Motion detectors are a simple device that makes security simpler for home and business owners alike. Combining a sensor that detects motion, and locating it in any numbers of key places within the place that needs protecting and you have a motion detector.

Whether an alarm security system is placed inside a home, or elsewhere, the use of motion detectors makes the results far better than knowing that a door is ajar.  There is a key to doing this though and that is finding the right type of alarm system and detector for you.

Finding the right fit for a motion detector isn’t automatic. There are a lot of them on the market, and some of them are very specific. Some will tell you if there are visitors pulling up in your driveway, or if your dog has gotten through an electric fence.

Your alarm security system will also be individualized do you have a business, a home, or a little kiosk in the middle of the mall? How to decide where to put an alarm system in each of these situations takes some thought, planning and usually, some professional help.

Are you looking at a lot of possible entrances to the place that needs motion detectors and alarm security system? If so, you’ll probably need to consider quite a few motion detectors but the professional security system installers can tell you more specifics.

Wireless sensors are available that can be moved around the rooms as needed, for your convenience. This is handy for those of you with more windows and doors than average. Glass breaking sensors are also out on the market and will pick up the sound of breaking glass.

Many consumers are concerned that they will buy an alarm system that is constantly triggered by their pet(s). While this may happen on occasion, it is avoidable you must take the time to shop around for the correct type of detector, and fit it into your alarm security system.

You will have to decide, as well, whether or not you want your alarm system to be a silent alarm, or a loud, ear-piercing type alarm. Businesses tend to opt for the silent alarms, as do people with a lot of valuables. Their reasoning is that the silent alarm trips off the police department, who show up, and hopefully nab the criminal without disturbing anyone else.

Take the time to call around to various professional installation companies. Ask them plenty of questions about the motion detectors that they carry, and how they work. Likewise, inquire about the alarm security systems, and fees that go along with them.

Learning about motion detectors and alarm security systems is not hard, but it will take some time and effort on your part. Make some phone calls, ask around, and analyze the information you’re given. You’ll be pleased with your choice in the end!

Contact your local ADT dealer for full details at (305) 424-9219 or (800) 991-6587.

According to FBI statistics and research gathered by the FBI we can now have a better idea of what area in our home is more likely to be an entry point for an intruder.

The following statistics / percentages show the areas of entry

34% front door  23% first floor window   22% back door   9% garage   4% basement  4% unlocked entrance  2% second floor  2% storage area.

Educating ourselves on statistics relating to certain aspects of the behavior patterns relating to burglars and break in attempts helps us to have an advantage in determining if we are or aren’t a possible target for a break-in.

The following is a list of facts about burglars/ burglaries

Most homes are not robbed by professional thieves. Most robberies are committed by male teenage burglars.

The average burglar lives only a mile or two from the homes which he chooses to burglarize.

In the U.S. a burglary occurs once every 14.6 seconds.

Most burglaries occur during the day when home owners are at work.

The average burglar does not spend more than 8 to 12 minutes in any home during a burglary.

34% of the time intruders walk right in through the front door. The next most popular points of entry include/ first floor windows, back doors, garage

More than 65% of burglaries occur in residential neighborhoods.

Not having an ADT monitored home security system triples your chances of being a burglary victim.

The first place an intruder will go to after entering a home is the master bedroom.

Ladders and tools should not be left outside the house, a burglar can use these to break in.

Burglars will almost always prefer to attempt a break in when a residence is unoccupied. Take care to make sure that your home looks lived in , even if it means installing timers which turn on light as well as possibly a television set or radio at regular intervals. Make sure newspapers are picked up by a neighbor and always try and leave a car in the driveway if possible. Install motion sensor flood lights on the exterior of your home to deter anyone from approaching the residence. Never ever leave jewelry or cash at home where it is easily accessible.

Do everything you can to make it more appealing for a burglar to pass your house by without even attempting to break in. To prevent break ins contact your local ADT dealer at (305) 424-9219 or toll free at (800) 991-6587

Previously, homeowners relied on simple locks to protect their homes and their valuables. Unfortunately, these locks were often unable to do that. Today, homeowners have a wealth of tools available to them to help protect their valuables and their families.

1. Electric Circuit Alarms: The cornerstone of any alarm system, these alarms are placed at entry points to the home. Doors and window are equipped with circuitry that, when disrupted by a break-in trip an audible alarm and send a signal to the monitoring company.
2. Motion Alarms:  Used t o cover large areas such as living or kitchen spaces, motion detectors use radio waves to detect movement in a given area.  If anything moves within that area, the alarm is tripped
3. Sound Alarms:  Particularly useful in small rooms, sound alarms can be thought of as a backup to a window alarm. A burglar who breaks a window to gain access to your home will quickly set off the sound alarm.

