Tag Archive for: home security

Some Old School Things Have Got to Go. Like Old School Security

Some old school things need to live on in our culture—like those awesome vintage trailers, Coca Cola, and rock n’ roll. Other things…maybe not so much. Pimento loaves, Jell-O rings, and Yugos can have an honored place in our memory, but we’ve moved on. The same should be true for old school security practices. Though the practices our parents grew up with may have worked back in the day, they do not offer the kind of security needed today. Criminals have gotten increasingly sophisticated and emboldened and yesterday’s security practices are now not just ineffective, they can be downright dangerous.

The good news is, home security and automation technologies offer a better alternative.

Don’t Look Under the Doormat

Believe it or not, putting a key under the welcome mat is not uncommon, even today. It may be handy but it is also dangerous. The number one point of entry for burglars is the front door, and the chances are pretty good that they will check under the mat (and above the door jamb) for a key, just in case. For a criminal, the key under the doormat is as good as an unlocked door.

The better alternative is using home security smart locks and keyless entry. With this you never need to leave a key out for the kids, or visitors. You just assign a code or unlock the door remotely from your smart phone. This way you keep intruders out, and have an added advantage of getting alerts when the code is used so you know that loved ones made it home safely.

Those Plastic Rocks Never Look Real, Anyway

Today’s fake rocks look much more realistic than those from years ago, but still fairly easy to spot is you are a savvy burglar—or even if you are not. If you happen to lose your keys frequently or have a need to grant access to family, friends, or service professionals opt out of the fake rock. It is as good as gold to a criminal.

Instead, consider the options home automation offers. With home automation and geofencing, your doors can unlock automatically when you are within range, or you can open the doors for loved ones from a smartphone or tablet.

Leaving the Lights on is a Beacon

Walking into a lit home is smart. Leaving the lights on the entire time you are gone is not. Leaving the lights on as a security strategy just doesn’t work. Having the lights on and no other signs of life acts as a beacon for burglars.

A much better practice is using home automation to simulate your presence. Having lights, electronics, and appliances go off and on at unpredictable intervals makes it difficult to discern whether the home is occupied or not. For the criminal, the risk is too high.

Peep Hole or Video Doorbell, Who Wins?

The video doorbell wins hands down in this old school vs new school battle. The peephole has been around a long time and served us well, but the video doorbell is a formidable challenger. With the peephole, you need to get close to the door to see out, which not only gives away that someone is home, it can put in the way of danger. It only offers a vary warped and narrow view, and useless in the dark. You can answer the door from anywhere, whether you are home or not, using the video doorbell. A potential criminal never knows you are away, and you never have to get close to the door. HD video doorbells offer a wide view, work in low light, and act as an extra home security camera.

Keep the retro trailers, and all things cool, but ditch outdated security practices. Brinton Security Services is dedicated to serving the community with high-tech security solutions and help protect what matters.

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Do Burglars Always Return to the Scene of the Crime?

If the common plot perpetrated on tv crime dramas and movies hold any truth, burglars always return to the scene of the crime. But does the story hold true in real life or is it just an urban myth?

Yes, Burglars Do Return

It might seem counter intuitive but statistics show that burglars do indeed return, and not only that- they are likely to return for your neighbor’s stuff, too. According to the Police Foundation, burglars very often do come back and once a burglary occurs, houses in the neighborhood are also at a much higher risk of burglary over the next two weeks.  Usually, the crime is committed by the same person, but not always. In some cases, your home may be burgled again because a different criminal finds the home attractive for the same reasons, such as a lack of lighting and no visible signs of having a security alarm system.

Why Do Burglars Return?

It might seem like a waste of time for a burglar to come back after they have already cleaned out your house, but there are some logical reasons why they return.

  • They know your security measures. Once in your home, the burglar knows all of your security measures or lack of them, and know the level of difficulty in gaining entranced to your home.
  • They are familiar with the layout of your home. Knowing the layout of your home is a huge advantage because it saves them time the nest time they attempt to burglarize your home.
  • They found a way to make it easier for themselves. While in your hoe the first time, they may have found a way to make it easier to get in the second time, such as taking a spare key or unlocking the most forgotten window.
  • You have probably replaced valuable items. Burglars often wait 6 to 8 weeks to return. This gives you enough time to make an insurance claim and then replace the essential items. If the items were costly, the burglar assumes you will replaced it with and an equally expensive item.
  • You are not expecting it. A burglar knows that after a burglary you are off kilter, emotionally vulnerable, and not expecting them to come again any time soon.
  • They found a buyer. There may be items the burglar could not take at the time, but made note of it. Once they find a buyer, they come back for the goods.

Make Sure You’re Ready

If you have been burglarized, you know just how cunning thieves can be, and just how important it is to invest in home security. Talk to a home security expert and find out how to reduce your home’s vulnerabilities and which home security technologies would be most beneficial. Features such as a monitored security alarm system, smart locks, video surveillance, and home automation can decrease the likelihood of being burglarized. Polled thieves report that they are far less likely to target a home with visible security.

Security that outsmarts the criminals. Service that outshines competitors. Brinton Security.

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Use Home Security to Prepare Your Home for Summer Vacation

Getting away for the summer means making a lot of exciting plans for accommodations. In the fun of planning your summer vacation, do not forget to make some accommodations for keeping your home safe and secure while you are away. Nothing can spoil your vacation more than getting a call from neighbors saying your home has been broken in to, or coming home to find that your life has just been changed forever. Burglaries are no joke, and can spoil much more than your vacation.

The best way to ensure you have a happy, stress-free vacation is to do all that you can to ward off burglars and other criminals while you are away. Here are some ways to use your smart home security system to do just that.

Use Home Automation Scenes to Look Home

With smart home automation, the home never has to look unoccupied. Set different scenes to replicate varied activity in the home, with the lights, electronics and even air conditioning going off and on throughout the day.  This is a huge deterrence since burglars look for homes that show no signs of the residents being home in order to avoid being caught.

Set Up Alert for Smart Sensors

Your motion and glass break sensors are a huge plus when protecting your home while on vacation. By setting up alerts, you and the authorities can know immediately if anything is amiss. The motion sensor in you video doorbell can alert you to activity at the front door, which is the primary point of entry for burglars, and allow you to see who is there or the garage door opening unexpectedly could cause you to check video surveillance footage to verify activity and catch a criminal in the act. For example. \

Use Smart Locks

If you are gone or any length of time, you will probably have neighbors or others over to the house to bring in mail or attend to pets. Instead of having keys floating around, use smart locks which you can open remotely.

Have and Use Interior and Exterior Video Surveillance

Visible proof of home security and video surveillance is one of the best deterrents against crime, and having it provides the homeowner with an incredible tool for keeping their home safe while they are on vacation. Tap in to video footage any time to keep things in check and whenever you receive an alert you can act on the security threat immediately.

About Brinton Security

Brinton Security Services has been dedicated to “Protecting What Matters” since 2001 and provides residential can commercial services in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

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