package that meets their family's needs for whole-home protection.

• Window and door sensors.
• Glass break detectors.
• Security cameras.
• Receivers and transmitters.
• Driveway alarms.
• Medical alerts.
• Motion detectors.
• Smoke alarms.
• Temperature alarms.
• Flood alarms.
• Door chime.
• Nanny cam.