Honeywell Total Connect

FAQs on Home Security Systems

If you have questions about home security systems, check out our blog for answers! We’ve gathered a list of frequently asked questions and answers from our team. 

General Questions: 

What does a home alarm system consist of?

The typical system includes perimeter protection (doors and windows) linked to an alarm. It also may include interior protection, such as motion detectors, smoke, and CO monitoring. More information.

How much does it cost to install a security system?

Each home or business is unique, and that can affect the price. That’s why we start with a complimentary consultation to learn about your situation and recommend solutions that fit your needs.

Will I own the equipment?

Yes.

Can I access the system with my smartphone when I’m away from home?

Yes, there are options that allow you to remotely access your alarm system. You can view and run your security system from your smartphone or iPad with Honeywell Total Connect Services. Additionally, give us a call to discuss home automation options for your light switches and keyless door locks. More information.

Does the alarm work when the power is out?

Yes, a battery backup is included in your system.

Will I get a discount on my homeowner’s insurance when I purchase a security system?

Usually. It depends on the insurance company, but it’s worth checking as some offer discounts of up to 15 percent on homes with monitored systems.

Why would I need a monitoring service? Won’t the siren noise be enough protection?

Monitoring protects you and your home 24/7. Having and monitoring a home security system can increase your peace of mind, especially if you travel or have valuable items in your home. Our monitoring is provided by an award-winning company and will contact the police, fire, and medical emergency agencies. They are always there to call the authorities. For more information, see our blog on monitoring.

How much does monitoring cost?  

We offer reliable, low-cost monthly monitoring. Our monitoring starts at $31.95 for cellular monitoring.

How long is the monitoring agreement? 

Our monitoring contracts are just for 1 year. We don’t require long-term contracts.

What types of systems are compatible with Secur-Tek’s monitoring? We can monitor many types of systems. To determine if your specific system can be monitored, please call our office.

 

Security Upgrades, Camera Systems, and Monitoring: 

Can Secur-Tek upgrade my existing system? 

Yes, but it depends on the type of system you have. If you have a Honeywell home security system, we can upgrade your system by adding remote monitoring, cameras, and detectors for gas, smoke, and motion. If you have another type of system, we may be able to help — please call for a consultation or contact us.

How many cameras are needed to cover your home? The number of cameras you may need to safeguard your home depends on your home design. We can add cameras to enhance your protection; Secur-Tek offers a complimentary consultation where we look around your home and recommend how many cameras are needed and the locations to install them.

Who do I call for service on my Secur-Tek system? 

Secur-Tek Inc. stands by our products and the same reliable technicians install and service our systems. To set up a service call, please call our office at 919.387.1800. 

How do customers rate your service?  

We’re glad you asked! We have many customers who have been with us for years. You can check out our testimonial page to see what customers say about us. We also have many 5 Star ratings on Google.

 

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We hope you found this helpful. If you live in our service area and have further questions or would like an estimate on upgrading or monitoring your security system, please give us a call at 919.387.1800.

 

Secur-Tek, Inc. serves the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, Apex, including Cary, Clayton, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Holly Springs, Pittsboro, and Wake Forest.  These are the North Carolina counties we service: Wake County, Chatham County, Durham County, Orange County, and Harnett County.

Seven Handy Home Automation Features

A security system with home automation features has many benefits that can add convenience and peace of mind, like cameras, smart locks, and lighting control.

But did you know that there are other ways that home automation can make life easier for you and your family?

Check out these features:

1) See what’s going on at home while you’re away.

  • Know at a glance if a family member has arrived home or left the premises.
  • Speak to babysitters or your children through the Total Connect app for reassurance and to let them know you are watching.
  • Get push notifications, email, and video alerts when events occur, like when you have a delivery or there is a stranger at the door.
  • Monitor key hallways, staircases, and/or doors with live, look-in video.
  • Be notified if a bathtub or toilet overflows or if an extreme temperature has been sensed.

2) Check if the garage door is closed. Have you ever driven away and wondered if you left the garage door open? If you have kids (or another forgetful family member), it can be worrisome when they leave the garage door open. A great solution to this is the MyQ app, which works well with Resideo Total Connect.

