The Dynamic Duo: Dogs & The Home Alarm System

Burglar alarms are designed to help protect every member of your family, and that includes the four-legged members. That’s right, we’re talking about your pets; here are some ways you can integrate your burglar alarm and other home security tools with your beloved family dog.  

Use Smart Locks for Dog Walking

Homeowners have many demands on their time, and sometimes that means important tasks fall by the wayside – one of them being the task of a daily dog walk. Maybe you’ve decided to hire a neighbor to walk your dog while you’re at work, or even try out a dog walking app. No matter who you hire, you need a safe way to let them in the house that only takes seconds – something you can do with your phone without leaving the office. That’s where the smart locks on your home security system come in.

When you get the alert that your dog walker is at the door, simply tap on the app to unlock the door so they can enter the house and greet your pet. When the two of them walk out, you can lock the door again until they return. Unlock it again for the walker to send your doggie back into the house, and then get back to work. You’re done!

Setting Boundaries around the Home

Your pet keeps watch over the yard and home, and so do your home security cameras. Working together, they can set a clear barrier around the home. And if a break-in ever does take place, your dog can go into a defensive posture while your burglar alarm sounds.  Very quickly, help will be on its way. This is a great way to allow your pet to partner with your alarm, so there will be multiple layers of home security.

For more ideas on combining your pet with your burglar alarm, Delaware homeowners can learn more by calling Security Instrument. We would love to speak with you.

About Security Instrument

To learn more about Delaware home security technology that enhances home security and protection, come see us at today. Our highly qualified and experienced home security experts can answer all your questions. 

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3 Reasons To Upgrade Your Home Security in 2019

Do you have a list of home improvement goals for the new year? Hopefully, home security is represented somewhere on that list. If an upgrade to your home security is on the agenda for 2019, here are some ideas for ways to improve it. 

No More Wires = Better Security 

If your system is still hardwired or connected to a landline telephone, it’s definitely time for an upgrade. A wireless connection to the central station ensures that your alarm signal will reach the central station, because there are no wires that could be cut by an intruder. And in the case of a fire, the system can’t be destroyed because the connection is not dependent on external equipment. When an emergency happens, the central station will be immediately alerted no matter what.

Improved User-Friendliness & Mobile App

User-friendly technology is a must these days; if there are too many steps to follow, most of us quickly tune out. So if improving home security is on your 2019 itinerary, make sure easy-to-use technology is covered. Now, there are systems that can be managed entirely with your smartphone, via an easy-to-use home security app that can be set up during your installation. There are no more hard-to-remember steps to follow; instead, there’s just user-friendly technology that your whole family can quickly master.

Professional Installation and Support

While user-friendliness is important, it still requires serious technical acumen to install and integrate – and only a professional security integrator has that. This is why the first step in your home security upgrade should be contacting a professional integrator; not only do they offer a complete installation experience, but ongoing support after the installation as well.

To discuss your options for new year upgrades to home security, Delaware homeowners can call Security Instrument. We would be glad to offer you a free home security consultation.

About Security Instrument

Security Instrument is a full-service, independently-owned security integrator that offers numerous electronic security options. We serve thousands with residential, commercial and hotel security in Delaware, MD, NJ & PA.

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4 Ways Smart Garage Doors Can Improve Your Life

The garage may not get a lot of notice, but if you are fortunate enough to have one, the garage is a vital part of your home-life. It keeps your car safe and out of the elements and keeps larger and lesser used items safely tucked away, among many other uses. Whether your garage is for storage, used as a man cave, or is home to your teen’s garage-band, there are some good reasons to make getting a smart garage door the next really smart thing you do.

1 Smart Garage Doors Improve Your Safety

There is one huge problem with regular garage doors– forgetting to close and lock them. That is a pretty big deal since over 70% of Americans use the door from the garage to the house as their primary entrance. When you couple that with the knowledge that most burglars make their entrance through an unlocked door, it is a small mistake that can lead to catastrophe. The smart garage door solves this problem by using geofencing and your location as a trigger to automatically close the door when you leave or close it behind you when you get home. This means that even if you have a million other things on your mind, the garage door still gets closed and the home is secure.

