The Luxury Bel Air Pad of Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon

This stunning home situated in the picturesque Bel Air is reminiscent of an old colonial style country cottage except that it is over 11000 square feet.  With white wooden slats and grey roof tiles with the grey being echoed in the window shutters leading to the red front door, it speaks of well-worn style and old money. The interior however is in complete contrast to the grand old world external facade. The inner home is vast, containing six fireplaces, seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms. 

You’ve recently gotten married, and the studio apartment worked well for you as a bachelor, but you are now looking for something that is a little better suited to you and your spouse. House hunting is more than just finding your dream home. It’s about finding a home that provides both comfort and security. Comfort is per your personal choice, but an area often overlooked is the security aspect. If you are buying into an area that is generally known to be peaceful, apart from a few teenagers who get a little out of hand sometimes, small measures can be taken to ensure that your property is a bit safer.

The area seems fine, but the neighbors have burglar bars

Whether you are a working parent who needs someone to take care of the kids during the day, or enjoying a much deserved second honeymoon with your beloved, no matter the age of your children, leaving them alone at home is a daunting prospect to most parents. In this day and age, having a babysitter is also not enough; more needs to be done to ensure the wellness of your household.

CCTV

You’ve spent months waiting or your precious bundle of joy to come home. The time has finally come, and with a shock you realise that your home is not baby safe. It’s still a while before the little one starts wondering around, but all of a sudden everything in your house resembles scenes from a warzone. Everything is a threat. Apart from the most obvious issues like power outages, the following needs to be taken into consideration when making your home baby proof.

Dangling wires and hanging tablecloths

The moment we think security, we immediately think of safeguarding our possessions against would-be criminals. This is an important aspect, but something that also needs to be taken into consideration when you decide to buy a property, especially in a remote location, is whether it is safe to do so. We would expect that all laws apply in all countries and places, but what would be a condemned building in one country, could just be the standard of living in another.

A house on the lake

An understanding of your needs and the best approach for them is the first step in planning for a home security system. Since, you are looking for a security solution for your property; you are the best person to conduct home security planning.  The security system expert will only strive to sell you the security devices, but not to ensure that your interests are met. While consulting a professional is an intelligent move, you should have a laid-out plan. It should display your concerns and the vital components you would like to see in your security system.
A guide for successful home security planning

Do you need sensors in your home

Begin by taking an inventory of all the doors, windows and all the other places you want to install sensors. As you take count, do not forget the door to the garage and those windows high up the building. This will help you to know just how many sensors; will need to cover the entire home. Most systems come with a set number of sensors but the additional sensors come at a price.  These extra sensors may be carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, for emergency incidences.

The amount of illumination you need

A home security system is inadequate without lighting. The lights should be placed strategically to shine on paths leading to your house and areas, which are often poorly lit. This way, it will be possible to detect an intruder, from the moment they set foot into your yard. Motion sensors are the best, for improving night vision. However, you should account for one, which will only be sensitive to strangers and not, to wind or animal movements.

Understand your neighborhood

You may wonder how this concerns, home security planning. However, the security system you invest in, should match the security situation of your neighborhood. Start by assessing the crime rate in the area. This will help you to know, whether you need more advanced security devices for the garage or even window shutters.

Wired or wireless

In places where they are, no landlines or the house does not have wiring in place. It is important to understand both wired and wireless security systems. This will enable you suit your needs to the system. Wired systems are believed to be more effective but they are challenging to install. On the other hand, wireless systems are quite easy to install but you will not be in a position to prevent interferences.

Consider other things in your house

If you have pets or children, you must consider them when planning for home security.  This is because; the systems are quite sensitive and can be turned on, if animal passes by them or a child interferes with them. False alarms are very annoying and in particular if, they happen frequently. That is why; you should plan well to ensure that the system is well programmed. Home security planning is an important undertaking. It makes it easy when you are creating a budget for your security system and when outlining your needs to the professional, you will hire.

