Security… It’s not what you think
When it comes to securing your home, it can be hard to know where to begin. I had the pleasure of interviewing Josh Smith from Smith’s Alarms & Electronics (recommended by the Towbes Group) to gain insight on the best security strategies to implement in your new or existing home. Smith’s Alarms, a family-owned business based in Santa Maria, serves all types of clients in Santa Barbara County ranging from hospitals, large hotels, and apartment complexes to single-family homes.
Contrary to popular belief, cameras are not the best deterrent for theft… alarms are. According to Josh, your first line of defense should always be alarms on all doors and windows followed by motion sensors inside. As break-ins are most likely to happen when you are away on vacation, alarms will scare off burglars and prevent significant losses. Once alarms begin to ring, intruders will leave more quickly and not make it as far into your home. With motion detectors, once movement is detected alarms will ring forcing the intruders to leave quickly (in case they just break the glass and walk in without opening a door or window).
Alarm technology has come a long way in recent years. Alarm panels now provide a long list of scenarios to pick from to announce things such as when a door has been left open for too long (wasting energy), when a pool door/gate is opened (good for pets or children), or it can announce which door or window is unlocked before you go to bed or when you are leaving the house. You can also add a separate ‘zone’ in areas you may not want guests going into, such as the primary bedroom/closet or your home office.
It is highly recommended that you install alarms and motion sensors on your garage doors. There is a trend in San Francisco now, where intruders will cut a hole in the garage door big enough to put their hand through to pull down the red opener cord. Then they manually open the door to steal electric bikes, golf clubs and other sports equipment. They don’t want your car, they want small expensive items they can take quickly.
As far as cameras go, although popular wireless cameras are less expensive, secure closed-circuit versions are worth the investment, as they are harder to hack. It’s also important to remember to change your access codes periodically and don’t use simple codes like your address. Recently, there has been a big wave of hackers gaining access to security systems.
Next, be sure to pick the smartest places to put the cameras. Instead of installing a camera at your entry keypad to get a shot of someone’s face, it actually makes more sense to place one outside your gate or at your front door to catch footage of the person and vehicle (make, model, and license plates). Other areas that should have video coverage include outside back and side doors, exterior yard, and interior common areas like the kitchen, living room, main stairways, and/or hallways. Consider making rooms that have large ground-floor windows a priority to monitor.
Some more helpful tips from Josh include:
Monitor your water flow system to be notified of potential leaks. One of the most common causes of damage to a home is water leaking at the flange behind a toilet or a refrigerator when an owner is not home.
Be wary of free alarm installation services with high lease payments. Do your due diligence when researching security installation companies. Some companies do not have their customers’ best interests at heart.
Invest in a battery backup in case of power outages. Standard systems only will last for about 10 minutes after an outage… purchasing a battery backup for around $1,000 will give you two hours of coverage.
Secure or bolt down things of value such as paintings, a safe, or any expensive electronics and install a motion alarm on each. Place smaller items like jewelry in a safe that is bolted down. Also, make sure to sensor certain windows or doors where you can see valuables from outside. This holds true for your office (laptop, sensitive documents, etc.).
A big thank you to Josh for passing along his knowledge. We are using Josh for the first time and it is nice to have someone to think through with you exactly what is best for your home vs. as a cookie-cutter installation from a franchisee service technician. Another plus – we found Smith’s Alarms to be much more competitive than many other companies and they are lovely to work with. They offer a free consultation at (805) 619-4510 to help you if your home needs a tune-up or new security plan – truly a great find.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Trudi
