The holidays are fast approaching and that means folks will be heading out of town to visit friends and loved ones. The Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday times are some of the most heavy travel times throughout the year. While this is a happy time for many, it can be a devastating time for those who incur break-ins, burglaries, or worse. Knowing how to properly set your home security system before traveling for the holidays can save you a ton of time and possible headaches. Below are a few tips to help you set your home security system correctly during holiday travel
Looking To Purchase A New Home Security System? Read our
Arming Your Home Security System
The way you arm your home security system during holiday time could differ depending on whether you’re hosting others or whether you are traveling away from home. If you travel away from home it’s important to remember your home security system is armed before leaving the home. Although if you do leave the home and forget to arm your system you can always use the smartphone app or online interface if you have a system from one of the top security system companies.
When traveling you want to put your home security system in the “Away” arming mode. This turns on all sensors that guard against intrusion. If there is an attempted break-in at the home the system will trigger automatically and the police will be sent. You may also want to think about turning off the “delay time” on your system. The delay time is the amount of time the system gives you to disarm it when you trigger a door sensor – for instance when you come home from work or an outing. When turning off the delay time the system triggers instantly as does the siren. When the delay is turned on the siren will not sound and the system will not trigger until after the delay period is up. The standard delay time is 30 seconds.
If you are staying home for the holidays and hosting family members at your home it’s important to remember which arming modes you should use. In this case you can arm/disarm yoursecurity system’s sensors individually, or you can use the “Stay” mode which only arms sensors for doors and windows and turns off all motion sensors. This will ensure your family’s protection even if a break-in is attempted while you and your family are home for the holidays.
Want To Install A New Home Security System Before The Holidays?
Do Not Turn Off Home Security System Fire Detectors
Fires are also a common occurrence during the holidays. With the increase in heavy home cooking many homeowners forget simple fire safety rules. First, do not, under any circumstance, turn off your home security system fire detectors. The Smoke/Heat devices that are connected with your home security system are designed to contact the fire department automatically should you have a fire emergency. While it’s not recommended to have your fire devices directly above the stove, one is normally placed within several feet of the kitchen area.
If you are afraid of triggering the sensor accidentally, you can also turn off the monitoring of the device, yet it will still trigger a sound. However, it is recommended to keep all of your fire detection devices on and monitored when cooking large meals – or any meal for that matter.Set Home Automation System Devices On Auto
One of the great things about home automation systems and devices is the ability for you to turn them on “Auto”, or setting things on a timer or trigger from another action. For instance, you can set certain lights to turn on in your home at a certain time of day. Or you can have the thermostat turn on during a certain time of day, or if the system is disarmed. There are a number of ways to customize and automate your home and appliances to ensure that your home looks occupied or you don’t have frozen pipes to come home to.
Most home automation devices can integrate with your home security system, and instead of having to open your smartphone app or computer to change settings each day you can set everything up to work automatically. Think about the movie Home Alone. The “Wet Bandits” didn’t know Kevin was the only person home until much later, and quite honestly most burglars won’t sit around waiting to determine whether or not someone is home. They go for the easy and most obviously empty homes.
Use Your Smartphone App To Control and Be Alerted By Your Home Security System
Perhaps the greatest technology advancement for home security systems is the ability to receive alerts and notifications about system activity. If you leave home for the holidays but leave your pets behind, have a maid or landscaping service, or any other person coming to your home your system can notify you when these people come and go. You can even give people a special code to enter to disarm the system; this way you will know who it was that disarmed your system and entered your home. Does the dog walker come everyday at noon? Be alerted via text, email, or through your smartphone app about this and any other activity occurring with your home security system.
The holidays is a time for happiness and togetherness with friends and family. Don’t let the thought of pine trees, egg nog, and Santa on his sleigh keep you from doing the right things to protect your home and family. Have a safe and happy holiday!
Looking To Install A New Home Security System? See our