2 You can Control Access

Whether a neighbor needs to borrow a tool, a package is getting delivered, or the kids use the garage to house as their preferred entrance when getting home, a smart garage door lets you both provide and control access.Not only can you open the door remotely as needed, you can also provide unique access codes with expiry dates. This eliminates the need for physical keys so you never compromise your home security.

3 Set Up Alerts

A smart garage door can also help increase your security through alerts. Each time your garage is accessed, or each time someone tries to access your garage it sends an alert to your phone through the smart garage door app so you can check on the activity. You can know who got home through unique codes, or know if someone not authorized is trying to gain access. If it is also connected to security cameras, you can tap in to see the activity.

4 Trigger Other Actions

There is no place like home and a smart garage door makes your security system home even better. If your smart garage door is connected to other smart devices, it can serve as a trigger for other actions. By using geofencing, it can trigger the lights to go on or signal temperature adjustments when you draw near or lock the doors (aren’t you glad you got those smart locks?) and arm your system when you leave.

About Security Instrument

Since 1960, Security Instrument has worked diligently to earn a reputation for delivering quality by using state-of-the-art technologies, highly trained and qualified technicians, and providing the best 24/7 support and monitoring services.

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Stay Safe This Halloween: 12 Essential Tips For The Big Night Out

Although children look forward to tricks, treats, and ghoulish garb, Halloween can be fraught with fright for parents, with candy given to their kids by strangers and a legion of masked and costumed trick-or-treaters at the door. However, following a few safety tips can ensure safe fun for kids and candy-givers alike.

The activities below focus on Halloween, which is celebrated in the last week of October. The efforts throughout the month generate enthusiasm for crime prevention so it can grow stronger and become more widespread.

To ensure that trick-or-treaters, you, and your house stay safe, remember the following tips.

  • Clear your yard and sidewalk of any obstacles or decorations that may be hard to see in the dark, lest someone go bump in the night.
  • Keep your house well lighted, both inside and out; you wouldn’t want to miss any particularly good costumes, would you?
  • Ask your Neighborhood Watch or local citizen’s group to haunt (patrol) your community.
  • Report any suspicious or criminal activity to your police or sheriff’s department.

To make sure even the scariest costumes are safe, keep the following in mind when buying or designing one.

  • Try makeup instead of masks; it’s more comfortable and doesn’t obstruct vision the way masks can.
  • Check to ensure that costumes are flame-retardant so that young ones are safe around jack-o’-lanterns, candles, and other flames.
  • Keep costumes short to ensure that the only trip taken is the one around the neighborhood.
  • Look for brightly colored costumes, attach reflector strips to costumes and bags, and remind trick-or-treaters to carry glow sticks and flashlights.
  • If a costume involves any sort of fake weapon, make sure that it is made of a flexible material such as cardboard or foam. Or, avoid the whole problem of weapons by challenging your child to design a costume that is scary without one.

Keep in mind the next few tips to make sure your trick-or-treater’s night in the neighborhood will be safe and fun.

  • Older kids should trick-or-treat in groups; kids walking around alone are never as safe as those in groups, and especially not at night. Younger kids should be accompanied by a parent or trusted neighbor.
  • Review the route for trick-or-treating beforehand and set a time set when kids should be home. Also, have a plan if your child gets separated from his or her friends or from you.
  • Remind your children not to enter strange houses or cars.

After a successful and safe night around the neighborhood, remember that the treats still need scrutiny before anyone eats them.

  • Remind your children not to eat treats until they’ve come home. To help ensure this, feed them a meal or a substantial snack before they go out.
  • Check all treats at home in a well-lighted place. Be especially wary of anything that is not wrapped by the factory or that is no longer sealed.
  • Remind kids not to eat everything at once, lest they be green even without the makeup.