These monitoring systems are an excellent way to begin protecting any home. They offer a degree of comfort – any attempt to gain access to the home will be foiled. Some homeowners are turning to more exhaustive measures to improve the security of their home.

1. Laser keys:  much like the key fob changed the way we lock and unlock our cars, the laser key is quickly revolutionizing the way we enter our homes. Difficult, if not impossible to replicate, laser keys offer the homeowner personalized protection.
2. Cameras:  Today cameras are available in a wide range of sizes. From large, visible security models to tiny hidden cameras, homeowners use cameras for more than proof. By connected the camera system to your home network, many homeowners have the ability to monitor their homes from work, giving them an even greater sense of safety.

Experts agree that the best way to protect your home and your valuables, as well as your family, is to install one of the many burglar alarms and security systems that are available on the market today. When selecting a security firm to handle your needs, carefully review their record, ask for references and be sure the firm will personalize your security system to fit your needs.

Home security and personal safety has never been more at risk. Leave nothing to chance by installing burglar alarms and security systems to ensure that your home, your valuables and your family are as safe and protected as possible. A good security system is the only line of defense your home needs.

With ADT, America’s number one home security company, you can also rest assured that these home safety needs are being met. With ADT, your family will be notified and helped in the case of multiple emergencies. Such is the case of Mike Edwards, who is an ADT customer; his story is reported on ADT’s website. One day, Mike Edwards fell asleep while he was preparing dinner. The heat sensor was activated, alerting the fire department. An ADT representative called Mike’s wife at work. Since the door was dead bolted, firefighters had to break down the door. They found Mike on the floor, with no pulse. Thankfully, Mike was revived and brought back to life. Mike had installed his ADT home security system just four months prior to the fire incident.

Everyone wants to think that a devastating fire can never happen to him or her. According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2008 alone, there were 1,451,500 fires in the United States. Of those 3,320 died and 16,705 were injured, and there was an estimated total of 15.5 million dollars indirect dollar loss. The U.S. Fire Administration stated in 2006 that the state of Florida has an 8.9 percent rate of fire deaths. Prevent yourself from becoming another victim by installing an ADT monitored smoke detector in your home. The following are benefits of installing a monitored smoke detector:

• Your family is alerted with a loud noise when smoke is detected in your home. This is great if you are sleeping or outside of the house.

• If you are away, the alarm will call for help to your home immediately.

• Some alarms can alert you on your cell phone if your home catches fire.

ADT alarm systems offer carbon monoxide detection. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that can kill you in minutes. Every year, 200 people are killed in the United States by carbon monoxide poisoning. In 2006, there were 27 carbon monoxide related deaths in Florida that were unintentional and non-fire related, down from the 46 in 2005. An ADT carbon monoxide detector can alert you when there is a deadly amount of the gas in your home. This can save you and your family’s lives.

ADT also offers flood detectors. Living in South Florida, where there are multiple storms, not to mention hurricanes, this is something you will want to consider adding on to the standard installation. You will be warned of rising levels of water in your home.

Another option ADT offers for those with ill or elderly people in their home, is a medical alert system. With the touch of a button, 911 will be called in case of an emergency. The monitoring device can be worn as a pendant or on the wrist.

It is of great comfort to know that ADT offers these other options for your home security needs. While it is important to protect your valuable possessions, people, our most valuable treasures in life, are worth the extra protection. Call an ADT specialist today to have a home security system installed in your home.

In order to give you a greater understanding and peace of mind as to what you will receive with the home security system, here is how the monitoring works. With ADT you are choosing the number home security provider in the nation, guaranteed to give you flawless monitoring services. When an alert is identified, the home security system calls out to the programmed telephone numbers using your telephone line. The monitoring service obtains the alert along with data specifying the type of alert that has been activated. Once this has occurred, a home security associate will contact you to confirm the alert and contact local authorities to send out emergency personnel. This is an incredible advantage, because in the time it takes for all of this to go through the monitoring service, it is much faster than if you would have contacted your local emergency personnel yourself.

The way the monitoring works is that dialers are installed in the main unit of your security system. The monitoring system is equipped with the numbers to dial when an alert is identified. The dialers are simply incorporated by plugging the system in just like you would a telephone. The uncertainty of setting up telephone numbers to dial is done away with.

Another component to dialers in keypads is their listen in mode. This makes it available for either your ADT monitoring service or your designated telephone number to hear what is going on in the home. If a burglary is in progress, the intruders will not be conscious of someone listening in on the crime. From here, emergency personnel can be alerted with the information of the intruder’s presence in the home.