Security systems use sensors to detect if there is a breach and in alerting the concerned parties. This applies in all states and in home security systems Greensboro NC. There are various types of sensors used and some of them are:

Door sensors

These are sensors used on non-glass solid doors. An infrared or magnetic sensor is placed on the door and it is triggered when the sensor connection between the door and the doorjamb is disturbed. You can even set sensors to emit a chime when people enter and leave the home if security system is unarmed.

Window sensors

The sensors are placed on windows that are small and average sized. Just like the door sensors, these sensors are infrared or magnetic and they are triggered when their connection is disturbed when the window is opened.

Glass break sensors

These are used on windows and doors that have glass but do not open or with glass that is large and a person can pass through. For instance, the sensors are placed on picture windows or patio doors that have sliding glass. The sensors detect hard striking that can break the glass, triggering the alarm.

Perimeter sensors

These are sensors installed on private roads and driveway entrances and on gates. They are common in rural areas and they notify when someone accesses these areas.

Motion sensors

Motion sensors are for detecting motion in the house. If they detect any movement, they trigger the alarm. They are useful in homes that are usually not occupied most of the daytime to detect when an intruder gets into the house. In case they are installed in a home where there are people and constant movement, and the system is armed, the alarm could be triggered all the time creating false alarms. Make sure you check the instructions provided by the manufacturer before buying motion sensors to ensure that your pets will not trigger the alarms as they move in the house.

Carbon monoxide sensors

Carbon monoxide is a gas that is colorless and odorless. It is also deadly and humans cannot detect it. It is common in fireplaces and heating systems that are not properly vented. Carbon monoxide sensors should therefore be placed near the fireplace and in the rooms with heating systems to detect when the gas is present.

Fire, smoke and heat sensors

Fire, heat and smoke sensors are used for detecting low heat and slow burning fires. It is usually a legal requirement to have smoke detectors in the home and you should therefore check with the building codes in your locality to ensure that they meet with the required standards. There are however higher levels of false alarms on smoke detectors, especially when there is excessive steam and burning food. Heat detectors have lower rate of false alarms because they are not easily triggered. Make sure you choose only the relevant sensors to include them on your home security system.

Doors play an in important role in enhancing safety in the country and in Baltimore home security. A strong door that is kept locked will make it difficult for a burglar to get in considering that most intruders get into the house using the back and front doors. Below are some suggestions that you can use to make your doors burglarproof.

Use strong doors

Exterior doors should be made from strong materials such as solid wood, metal or fiberglass. Doors made of cardboard core and veneer sheets are hollow and are not suitable as exterior doors because they can be easily broken into. A door should swing outwards and not inwards in order to maneuver it easily in case of a forced entry. Ensure the doors do not have windows. Also, make sure that the window is not near the door to avoid a burglar breaking the window and unlocking the door from inside. In case the door has glass panels, or it is near a window, you can cover the glass using security grill on the outer side or an unbreakable polycarbonate on the inner side behind the glass.

Use good locks and keep the doors locked

Most burglaries take place on unlocked doors or on doors with easily picked locks. Make sure you lock all external doors every time you are going out and get good quality locks to improve your Baltimore home security. Use deadbolt locks on all external doors in addition to the doorknob lock. Make sure it is of high quality at grade one or two and does not have exterior exposed screws. The throw bolt should be of 1 inch in the least. You may include a deadlock to provide more security when at home. This kind of lock has no external key and it can only be opened from inside. The lock is not easily broken into. For sliding doors, use locks that have keys at both the bottom and top. You can also place a wooden rod at the bottom part to prevent it from opening. Use polycarbonate panels to reinforce glass on the inside to make it stronger.

Have reinforced entryways

Reinforcing the entryways will make it difficult for the burglars to get in. You can do this by having cylinder guards around lock cylinders where the key is inserted. This is because lock cylinders can be damaged by prying, hammering and wrenching. If the strike plate- the metal plate surrounding the doorframe hole- is of lower quality, you should replace it with a strike plate made of heavy duty material with four screws of 3 inches securing it. If the hinges are on the outer side of the door, you should hang the door again and place them on the inside or make the exposed hinges secure by using non-removable pins or masonry nails. Ensure the door frame is properly installed, if not, you can secure it using 3 inch screws to make sure that it does not come out easily.

