By Susan M. Keenan
Home security systems come with a variety of sensors, including motion sensors, door switches, window switches, glass breaking sensors, smoke and heat sensors, and carbon monoxide detectors. With such a variety of sensors to select from, homeowners have a bit of planning to do …

By Paul Bianchina
If you store valuables at home - anything from jewelry and cash to stamp collections or important documents - you might want to consider installing a residential safe. Safes designed for home use come in a variety of shapes, sizes and designs, and there’s sure to be one out th…

Home Security - A Do-It-Yourselfer’s Prescription for Safety
Useful Terms
Deadbolt. Consists of a one inch throw with a case-hardened insert that cannot be jimmied or cut.

Deadlocking latch . See deadbolt.

Door lights. Window(s) immediately adjacent to a door.

Double cylinder lock. Lo…

By Susan M. Keenan
More and more homeowners are choosing to protect their homes with a home alarm system. A home alarm system comes with the monitoring service that oversees the system and contacts the proper authorities should the alarm system be triggered.

Prior to making your actual purchas…

We laughed as a young Macaulay Culkin outwitted the robbers who wanted to break into his home on Christmas Eve in the 1990 film, “Home Alone.” Their stupidity doomed them to fail over and over again.

Unfortunately, real life burglars are a lot smarter than those in Hollywood. For them, the holid…

Recently, there has been much discussion on the topic of automatic renewal for alarm monitoring services. Many experts believe the process of automatic renewal for monitoring services is a valuable asset. However, while clearly an alarm system is a very useful instrument in deterring crime, I would …

Home Intrusion AlarmÂ
Wide variety of types available. Selection will depend on what the customer wishes to accomplish. Some feel a loud alarm at the point of entry will scare away the intruder. Others prefer a remote alarm located in a bedroom that will alert only the homeowner. Others prefer an…

Modern electronics has improved our quality of life in many ways. For example, electronic alarms have become very popular within the last decade. Their popularity is well earned, since they are both effective and affordable. Be careful, however, to not put all of your faith into them. When combined …

What is the cost of converting my system from one alarm-monitoring vendor to another?

In most cases there is no cost for the conversion. This is usually predicated on the ability to download new data to your alarm system’s control panel. In most instances, if your system cannot be downloaded, a t…

For most Americans, moving out of Mom and Dad’’s house means moving into a rental unit of their own. Not only is an apartment the home of choice for young adults leaving the nest, statistics show an increasing number of Americans are opting to rent as a permanent housing arrangement.

In 2004, mo…