About Security Instrument

Security Instrument is Delaware’s largest full-service independently-owned security and fire company, serving thousands of customers throughout Delaware, MD, NJ & PA.

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Important Facts for House Fire Awareness

October is a time when fire awareness is emphasized, as it marks the final month of fire season for many areas and fire crews are already training for next year. How does this affect homeowners? Wildfires may not threaten homes, but house fires are always a possibility. Test your knowledge of house fires with these facts from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

Most Common Room for House Fires

It may not come as a surprise that the kitchen is the most common room for house fires. More than half of all house fires start in the kitchen; it’s the space where food is cooked on open flames, placed in hot ovens and heated in high voltage microwaves.

To reduce the risk of kitchen fires, keep the oven and stove top clean – and always, always keep flammable items like dish towels and pot holders away from the heat. As for the microwave: Only use containers that are microwave safe, keep aluminum foil and other metals out of the microwave, and never plug in a microwave with an extension cord.

More than half of all house fires start in the kitchen; it’s the space where food is cooked on open flames, placed in hot ovens and heated in high voltage microwaves.

Other Common Rooms for House Fires

Bedroom fires can happen too, accounting for 6% of house fires. The cause of many bedroom fires is the flammable mattress, which is combustible and should never have candles or lighters sitting nearby. Even if a mattress is newer and sold as “fire safe,” it’s not safe to burn anything near them.

Fire risks are also present in the living room, as a variety of fire sources are present: fireplaces, chimneys, cords, lighting, and more candles. Combine these with flammable furniture or curtains, and that’s a recipe for a house fire. Keep candles away from flammable items, practice safe plug-in of all your electronics, and have older lighting re-wired if necessary. The fireplace and chimney should be cleaned when residue builds up to 1/8th of an inch inside; a professional cleaning is recommended.  

How Your Security System Can Help

Your home security system can be your best assistant in house fire prevention. With a smart home security system, you’ll receive a smartphone alert if smoke is detected in the home – and, your smartphone notification will say what room the smoke is coming from. The security operators monitoring your alarm will reach out to you immediately and make sure help is on its way to your home. After getting up to speed on house fire awareness, Delaware homeowners can contact Security Instrument to inquire about home security monitoring services.

About Security Instrument

Security Instrument is a full-service, independently-owned security integrator that offers numerous residential and commercial security options. We serve thousands of customers located throughout Delaware, MD, NJ & PA.

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Environmental Protection at Home with Your Security System

We’re in the thick of the storm season, making this the perfect time to talk about environmental protection with the help of your security system. Whether it’s a thunderstorm or bonafide hurricane conditions, harsh weather is risky weather. It can get unsafe outside, and homeowners need all the help they can to secure their homes and families.

Help for Protecting Loved Ones

Your smart home security system can indeed help. With real-time weather alerts that come straight from the National Weather Service, we send notifications to your security panel and smartphone so you can get ahead of what’s about to happen outside. Ideally, it will give you time to make sure the whole family’s safe in the house or another shelter location. Likewise, you’ll receive an alert when these weather conditions have passed.

Help for Protecting Homes

First, you want to protect your family; next, you want to protect your home. Smart home security systems protect both. Your home can be spared the damage that comes with leaky roofs, frozen pipes, and other byproducts of severe weather. The features that enable this are the low temperature alerts (to alert you to impending freezing) and water detection (to alert you to possible flooding on the floor). With the low temperature alert, you can heat the basement near the pipes to keep them from freezing, with the goal being to prevent the pipes from freezing. With the water detection, you can avoid paying thousands of dollars to repair flooded rooms in the home.

Environmental protection isn’t just for the outdoors; it’s for inside the home as well. To learn more about a smart home security system that provides this, contact Security Instrument for a free home security consultation.

About Security Instrument

Security Instrument is a full-service, independently-owned integrator that offers numerous home security options, including security systems for senior citizens. In Delaware Valley, Security Instrument serves thousands of customers located throughout Delaware, MD, NJ & PA.

