Keep Your Home Safe While on Vacation

Here are some tips to ensure that your vacation ends as happily as it began.

Outside Your Home

• Inform My Alarm Center and local law enforcement that you will be out of town
• Stop mail through the post office’s “Hold Mail Service,” available online, or have a neighbor pick up your mail
• If you do not have a landscaping service, make arrangements to have your lawn mown
• Remove ‘hidden’ house keys – provide access by activating the remote arm and disarm service from My Alarm Center
• Program outdoor lighting to activate at dusk

Inside Your Home

• Test your system before you leave.
• Close interior doors to prevent thieves from looking through your empty house, this also acts as a firebreak in-case of fire
• Check all alarm batteries (smoke, carbon monoxide, water detector)
• Program lighting controls to simulate your daily routine
• Use a programmable outlet to activate a radio or television so activity is heard in the house

How My Alarm Center Can Help

My Alarm Center provides everything you need to manage your home’s security system from anywhere, through your web-enabled smartphone or computer. You can:

• Remote Arm & Disarm your home to allow neighbors or workers access while you’re out
• Program your indoor and outdoor lighting, and adjust the settings while you are away
• Program your thermostat and electronics to simulate your presence in the home
• Monitor your home’s activity through live IP cameras
• Receive activity reports via your computer or smart phone
• Get water sensors alerts and control shutoff valve to cut off the water supply in case of a burst pipe

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Electrical Safety Tips

The following are some general recommendations regarding reducing electrical hazard risks.

• Minimize the use of extension cords.
• Do not run cords under a rug.
• Never overload an electrical socket.
• Do not use light bulb wattage which is higher than the specified wattage on the outlet.
• Check regularly for loose wires, or loose lighting fixtures.
• Make sure there is sufficient air space around your television, stereo, etc. to prevent overheating.
• If you experience frequent fuse blows, immediately cut down on the number of appliances to that circuit.
• Be sure all electrical equipment bears the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) label.

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Preventing Home Invasion

Doors

Doors are the primary entrance points for burglars. Garage doors are often the easiest to breach, followed by the back door. Once hidden from view a burglar has more breaking-and-entering options available to them. Follow these safety tips for a secure entrance:

• Replace rotted door frames so thieves cannot pry the door off its hinges. Use heavy-duty strike plates with 3-inch screws into wooden door frames.
• All entrance doors should have a solid core (preferably metal).
• Use heavy-duty, quality deadbolt locks with a knob-in-lock set and dead-latch mechanism.
• Prevent fraudulent entry by installing door chains and wide-angle peepholes mounted no higher than 58 inches off the ground.

Windows

Since windows can provide access for an intruder, it is essential that you take the proper measures to secure them. Particular attention must be paid to ground floor windows and windows visible from the street or alley. Even upper floor windows can present a threat to your home, especially if they can be accessed from a stairway, tree, fence or by climbing on balconies. The following are some recommendations to secure your windows:

• Use blocking devices to prevent an intruder from being able to slide a window open from the outside.
• Block the window open no more than six inches and make sure you can’t reach in from the outside and remove the blocking device, or reach through and unlock the window.
• In sleeping rooms, any window blocking devices should be capable of being removed easily from the inside to comply with fire codes.
• Use anti-lift devices to prevent intruders from lifting your windows up vertically.

Alarm Systems

Alarm systems are most effective as a deterrent to burglars when used properly, and when properly maintained.

• Keep your yard sign visible and put alarm company decals in your windows and doors.
• Do not write your alarm code anywhere near the keypad.
• Be sure to update your alarm company and central station with any pertinent information including your response call list.
• Test your alarm regularly to ensure all access to your property is protected.

Contact Us today to request a quote on a customized solution to fit your security needs.