With the MyQ app, you can check if the door is closed. You can even accept home deliveries safely even when you’re at work – with the deliveryman on the phone, you can open the door, watch him put your package inside, then shut the door to keep everything safe until you return home.

3) Garage/Outbuilding Monitoring: In addition to monitoring the door of your garage or other building, you can also keep tabs on the temperature inside. If you store items in your garage that can be harmed by extreme heat or cold, adding a temperature sensor can have the system send you an alert if things get too hot or too cold.

4) Vacation Home Alerts: If you are away on vacation or own a vacation home, a “hard freeze” alert can let you know if special measures need to be taken to prevent burst pipes and flooding. In addition, water sensors can detect leaks and send warnings before they become a flood.

5) Power-saving “Mockupancy”: Speaking of vacations, your home automation system can turn lights on and off at random intervals when your house is in “vacation” mode, saving energy while creating the illusion that someone is home and moving from room to room.

6) Lock Programming: With the Total Connect app, scenes and schedules keep everyone safe and comfortable without having to remember to adjust the thermostats, turn lights on or off or lock the doors at night. If you have teens, or sometimes wonder if you locked the door(s), don’t lose sleep worrying. If your teens are old enough to be coming home by themselves after school or late at night, you can have a text message or e-mail notification sent to you to let you know exactly what time your teenager actually arrived home.

7) Flashing Light Ideas: The lights can be programmed to flash all over the house or in certain areas when a smoke detector goes off or the security alarm is activated. It’s sometimes hard to hear all of your various bells and buzzers when you’re watching TV or listening to music in another room, but these events are hard to miss when the overhead lights let you know what’s happening.

 

Interested?  Call Secur-Tek at 919.387.1800 and ask how we can customize a monitored security and automation system for your home. 

Water Sensors

 

Damage to homes and businesses from extreme temperatures, power outages/surges, failed/faulty appliances, and in-home flooding can cause personal and financial devastation. In fact, these environmental extremes are in the top five causes of insurance claims. 

According to the American Insurance Association, water damage claims have been growing faster than any other component of homeowners insurance. One in 50 insured homes has a property damage claim caused by water damage or freezing each year.

Here in North Carolina where we have multiple weather events each year, such as Ice storms, Tornados, Hurricanes, Flash Floods, Extreme temperature swings and power outages – the potential for property damage due to water is high.

But you can protect yourself from the property and financial devastation that water damage can cause by acting proactively — have a professional security alarm/sensor company install a multiple environmental sensor system into your home or place of business.

Note: To be fully protected and be credited by homeowners’ insurance, the system must be installed and monitored by a professionally certified company – self-installed and monitored systems do not qualify.

Whatever the installation challenge, Secur-Tek’s Honeywell Home Environmental Sensors can play a critical role in helping to prevent damage due to flooding or extreme temperatures in your home or business while lowering insurance premiums.

Here’s what a professional environmental sensor system can do for you: 

  • Monitor kitchens, basements, bathrooms, laundry rooms, freezers, boiler rooms and other areas for flood and extreme temperature detection 
  • Minimize or avert costly damages from flooding or faulty appliances
  • Help alleviate dangerous health risks from mold 
  • Help create a safer home and work environment 
  • Give you peace of mind with 24/7 central station text alerts on mobile devices via Resideo Total Connect Remote Services 

So, if you are living in Central North Carolina, isn’t it time to give us a call to discuss what a sensor system can do for you?

Frequently Asked Questions about Cellular Communicators

If you are interested in higher security, reliability, and the ease of controlling parts of your security system from your smartphone, a cellular communicator may be the right solution for you.

Secur-Tek, Inc. encourages our customers to use a dedicated cell communicator for the security system to communicate with the monitoring service.  With the addition of a cell communicator to your Vista or First Alert Security system, you gain the capability to remotely connect with your security system. The Total Connect App allows you to remotely arm or disarm your alarm system and receive event notifications using your smartphone or I-pad. 

