Homeowners are turning to more and more as technology increases and they are given more control over how the systems operate. Whether they are hardwired through the home’s electrical system or operate wirelessly, these alarms protect against burglary, can maintain the home’s temperature, and allow the homeowners to monitor the home both indoors and outdoors. However, what they might not know is that bad weather may adversely affect these systems and cause them to malfunction, leaving the home vulnerable to attack.
According to USASecurity.org, bad weather will affect almost every at one time or another. Adverse weather conditions such as lightning, high winds, heavy rain, ice, and snow can damage outdoor , even if it is made for outdoor use.
The site points out that “When it comes to hardwired systems, you run the risk of bad weather causing a power outage that may affect the system itself. This could happen as a result of anything from high winds to a lightning strike. When your home’s power goes out, your security system can also stop working if it is connected to your electricity. On the bright side, many hardwired systems these days come with a battery backup so that it can continue to function in the event of an outage. All you need to do is to make sure that your batteries are installed and working at all times.”
In order to make sure that the home’s security system is at peak operation at all times, homeowners should ensure that not only the batteries in their wireless systems are working after a bad storm, but that they test their hardwired systems in the event that their backup batteries fail or have not been installed. In addition, bitterly cold weather can affect battery life and operation, so when the weather drops below freezing, homeowners should ensure that the system is still working. If they are unsure how their systems will operate in extreme cold or heat, they should contact the company that installed the system to make sure that these temperatures will not negatively affect them.
Many system instructions will point out which temperatures may be detrimental to the cameras and cables that operate them, and in the event of a powerful storm, homeowners should refer back to these instructions ensure that their systems have not malfunctioned without their knowledge, leaving their homes open to criminal activity.
Zach Jefferson
Author – Zach has six years under his belt as a marketing manager within the home security industry. He is in charge of keeping site information as accurate as possible, while developing new content ideas for consumers.