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Why Window Sensors and Home Invasion Don’t Mix

It sounds unbelievable, but 30% of burglaries in the United States occur when a criminal gained access to a home through an open door or window. Many Americans forget the role that windows play in securing our homes – but whether windows are new or old, whether they are locked or not can make a big difference for home security.

The newer the windows, the easier they are easier to open – and the older the windows, the more likely the homeowner is to neglect their upkeep. But there’s a solution for both these scenarios: connecting windows to the home security system, so they can be protected from home invasion no matter how new or old they are.

Window Sensors: A Sentry from Home Invasion

When sensors are placed on windows throughout the house, this connects them to the home security system. If the homeowner has armed the system while everyone is gone for the day or sleeping at night, then the sensors will trigger the alarm if a window is being tampered with. The same sensors can be placed on the exterior doors of the home: front door, back door and garage door. When all entry points to the home are connected, it’s like having a round-the-clock guard protecting your home from invasion.

Help for Forgetful Homeowners

People are busy, and homeowners are the busiest people of them all. Not many people take the time to walk around the house and make sure windows are locked; with standard, unconnected windows, the home could be unsecured via an unlocked window for days, even weeks.

Sensor-connected windows are designed to prevent that from happening. The contact sensor placed on the window is connected to the home security system, so that if a window is opened while the system is armed, the alarm will be triggered. Of course, sensor contacts should also be placed on the front and back doors to afford them the same protection.

More Benefits with Smart Home Protection

If the security system features smart home protection, then there are even more benefits. The smart windows and doors – in addition to lights, locks and even the thermostat – can all be controlled via the home security mobile app, which homeowners access with their smartphones. Of course, the security system is controlled this way as well; that means a homeowner can turn off lights, set back the thermostat, lock the doors and windows, and arm the security system with a single tap of their mobile app. It’s simple to create a “scene” command on the app that does all these things at once.

To learn more about this easy-to-use smart home technology – or, to discuss door and window sensors designed to prevent home invasion – contact Security Instrument for a complimentary home security evaluation.

About Security Instrument

Security Instrument is a full-service, independently-owned integrator that offers numerous home security options to prevent home invasion. In Delaware Valley, Security Instrument serves thousands of customers located throughout Delaware, MD, NJ & PA.

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CO Poisoning Prevention and Home Security

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a dangerous, mostly undetectable poison that can kill both people and pets. Everyone is at risk of being exposed to carbon monoxide by virtue of the fact that it can be produced in common household mechanisms: refrigerators, clothes dryers, ovens, and furnace heaters.

When these appliances have a defect that prevents proper air circulation, carbon monoxide can emit from them and enter the environment of the home. This puts everyone inside in immediate danger, and many times they are unaware of it until they begin to experience symptoms like faintness, dizziness, stomach upset and confusion. In some cases, people are unaware they have been exposed until it’s too late. In fact, approximately 400 Americans die from carbon monoxide poisoning every year.

Preventing CO Poisoning with Your Security System 

The good news is, your security system can help prevent CO poisoning in your home if you have upgraded to a smart home system. This type of system is designed to act on your behalf automatically in the event of an environmental hazard; if there is a carbon monoxide leak you are unaware of, it can shut off your HVAC to prevent the gas from emitting throughout the house.

You will also receive a mobile notification that CO is present, which allows you to send the family outside, ventilate the home and unplug appliances before anyone experiences any symptoms. If anyone is experiencing symptoms, you can and should call 911. In any case, no one should re-enter the home until emergency personnel gives you the go-ahead.

This is how your upgraded security system can prevent CO poisoning head-on. To learn more about the features of a smart home security system with a CO poisoning detector, contact Security Instrument in Delaware. We will be happy to answer your questions.

In some cases, people are unaware they have been exposed until it’s too late. In fact, approximately 400 Americans die from carbon monoxide poisoning every year.

About Security Instrument

Security Instrument is Delaware’s largest full-service independently-owned security company, serving thousands of customers throughout Delaware, MD, NJ & PA.