Cell phone technology keeps advancing – you may have seen the ads talking about 5G phones and networks. With this latest update, wireless carriers are discontinuing support of 3G devices in 2022.

  • AT&T started the sunset of their 3G cellular network beginning on March 22, 2022, they are no longer operating.
  • Verizon has announced its 3G network will be upgraded by the end of 2022.

 

How does this affect Secur-Tek customers? 

All 3G cellular communicators will need to be replaced. Secur-Tek has been working with our existing customers to update their cell communicator from 3G to LTE technology since early 2020. All our cellular customers requiring the upgrade were mailed notifications. Additionally, when a customer calls in for service, Secur-Tek staff review the customer’s security features and recommend the communication upgrade be completed at the time of service. 

Not sure if you have a 3G cellular communicator?  Call our office at 919-387-1800. We can provide further information, and if needed, schedule this system upgrade.

 

Frequently asked questions about cellular communicators:

 

What is a cellular communicator?

A Cellular communicator is the device that contacts the central station monitoring service for security alarms, fire, and medical alerts. It functions much like a cell phone that is specifically dedicated to your security system by communicating via cellular network data channels. In essence, the cellular communicator installed on the Control Panel of your alarm system acts as a connection to the “outside world”. Cellular communicators are dedicated solely to the security system, so they are not shared with any other service.

 

What is the difference between a Wireless and Cellular Security System? 

 When you investigate purchasing or activating monitoring for a security system, you will hear the terms wireless and cellular used. So, what is the difference? 

  • Wireless refers to the wireless connection between the security system sensors and the control panel. Instead of wires, the connection is through radio waves.
  • Cellular refers to how the control panel communicates to your security monitoring company.

Cellular alarm monitoring requires that you have a cellular communicator in your security system and the technology offers significant advantages over landline-based systems:

  • Cellular communicators are more stable.
    • They are not affected by brief power outages
    • Cutting your phone line will NOT disable your alarm system
  • They enable remote access/interactive monitoring – A great advantage of cellular communication is the option to monitor your home or business remotely. With an app you can add to your monitoring, you will be able to arm/disarm and manage security alerts, and the status of your secured property, even while you’re away.

 

I’m thinking of dropping my landline. How would that affect my security system?

  • If you get rid of your landline, you will need a cellular communicator.
  • If you decide to change your home phone service you will need to reconnect your security system, which may require a service visit and a service charge from Secur-Tek, Inc.
  • Security system manufacturers do not recommend using VOIP (Voice over Internet Phone Service) phone carriers

 

If you have any questions concerning upgrading your system or cellular communicator, we urge you to please call our office at 919-387-1800 or contact us.

 

Thinking you’d like the added peace of mind that comes with having your system monitored, especially when you’re not there?  

Find out more about our monitoring service here.  

 

Secur-Tek, Inc. is locally owned and operated in Apex, NC, offering home and business security and monitoring. Secur-Tek also provides automation, audio, and central vacuum systems to customers in the Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Chapel Hill, Clayton, Garner, Holly Springs, Durham, Raleigh, Morrisville, and Pittsboro areas.

 

Providing Peace of Mind Since 1990

Security is our industry, but for us at Secur-Tek, it’s not just a business.

We feel what we do is important.

Our job is to help people feel safe, more secure, and able to get help when it’s urgently needed.

 

As a locally owned and operated company based in Apex, we are proud to serve our neighbors in the greater Triangle area:  Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Chapel Hill, Clayton, Garner, Holly Springs, Durham, Raleigh, Morrisville, and Pittsboro.

We appreciate all our customers and take the time to understand their unique situations, so we can give you an honest quote on a quality security system customized to fit your needs.

Speaking of customization, some of the features frequently asked for include:

Cameras – indoor and outdoor cameras

Security – dual technology motion detectors, with the combined strength of microwave and PIR technologies providing superior detection and reduced false alarms

Video doorbells – see who is at your door, from anywhere

Smart locks – go key free; lock and unlock from anywhere

Secur-Tek can also include smart devices that can make your life more convenient, all connected by the Resideo Total Connect® app:

  • Temperature controls – to control your climate and save money on your heating/cooling bills
  • Water leak monitors
  • MyQ Garage door control
  • Smoke and CO detectors – these life safety devices actively protect 24/7, even if the system is not armed

We also offer special customizations to make life easier for senior citizens:

With our Total Connect app, family members can receive event notifications and alerts for the home where the senior is living, letting them know when the senior arms/disarms the security system or presses a button to call for help. A text alert can be sent when the medicine cabinet or the door to the garage is opened. Having a Total Connect camera near the TV, for example, will allow the caregiver to chat with their loved ones during their favorite tv show.

 

We’ve been in business since 1990 and have many long-time customers. We’ve grown by referral. And we appreciate them! 

 

If you have any questions or would like a complimentary quote, please call us at 919-387-1800 or fill in the form below.

 

Lighten Up the Winter Darkness

After you take the Christmas lights down, does your home seem dark?

When you turn into your driveway, your home seems cold and dreary. It’s winter in North Carolina, but your home can be safe, secure, and cozy during these blustery months.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn on the lights of your choice, crank up the heat and even unlock your door from the comfort of your warm car or office? You can do all this and more using the Resideo Total Connect App on your phone at any time from anyplace!

Once inside, turning on your fireplace and lighting a few candles can add a warm, calming ambiance for you and your family as dinner is prepared and the day’s adventures discussed. For that extra feeling of serenity, your security system monitors your home 24/7 for intruders, fire, and smoke. Whether at home or away, your monitored system will notify you and the fire or police department will be dispatched to provide assistance. Many insurance companies give homeowners a discount for a monitored security system with monitored smoke alarms.

With all this convenience and security, the winter evening becomes a sanctuary for you and your family to unwind, relax and prepare for the next day. But winter weather shifts dramatically in North Carolina, and the next day could bring cold temperatures, snow or worse, ice, so it’s best to be prepared. 

Here is our easy-to-follow checklist for ensuring your safety in times of extreme winter weather:

Have an emergency kit well supplied and readily accessible to all members of the family. It should have:

  • Snow shovels and other snow removal equipment.
  • Sand/Kitty litter for better tire traction. (Having a bag in your trunk is ideal.)
  • Rock salt, or more environmentally safe products to melt ice on walkways.
  • If you have a fireplace or wood-burning stove, store a good supply of dry, seasoned wood.
  • Have enough clothing and blankets to keep you warm.
  • Keep a supply of water and necessary staple foods on hand.

Make a family communications plan. Your family may not be together when extreme weather strikes, so know how you will get in touch with each other, how/where to get back together, and what each person is expected to do in an emergency.

 Bring pets inside during cold, dark wintery weather and ensure they have enough water in case you get delayed.

 Set your phone for emergency weather alerts.

 If you must travel, be sure you have a full tank of gas, a spare blanket, snack bars and water. Of course, always carry a fully stocked First Aid kit in your car no matter what the season.

Winters in North Carolina can be a challenge at times, but with a little preparation, and the security of Total Contact installed by Secur-Tek, Inc. it can also be a cozy time to share with family and friends. So, live in the moment and enjoy the change of seasons!

If you have any questions on monitored fire detectors or security systems for your home, please call Secur-Tek, Inc at 919-387-1800 fill out the form below.

Six Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Security Company

Installing and monitoring a security system is an effective way to keep your home, family, property, or business safe. It has been shown statistically that security systems can deter crime, however, the first thing you will want to do is thoroughly check out the Security company you’re thinking of doing business with.  

You can start your “due diligence” by getting answers to these questions:

Is the company you’re considering fully insured? A reputable/reliable security company will have insurance to protect all parties concerned.

Are their installers employees or contractors?  Does the company utilize their own employees, or do they use contracted help? Can they tell you who will be coming out to your home or business to work on your system? If you are having a system installed, the installers will have access to your entire home and its contents, so you want to feel comfortable with that situation. Therefore, you may want to make sure the security company has their own employees and that they go through an extensive background check. Background checks should include a complete criminal history, the sex offender list, and the employee should have multiple references.

Are the company and its employees licensed? In the State of North Carolina, any person, firm, or corporation engaged in an alarm system business needs to be licensed and all service and installation technicians need to be registered.

What is the company’s response time? If you need emergency assistance, or have a question or concern about your security, you shouldn’t have to wait for a response or be delayed in managing it. You want help as soon as possible. Too address this situation, does the company give you a specific contact person and/or is there customer service available 24/7?

How does the company document any security incidents or interactions that require your attention? Be familiar with the company’s policies and practices including logs and written reports. Insurance companies usually require this when you’re working with them on an incident. You should be able to acquire copies of those reports easily and when necessary.

Last but not least – go over the fine print!  How much will my security system cost? What is the length of the monitoring contract? You will naturally ask these questions but be sure to confirm installation costs vs. product costs, service costs, monitoring fees and any other associated charges. Some companies advertise low-cost package deals but charges are added on during the process. Companies may lock you into long term contracts and you must pay even if you sell your home. Be careful!  

Getting the answers to these questions upfront can save you time, money and more importantly, give you and your family the peace of mind you are looking for.

If you are located here in the Raleigh NC, Apex NC or the Triangle, and looking for help analyzing and determining your security requirements, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Secur-Tek, Inc. is locally owned, and our technicians are employees. We can design and install the right system for your situation in a cost-effective, timely manner.

 

Carbon Monoxide in The Home — A Hidden Danger!

Carbon monoxide (CO) is harmful because it deprives the heart, brain, and other vital organs of oxygen. Large amounts of CO can overcome a person in minutes, causing them to lose consciousness and suffocate. Since CO has no odor, color, or taste, it cannot be detected by the senses. This means that dangerous concentrations of the gas can build up indoors and humans cannot detect the problem until they become ill. Furthermore, the early symptoms of CO poisoning are like the flu, which can cause victims to ignore the signs. The most common symptoms felt are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion.

Per the CDC, each year more than 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning not linked to fires, more than 20,000 visit the emergency room, and more than 4,000 are hospitalized. 

 

What are the potential sources of CO in your home?

Homes with fuel-burning appliances or attached garages are more likely to have CO accumulation problems. Some common sources of CO are:

  • Clothes dryers
  • Water heaters
  • Furnaces
  • Fireplaces, both gas, and wood-burning
  • Gas stoves and ovens
  • Motor vehicles
  • Grills, generators, power tools, lawn equipment
  • Wood stoves
  • Tobacco smoke

When appliances and vents work properly and there is enough fresh air in your home to allow complete combustion, the trace amounts of CO remaining are safely vented outside your home. Problems occur when an appliance malfunctions. For example, a furnace heat exchanger cracks, vents clog, or debris blocks the chimney or flue.

What can you do to ensure the safety of your family, pets, and friends?

  • Install a CO alarm as recommended by the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA). Install a battery-operated or a plugin alarm with battery back-up on every level of the home – including the basement. Consider buying a detector with a digital readout. This detector can tell you the highest level of CO concentration in your home. Check or replace the battery when you change the time on your clocks each spring and fall and replace your CO detector every five years.
  • Inspect the pilot lights on natural gas appliances to ensure that the flame is blue. When a flame is mostly yellow, it likely is producing CO.
  • When you buy gas equipment, buy only equipment carrying the seal of a national testing agency, such as Underwriters’ Laboratories, and have it serviced by a qualified technician each year.
  • Make sure your gas appliances are vented properly. Horizontal vent pipes for appliances, such as a water heater, should angle up slightly. This prevents CO from leaking even if the joints or pipes don’t fit tightly.
  • If you have a fireplace, have your chimney checked or cleaned every year. Chimneys can be partially blocked by debris and this can cause CO to build up inside your home.
  • Don’t use outdoor equipment inside – like chemical heaters, camp stoves, or charcoal grills.
  • Never use a generator inside your home, basement, or garage or less than 20 feet from any window, door, or vent.
  • Never leave a car running in a garage — even for a couple of minutes with the overhead garage door open.

Protecting your Family 24/7 —  Monitored CO detection

Adding a monitored CO detector outside the bedrooms ensures that the fire department will be called — even if everyone is asleep or drowsy due to the lack of oxygen. When notified of a CO leak, the fire department will react differently than if responding to a smoke alarm and the home will be searched for non-responsive individuals.

A Secur-Tek security system has a backup battery to maintain security and detection for 20-24 hours if fully charged during the event of a power failure. Your keypad will display when the battery needs to be replaced. For instructions on changing battery: Frequently Asked Questions about Home Security Systems (secur-tek.com)

Secur-Tek, Inc. gives you total confidence that your family is protected from CO poisoning 24/7, and we can also design, install, and monitor specialized monitoring systems to fit your specific needs.

Examples include:

  • Monitoring Children – If you have teenagers or children old enough to be home alone, remote access will allow you to be notified when they get home from school. You can use specialized security codes for each child as well as babysitters and view activity in the interior and exterior of your home for extra peace of mind.
  • Monitoring Elderly Parents – If you need to monitor an elderly parent, you can be notified when they get up out of bed, open the medicine cabinet or when there is no activity in the home.
  • Keeping an eye on Pets – Our technicians will put the cameras in places so you can check in on your pets. Temporary security codes for pet sitters will help give you greater peace of mind that your pet is doing okay.  
  • Detecting Water Leaks – When you are not home, even a slow leak can cause serious flooding and expensive damage.  Adding a water leak detector so you will be alerted if this happens can minimize the damage.  Our monitored smart system can even turn off a water shutoff to minimize damage.

Quality Monitoring

 For monitoring services, Secur-Tek partners with Affiliated Monitoring, a leader in the safety and security monitoring industry.

Affiliated Monitoring is certified by the following organizations:

  • CSAA Five Diamond Certified – The Monitoring Association Five Diamond Certificate signifies compliance and assurance that an alarm system has followed guidelines established by best-industry practice. The certificate recognizes best practices utilizing existing standards.
  • UL Listed — UL listed monitoring centers use the most up-to-date technologies.  UL is the trusted resource across the globe for product safety certification and compliance solutions. The UL Certificate is proof that Affiliated’s listed alarm systems meet the stringent standards of the UL.
  • IQ Certified – The IQ (Installation Quality) Certification Program gives consumers a way to identify alarm companies that are committed to providing them with high-quality security and life safety systems.

For more information, please call us at (919) 387-1800 or scroll down and use the form below.

Pet-Friendly Protection for your Home

Ever wonder what your pet is getting into while you’re at work?  Or wonder if they are doing something cute and you are missing it while you’re gone?  Wonder no more!

You can stay completely connected to your favorite furry friend by seeing, hearing, and talking to them whenever the mood hits you. Whether you are worried about them, or just need a break from your busy day, taking a few minutes to check-in on them and staying connected can make your day — and theirs go better.

With Resideo Total Connect Remote service, you can keep connected to your pet on an easy-to-use app — on your iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ device, or HTML5 website.

When custom installed by Secur-Tek, Inc. it will give both new and seasoned pet owners peace of mind by ensuring pets remain comfortable and safe when you are away from home.

With Secur-Tek’s Resideo Connect you can:

  • Check-in or talk to your furry friend anytime you want. If they look lonely or restless, distracting them by talking with them can be helpful and fun.
  • Have fun on social media — if your pet is doing something adorable or mischievous and you want to share it with your friends, you can take a screenshot or video of that activity.
  • Have increased peace of mind — monitor and talk with hired pet setters to ensure your special friend gets everything you want them to get. Or when you’re unexpectedly delayed, you can open locked doors for neighbors and friends to let your puppy out, feed, and play with them.
  • Ensure the safety of your pet and property — Total Connect can alert you, if you have detectors installed, for smoke, carbon monoxide, flooding water, or extreme temperatures. Additional precautions may include alerts for outside gates or certain cabinets containing chemicals being opened or left open.
  • Remotely adjust temperatures or lighting during the day and evening in the rooms your pet is located to ensure their continual comfort.

And, if you’re worried about the security sensors being set off by your pet – with Secur-Tek’s expert custom installation, you can rest easy in that the motion sensors can distinguish between your pet and intruder for pets (up to 80 lbs.) so Fido can roam freely around the house without tripping an alert.

Unleash your peace of mind with real-time alerts, live video, and best-of-breed solutions that help ensure the safety, health, and comfort of your pet.

The advantages of staying connected to your pet while away are many and varied, so let Secur-Tek help you think through this wonderful home/pet security advantage today!

To learn more, contact us at 919.387.1800  or fill out the form below.

7 Safety Tips for Seniors

Family, home, and property are important to everyone. As we get older, sometimes it becomes difficult to feel confident that we can protect what’s dear to us. Whether due to mobility, health or a feeling of vulnerability, Senior Citizens can be safer and feel more confident to handle unforeseen circumstances if they follow these seven tips. 

Always check your home for signs of intrusion, before entering. If you notice your bushes/flowers trampled around the windows, a broken window, open door, or your garage door up – back away and call the police, let them check out the premises before you enter. They will be happy to help.

Furnish your home with doors constructed of metal or solid wood with a peephole so you can see out. Also, ensure your doors have deadbolts and protective security glass with privacy film if there is decorative glass near the door.

Add security film to large windows: Plexiglass or security film can make it more difficult for burglars to break-in. They are safer and often deter burglars from using windows as an entry point.

Never answer the door if you can’t see who is there. Never feel pressured to answer the door as they will leave a message or call if it is important. And always ask to see an ID BEFORE opening the door. For burglaries, nothing is easier than pushing right through an open door. Simply opening your door a crack to speak to a person on the other side may be all they need to get in and ransack your home and injure those inside.

Always keep a phone close by and make sure you have 911 on speed dial. When driving up to your home, answering the door, in the bathroom or moving from room to room, always have a phone nearby. If you hear a noise or feel threatened, stay put and immediately call 911 – speak loudly so potential intruders can hear you calling for help.

Leave valuable items out of sight. Never leave items such as laptops, tablets, purse/wallet, jewelry, or checkbooks where they can be easily seen from a window or door. Put them out of sight when answering the door. Keep them in a closet safe or fireproof lockbox when you are not using them. 

Additionally – consider an automated home security system customized for your needs. It is not expensive and can save your life, or at minimum ease your mind and keep you connected. You’ll want to choose the features that fit your situation. Here are some helpful options to consider:

  • Alert necklace or bracelet: In an emergency, your phone or alarm keypad may be too far away to reach safely and quickly. Using an alert necklace or bracelet, you can call for help without moving from where you are.
  • Medical alert:  Seniors can get help right away using an alert necklace or bracelet if they fall or have another serious medical incident rather than waiting to be found or struggling to reach a phone.
  • Automation and sensors: Getting an automated system means you can program the thermostat settings, lights and door locks on a timed schedule, relieving seniors from having to remember or move around the home multiple times a day to do these routine tasks. 
  • With remote access, active Seniors can check on their property (for example, to check if they remembered to close the garage door) or get alerts when something goes awry.
  • A smart video doorbell camera allows you to see, hear, and speak to the visitor at your door. Your exposure is minimized because you can have a conversation remotely without opening the door. Request the individual leave the package or information and after they leave at your convenience you can retrieve it.

Remote automation can also be set-up so caregivers, family members or security/medical personnel can monitor the activities and safety of Seniors at home. For example, a sensor on the medicine cabinet or a camera in the kitchen could be an unobtrusive way for the caregiver to remotely monitor key  activities.

 

At Secur-Tek, we take the time to understand your needs and help you design the system that is right for you. We also take the time to show you how it works until you are comfortable and confident in how it operates.

Thank you for reading these tips. If you are a Senior Citizen or are caring for elderly parents or relatives, please give us a call at (919)387-1800 so we can discuss how we can help!

Secur-Tek proudly serves the North Carolina communities of Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Chapel Hill, Clayton, Garner, Holly Springs, Durham, Raleigh, Morrisville, and Pittsboro

Security & Home Automation