A great advantage to selecting an ADT monitored home security system is that they include built-in power loss protection, that way your dialers continue to work in spite of the power loss. ADT’s equipment has the ability to keep a hold of telephone numbers during a power loss, therefore eliminating the need to program numbers in another time.

ADT also offers its customers the Two-Way Voice Keypad. The way this works is when an active alarm is triggered, or when you chose to activate the interactive audio session, you are quickly linked to the ADT monitoring center. This eliminates you having to go to the telephone, a great benefit if in the time of the intrusion you are far from the telephone or from some reason cannot get to the phone. What comfort in practically having some one there with you, to help and guide you through the disturbance.

ADT’s monitoring service can save you thousands of dollars that may potentially be lost during a burglary, thanks to their quick response times. A monitoring service is one of the most important considerations when selecting or installing a home security system, and with ADT you know you have chosen the best.

The following information is given on the assumption that the residence where the installation will take place is an existing home and not a home under any kind of construction.There are three stages involved in the installation of any security system. The first stage is the design and installation of all device wiring. This is the most difficult part of the job and is the part that requires knowledge of how the interior of a home is built because visually it is impossible to see through walls and determine where a barrier of any kind will hinder you from getting a wire through the wall. Even if a wireless system is being used, a wire for the power transformer, a phone line to the outside dmark, a siren wire, a ground wire and a keypad wire must all be run to provide proper system operation. In some cases these wires can all be run to relatively close proximity to one another, but in other cases they are nowhere near one another. If the use of a hardwired system is the choice for the installation, then all the wires mentioned previously must be run in addition to a wires going from the main control panel to every single door, window or device which will be installed. However, for a do it yourself installation it is wiser and much more practical to attempt and install a wireless system.

Once all the required wiring is installed, then stage 2 begins, which is the installation of the devices. The control panel can be installed first, followed by the siren, keypad and then the power transformer. It is then recommended that the phone line connection is made and the ground wire connection be terminated. After successfully performing all necessary wiring connections, then it is time to install all of the wireless devices. Each and every device should be fastened with screws and mounted at their proper alignment.

The third and last stage in the process of installing your wireless home security system is the programming of the control panel. Every control panel comes with very detailed information on how to program every device as well as multiple features relating to the installation. Sensors have to be assigned a type of format which tells the control panel what the function of the device will be. Codes must also be programmed into the system to gain access to arming levels.

It is not a coincidence that no alarm manufacturer allows end users access to installation or programming manuals for their equipment. No technical support will be given to anyone who calls a manufacturers tech support line unless they are a licensed alarm contractor. Most US cities or towns require electrical permits to install a home security system even if it is a wireless system because of the risk of fire or life safety due to incorrect wiring or installation. Aside from the hazard concerns also comes the concern that if a device or entire system is not properly installed it could result in the system creating numerous false alarms which most cities now apply fines to homeowners for.

Although these days homeowners all over the country are willing and able to upgrade almost anything in their homes, you would be well advised to leave the installation of your home security system to a licensed and insured professional installing company.

Even though it seems as though prices in those days were excessively high, it was primarily due to the high cost of the equipment as well as the labor time involved in protecting a home. The average installation in those days took two men several days to complete. Glass break sensors did not exist thirty years ago so the normal way to protect window panes or glass on sliding doors was using an aluminum strip of tape which was referred to as “foil”. Also, wireless systems for the most part did not exist, and the ones that may have existed were not very good. So in order to wire a two or three story house, or a house which did not have an attic, you would have to glue wires around the entire house at each level placed directly over the baseboards. The old saying “you’ve come a long way baby” truly fits the burglar alarm industry because with today’s modern advances in technology equipment cost is at an all time low and labor times are a fraction of what they used to be. However, one thing still does remain true about the industry as a whole in those long gone days, the protection chosen for a home was not left up to the homeowner to decide, no in those days the alarm contractor was considered an expert in the field of security and nothing less than total protection of your home was even suggested. Homes security systems would be designed in a way where if any door or window were opened, or if any piece of glass anywhere in the home were shattered by an intruder an instant sounding alarm would activate inside as well as outside the home creating as much attention as possible. Motion sensors were installed as a back up device, in case a crafty intruder found a way to enter the premise without being detected. Protecting a home was either done completely or not at all.

Today however, we see a very different picture than we used to. Most security providers today have one objective in mind, and that objective is to gain a monitoring contract even if it means providing a sub-standard security system. Homeowners are persuaded to install a basic system with only 2 or three door sensors and 1 motion sensor which leaves all of their windows in the house unprotected, making it easy for a burglar to enter through any window and exit through the same window completely undetected. Salespersons in today’s market are reluctant to explain the need for such devices as glass break sensors, back-up cellular radio, exterior sirens and window contacts for fear of losing the opportunity to gain a new monitoring contract. This creates a great false sense of security for uninformed customers.

