Our guest author today is an expert on home security and any advice for keeping our families safe is very welcome. Watch the evening news for about five minutes and see if you don't feel uneasy. Yes, the media exploits our fears but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't take precautions. Foil the Bad Guys!
I am not one to market based on fear. I hate being approached by sales people and feeling like they are exploiting my emotions. For that reason, when security products are being sold I absolutely detest how they are normally rely on fear tactics. I will attempt to stay away from fear tactics but I do want to touch on a few points of interest with keeping yourself protected.
It is so much easier to prevent a break in than it is to emotionally recover from one. Here are some ways home automation can help keep your family safe.
What Makes Someone a Target?
Here’s a principle – I was into networking for several years and I learned something profound about networks. If you have many wireless networks in the area, it is very likely that your network will be hacked into. The funny part is watch what happens when you switch to the next lowest – WPA encryption. Even though both are very easy to hack into, since WEP is the simplest, the amount of attacks on your network will statistically drop.
The same thing goes with your home. Burglars are opportunists. If your home looks like the least guarded in your neighborhood, you become the easy target.
Make your home the path of most resistance in your neighborhood, and other homes will be considered long before yours.
Think about this: If you were a burglar, and you saw two homes, one with a Ferrari and one with a BMW, which would you steal? Now, does the scenario change if you know the BMW owner leaves the keys in and the garage door open? Of course it does. A Bimmer will suffice because the risk is so small compared to any other option.
What Makes You the Path of Most Resistance?
There are lots of ways to make your home less of a target. Home automation products are fantastic for this.
Motorized blinds can shut out the curious when it gets dark outside and easy to look in
Automatic locks ensure that your house is never unlocked
Lighting control allows your home to run the lights as if you were home
Just the sight of video cameras will keep most would-be burglars away
And of course a security system gets the job done if they do decide to break in
The times your home is the most vulnerable are obviously the times when no one is home. Many homeowners try leaving a front light on for a week while they’re away. Others will go through much more trouble to ensure their home looks occupied.
The simplest way is, if you have a home automation system, to simply hit your vacation preset button on your way out the door. Your security system sets itself, lights begin mimicking your usage patterns, locks lock, blinds shut, and motion-sensitive cameras get prepped.
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