If you want to have a CCTV as part of your protector home security system, you may want to install it yourself. The task of drilling holes to run the cables may look daunting, but with some guidelines, it can be simple. Below are some steps that you can take to install the CCTV.

Get the equipment and determine the location

Before you start with installation, ensure that you have all the equipment such as the cables, monitor and the camera. Use Siamese Cable RG59, which is the standard cable for CCTV installation and has a power cable and a video cable. Make sure that the camera you choose is right for the light conditions. For a dark place, you can use infrared camera or a black and white. Furthermore, consider the distance between the camera and the object to be monitored. The longer the distance the longer the lenses focal length that will be needed. Most cameras have a 3.6mm lens. You may also use a varifocal or adjustable lens that you can change the focal length depending on the need.

Determine the location that is right for the cameras. Consider the light condition. Do not install the camera in a room with low light and the camera pointing into a sunny area due to glare. Place them in strategic places and avoid overlapping. Infrared cameras should not be placed pointing each other due to overexposure. One of the common areas where cameras are installed is the meeting point of the roof and the walls, for a better view and for sheltering the camera.

Wiring and camera mounting

Now that you have determined where the cameras should be installed, the next thing is to do the wiring and then mount the cameras to achieve your protector home security mission. Use the Siamese Cable RG59 for wiring. Plan the wiring carefully to ensure you get video signal of good quality and minimum use of cables. Do not run cables along electrical lines, you can leave a 12-inch space. Leave a few inches of the cable at the camera and on monitoring locations in case it is needed when they will be moved.

When mounting the camera, start by attaching the bracket using mounting screws on the designated location. The camera should be attached to the bracket and its position adjusted. If the camera is powered by 12VDC, you should observe polarity so that the camera is not damaged. Use an AC adapter or AC/DC power box to connect power to the cameras. Connect the RG59 cables to the cameras. Ensure they have BNC connections.

Connecting DVR and Monitor

Decide where to place the DVR and the monitor. Bring the RG59 cables to the room. If they have BNC connections attached, connect them to the DVR. If the cables do not have connections, you would have get BNC connection and crimp the ends before connecting to DVR. Connect the DVR to the monitor. Turn on the power supply of the camera first, then followed by that of the monitor and then the DVR. Your cameras are now set.

With the high rate of crimes, it is important to improve your at home security so that intruders and criminals do not access your home. You can make your home burglarproof in various ways and below are some of them.

Fence your property

A wall on your property will prevent intruders from getting in. You can build a retaining wall by use of wood or bricks. Make sure it is tall so that the intruders do not jump over it. The wall can also give you privacy in addition to security. A thorny or spiky hedge can also do the trick of keeping intruders away and it is a cheaper and cost effective option.

Take precautionary measures

To know the areas of weaknesses that a burglar can use to get into your home, put yourself in the shoes of a burglar and think of how you can break in. Burglarproof the door and windows using metal guards that come in different styles and designs to make it difficult for the intruder to gain entry into the house. The metal guards can also raise your home’s value and improve its image. Close the windows and have the gates padlocked when leaving home. Ensure that the padlocks are of good quality such that someone cannot pick them. The doors and windows should be locked and avoid having sliding doors or ground level windows, which are easily opened from outside. In case you have them, get them changed with sturdy doors and higher-level windows for better security.

Your balcony door should also remain locked especially if you are going out and at night due to easy access that the balcony can provide to the burglars. Do the same with garage doors? Lock the garage door and the door leading from your house to the garage properly. Do not leave spare keys outside the house or on obvious places. In case, you have just moved into  a new home, change all the locks because you may not know who may be having a copy of the keys. Avoid leaving notes on your door indicating that you will not be at home, as this can encourage the burglar to enter your home. You may also close the drapes or use blinders on the windows to discourage those who may want to peek into the room, especially if you have expensive equipment.

Invest in security equipment

Install an alarm system to notify you and security authorities, in case there is forced entry into your home. You should also include security lighting at various entry points of the home to make it difficult for the thief to attempt a break in. Use light timers and set them to turn the light on and off at specific times, especially if you are away. You can also install CCTV to enable you to monitor what is taking place in your home when you are in and when away.