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HOME IMPROVEMENTS? MAKE SECURITY COME FIRST

There may be clouds and rain outside this week, but spring will be here before we know it and it will be time to start deciding what home improvement projects you’ll take on this year. Before that time comes, it would be wise to make some home security decisions as well. Like what? Consider the following.

HIRE A CREDIBLE CONTRACTOR

The first step is choosing a contractor you can trust. Although everyone is still immersed in the “new economy” craze that has made hiring service providers off social media sites part of the new normal, it’s only a good idea to do this with a general contractor if others have vouched for his credibility. At the very least, check out a contractor’s reviews on Yelp and Facebook before sitting down to discuss your project. This isn’t just to protect your investment in the work; it’s also to protect the security of your home while the work is being performed. Make sure the reviews state that the crew was careful and respectful of other’s homes – and if there are any complaints to the contrary, avoid that business at all costs.

Pro Tip: check out a contractor’s reviews on Yelp and Facebook before sitting down to discuss your project. This isn’t just to protect your investment in the work; it’s also to protect the security of your home while the work is being performed.

KEEP TRACK OF WHO’S IN THE HOME

Ask to meet the lead on the project before the work commences, and be sure you have a rapport with him that allows for you to question who will be on the job on any given day. See a new worker in your house? Ask your project lead who he is, and keep an extra eye on him until you feel comfortable. Don’t be afraid to find out who is in your house and express any concerns you have with the people occupying it.

KEEP ARMING YOUR SECURITY SYSTEM

It may seem like leaving your system unarmed while people are going in and out will save you time. But if you have upgraded to a system that gives you remote access from your smartphone, then you can arm it at a moment’s notice from anywhere you are. Is the crew scheduled to arrive while you’re at work? Receive a notification when they arrive and disarm the system just long enough to let them in. Having remote access to your system this way gives you the freedom to get creative with home security – even during a home improvement project.

To speak with an expert about maintaining security during a home improvement project, contact Security Instrument.

ABOUT SECURITY INSTRUMENT

Security Instrument is Delaware’s largest full-service independently-owned security company, serving thousands of customers throughout Delaware, MD, NJ & PA.

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How To Enjoy A Safer Superbowl This Year

The Superbowl only happens once a year, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to take a day off from home security. Fortunately, it’s easy to keep your home securely monitored when you have a home control system.

If you have an outdated alarm system at home, there’s only so much it can do on a big day like the Superbowl. Having friends over? Don’t forget to disarm the system before they come in, using your “last generation” alarm keypad. With a home control system, you can disarm the alarm with a tap on your phone – and you don’t even need to be home to do it! Arm your system when you run out for game day snacks or go to church in the morning, and then disarm it as you pull back into the driveway. When company’s coming over and the pressure is on to get everything “just right,” that’s the kind of convenience a home control security system offers.

PREVENT AN OPEN HOUSE CATASTROPHE

And the convenience doesn’t stop once everyone arrives. The Superbowl tends to be an occasion that lends itself to “open house” style parties, whether or not the host says it is.

Before you know it, your friends have brought their friends – and you don’t know half the people on your property. That’s when your home control security system can be a life saver.

Without ever getting off the couch, you can check on that couple who wandered out into the backyard or the kids who are spending a little too much time near the baby’s room. You can find out what they’re doing discreetly and proceed as you see fit, thanks to your convenient home control app.

WATCH AWAY FROM HOME IN COMFORT

But what if you’re watching the Superbowl from the local sports bar? Arm your system with your phone before you leave, and rest assured that anyone who’s been staking out the house is going to get a noisy reality check if they try to break in. You can even check on your live video from the comfort of your bar stool. For this year’s Superbowl, you’ll have the safest fun you’ve had in years thanks to your home control security system. To learn more, contact Security Instrument for a home security consultation.

ABOUT SECURITY INSTRUMENT

Security Instrument is Delaware’s largest full-service independently-owned security company, serving thousands of customers throughout Delaware, MD, NJ & PA.

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