Tuesday, February 19, 2008

HOME SECURITY AND SAFETY TRENDS


Homeowners looking to increase their home’s security and safety now have more choices among new products and systems that can check activity from virtually anywhere.

According to Electrical Contractor and Security+Life Safety Systems magazines, published by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), Bethesda, Md., more electrical contractors around the country are specifying, designing and installing security and life safety products
such as:

- Lighting: new systems include whole-house lighting controllers

- Alarm systems: such as integrated wireless intrusion alarm systems that fit into diverse
home décor

- Locking systems: including digital keypad controls, two-way wireless key fobs and systems
that allow doors to be locked remotely

- Intrusion control panels: to detect unauthorized movements, forced openings, gas leaks and
fires, crimes and medical emergencies; some systems include as many as 32 different zones in
the home that can be monitored including smoke detectors and carbon monoxide sensors

- Cameras: including video door phones, and closed circuit television (CCTV) systems that can
capture images outside the home and save them to a hard drive to be easily downloaded for
police

- Whole House Automation: systems can include fire/life safety and security, home theater,
audio installation and other controls

"What’s being done today in home security is incredible," said Dan Bollin, president, Transtar Security and Technologies, part of Transtar Electric Inc., a Toledo, Ohio-based full-service electrical contracting business. "You can have cameras installed and monitor them away from home through the Internet. You can integrate your lights so a microprocessor remembers your lighting habits over two week's time and replicates them when you leave for vacation. Your lights can flash if there’s a break-in," he said.

New alarm systems include The Easy Series alarm system from Bosch Security Systems Inc. for intruder protection. The user-friendly system is directly connected to motion, door and window sensors that automatically raise the alarm in the event of an intruder. The panel also features voice-activated, menu-based navigation and animated color symbols that indicate the current status of the system and activated or deactivated with a single press of a button. And if the homeowner is on the road, s/he can be notified of any activity or check the status of the system through audio and text messaging on any phone, cell phone, or pager. Smoke detectors and emergency call functions may also be added. Web site: www.boschsecurity.us/index.html.

Active Response Monitoring (ARM) is an innovative home security monitoring and notification service provided by VOXCOM Inc. It lets homeowners remotely monitor and control their home security system with mobile access to real-time video. A homeowner can receive instant notification of all alarms, events and alerts regarding their system via email, SMS text message or automated phone call to their mobile phone and check on whether their children arrived home from school safely. Homeowners can also view all live or archived video from surveillance cameras, showing exactly what is happening at any location.

No comments: