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. 

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.

 

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.

Effective, Efficient Home Automation To Make Life Easier

 

Have you ever left for vacation, get down the road and then wonder if you closed the garage door?

Like the family in the video, you can help protect your family, property, and deliveries anytime from anywhere. Whether protecting from fire, flooding, break-ins, porch pirates (or noisy neighbors) – Secur-Tek’s Total Connect 2.0 integrated with the MyQ garage door app gives you mobile control of your security system and smart home devices.

So maybe you’re not going on vacation soon, but what if your “tween” daughter/son, parent or pet caretaker accidentally triggers the security system? You can check to make sure they are safe, then disarm it from wherever you are.

Or perhaps you receive a weekly or monthly wine or food box delivery? Instead of leaving it to sit out on your porch vulnerable to rain, sun, porch pirates, or allow a delivery person access to the inside of your home – you can remotely open the garage door for the delivery personnel, watch them deliver your goods, and then close the door when they leave.

If you have parents or pets in your care, you may want to check in on them with live video/talk. Finally, when away on vacation it is always comforting to know you receive alerts when events happen, such as extreme temperate changes, water leaks, motion detection or doors opening.

If you can relate to any of these situations read on!

It all begins when you have Secur-Tek add Total Connect 2.0 and the MyQ garage door app controls to your security system. Total Connect 2.0 integrated with MyQ garage door control enables you to:

  •  Arm or disarm your security system
  •  Unlock or lock doors
  •  Open and close your garage doors at will
  •  Turn lights off or on automatically or manually
  •  Adjust thermostat temperature settings
  • View live video and recorded clips from Total Connect cameras strategically placed externally/internally around your property. (calculated camera placement is critical for best coverage)
  • Receive important notifications – email and video alerts – on event/emergency activity
  • Connect with smart home products such as Amazon Alexa

Professional Installation keeps your security information safe while customers can change and add:

  • Security codes/passwords
  • Add optional: fingerprint or facial recognition ID for login
  • Set system and feature On/Off automation
  • Monitor functions and make changes, anytime anywhere though the app

For an added level of security, all system devices need to be installed, programmed and tested by a certified/background checked Secur-Tek technician while secured servers provide another level of protection against hacking.

Not looking to be Captian Kirk on the USS Enterprise? Just want to protect your family and property as cost-effectively and conveniently as possible?  At Secur-Tek, Inc. we listen to your needs and help you design the security and automation system that gives you just what you want and can use.

For more information on the Security System that is right for you, please call us at 919-387- 1800 or fill out the form below for a complimentary consultation.

Security & Home Automation