So do you have a false sense of security? Take the appropriate steps to make sure that you and your loved ones can confidently rely on your security system if an intrusion occurs. Ask your security provider to go step by step around the house showing you what devices have been or will be installed to assure you have full perimeter and interior protection. Make sure if the system goes off that the siren loudness is adequate inside and out. Also, ask if a cellular back-up radio is installed to ensure communication to the central monitoring station in the event of a cut or down phone line. Prevention is the key; don’t wait to be a victim to find out if all along you had a false sense of security.

It’s necessary not to wait till something has actually happened to carry out a last minute plan. The best way to ensure the safety of you and your family in times of a disaster is to be prepared beforehand. Disaster preparedness can be quite the challenge for anyone, but be that as it may, it is essential for you and your loved ones to be on the same page in the unfortunate event that a disaster does take place. When devising your blueprint of safety it’s best to keep in mind that it’s not always as easy as just crawling out of a window, running out of the front door, or hiding in what you feel is a safe space, especially if a loved one is incapacitated by some sort of physical handicap.

Being prepared means being ready for any kind of emergency that may arise, be it a natural or a man made disaster. The ideal way to arrange a personalized plan is to have a family meeting to cover all the bases.  Make sure that your loved ones understand what role it is they play and what actions to take during an emergency. Children, elderly, and the physically challenged should be a first priority when putting this plan together.

Here are some tips on what subjects to cover:

• Location of the panic button on your security system

• Safe escape routes including all doors and windows

• Numbers of emergency law enforcement and family members

• Location of First aid kit and CPR administering

• Where to go in the event an evacuation is needed or family members are split up

• Location of emergency supply kits

• Location of extra set of car keys

• Hiding spots

• How to to access credit cards and cash

• What items to take in the event of an evacuation (important documents, items of clothing, photos, ect…)

• Making a natural disaster kit (batteries, non perishable food, candles, radio/tv, special items for infants, elderly, or disabled family members, prescriptions, ect…)

• And pet arrangements (Shelter, Evacuation)

These are but a few of the points that can be involved in the making of your personalized plan of action in case of an emergency. You must tailor your plan to fit your family’s exact worries, needs, and duties as to carry it out accordingly when it comes time to put into operation. It’s very easy to become confused during a disaster of sorts, try to remain calm so that you and your family can think clearly while executing that plan. The best plan for emergencies is a well thought out plan.

Taking preventative action toward a home burglary will keep your home and family one step ahead of the intruder and quite a few steps closer to safety and protection. An empty home for a prolonged amount of time is an easy target. So, how do you mislead a burglar into believing there is someone home at all times while you’re on a vacation? By following a list of tips such as these:

•  Lock all your doors and windows, including upper stairs windows, garage and pet doors.
•  Cancel all mail and newspaper deliveries as to not create an overflow. An overflow of either one will immediately give the impression no one has been home for a while. Your local Post Office will be more than happy to hold all of your mail (including propaganda) till your arrival.
• If your vacation is a long one, ask a friend or family member to mow your lawn on a regular basis while you’re gone and compensate them in some way for their trouble.
• Leave your car in the driveway. If you’re going on a trip in your car, ask a neighbor to park their car in your driveway till you arrive home from your trip.
• Ask an entrusted friend or family member to check on your house every now and then, leaving them a spare key so they can do a check inside as well. Remember to leave I.C.E. numbers (in case of emergency) where they can contact you.
• Use timers or controlled switches to turn lights on and off at certain times of the day, this creates a busy look in the home and imitates everyday habits.
• Be part of a neighborhood watch project. Get to know your neighbors, and report any suspicious characters to your local police department immediately.
• Do not broadcast your absence. Do not leave an outgoing message on your email account or voice mail, a note on your door, or away messages on Instant Messengers that you will be away. You do not want the wrong person to have access to this kind of information.
• Make sure to update your burglar alarm company’s monitoring center with the phone number of where you can be located in the event of an intrusion or emergency occur.
• Last, but definitely not least, remember to leave the security system codes for the person you entrusted with the key to your home so that they may activate and deactivate as necessary upon entering and exiting your home. With the help of a great home security system provider, you can obtain a system that actually allows you to see your security cameras footage from the Internet. These special cameras are called IP network security cameras. These cameras are connected to your computer which allows you to stream exactly what the camera is recording live, from any location in the world. This system also proves to be very helpful for many people.

If prevention and protection are something you consider a first priority, then you should have minimal worry about the safety of your home while you’re away. With the proper steps you will be able to fully enjoy peace of mind while on your vacation.

Bon Voyage.