How to Utilize the Intelligence of Your Home Alarm System
We all know about how "smart" some of the modern-day technology can be, but there are often times when we realize we haven't been using it wisely. Maybe you notice it when chatting with a friend who has the same cell phone, or experiencing a home entertainment system with the same components as you have, only being used far more effectively. Quite simply, if you don't take the time to explore the technology of any equipment you own, you're probably not going to utilize all of its best features.
Home alarm systems are definitely on the list of items that are smarter than we give them credit for. The basics -- motion detecting, smash sensors, smoke and gas control -- we take for granted, but what about controlling your home security system from a cell phone? Is such a thing possible? Here are five little-used conveniences maybe you should be using on your home alarm system.
1. The password shuffle. In many ways, the password is the most protected piece of your home alarm: No one gets in or out without it. However, if you give your primary code to someone, what is to stop them from coming in when you are not home? The answer is obvious, so consider getting a separate password (or two) for a housekeeper or babysitter and know who has come inside, and when.
2. The panic code. Disarming your alarm will always involve the same code, yet you can create the same impression with a panic code. For example, if someone has accosted you outside your home and taken you inside, advising you not to make a sound, you will not want to spark your alarm siren. Disable the code like you would normally would, but send an emergency message to your home security company at the same time.
3. Creating a grace period. Another way to deal with habitual visits by people to whom you don't want to give your code is to block off times where the alarm is disabled. In other words, between 1 and 2 o'clock -- when your dogs get walked, for example -- your alarm is off. Then when your dog walker arrives and gets the pups, there is no disabling to be done. Your alarm is merely off for an hour and otherwise on.
4. Have friendly alerts. If you're waiting for someone to come over, or the kids to get back in the afternoon, you can use the chimes to let you know someone has come in. At the same time, you can set up the system on your windows, so you know when someone has opened one -- especially useful when you have small children.
5. Cell control. While most alarm companies operate with land lines, the use of cell phones as backup lines is very popular. Besides the standard emergency call, you can have alerts activated on your cell phone, warning you of any of your alarm's functions.
Home alarm systems are definitely on the list of items that are smarter than we give them credit for. The basics -- motion detecting, smash sensors, smoke and gas control -- we take for granted, but what about controlling your home security system from a cell phone? Is such a thing possible? Here are five little-used conveniences maybe you should be using on your home alarm system.
1. The password shuffle. In many ways, the password is the most protected piece of your home alarm: No one gets in or out without it. However, if you give your primary code to someone, what is to stop them from coming in when you are not home? The answer is obvious, so consider getting a separate password (or two) for a housekeeper or babysitter and know who has come inside, and when.
2. The panic code. Disarming your alarm will always involve the same code, yet you can create the same impression with a panic code. For example, if someone has accosted you outside your home and taken you inside, advising you not to make a sound, you will not want to spark your alarm siren. Disable the code like you would normally would, but send an emergency message to your home security company at the same time.
3. Creating a grace period. Another way to deal with habitual visits by people to whom you don't want to give your code is to block off times where the alarm is disabled. In other words, between 1 and 2 o'clock -- when your dogs get walked, for example -- your alarm is off. Then when your dog walker arrives and gets the pups, there is no disabling to be done. Your alarm is merely off for an hour and otherwise on.
4. Have friendly alerts. If you're waiting for someone to come over, or the kids to get back in the afternoon, you can use the chimes to let you know someone has come in. At the same time, you can set up the system on your windows, so you know when someone has opened one -- especially useful when you have small children.
5. Cell control. While most alarm companies operate with land lines, the use of cell phones as backup lines is very popular. Besides the standard emergency call, you can have alerts activated on your cell phone, warning you of any of your alarm's functions.
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