Car and Home Security in Rochester
Keep Your Car and Home Safe No matter where you plan on parking your car, you should never leave valuable things inside. It doesn’t matter if you are holiday shopping, at a friends or relatives house, or at your own home, break-ins, whether it would be in a car or home, can lead to valuable items being taken and for identity theft. In the last few days, there have been many posts on social media about car break-ins in and around Rochester. One of the individuals that had their car broken into had their groceries (soda and Gatorade) stolen, and then another individual had their expensive hunting gear taken. All of this was done while the cars were parked in their driveways. Now let’s talk about security at your own home for your car. What is the best type of security to have if your neighborhood or any surrounding neighborhoods have a high number of car break-ins? If you must leave valuable items in your car overnight or for a long period of time, there are some security tips and equipment that you can buy to protect your car. 1. Car Alarm System The smartest first step when buying a car is to choose one with an alarm. If your preferred car lacks one, have a professional install it. A car alarm sounds when someone opens the driver’s side door without keys in the ignition. 2. Motion Sensors Motion sensors are an important aspect of home security because they can detect when there is movement in a certain area. These lights will turn on when someone or something is moving near the sensor. 3. Video Surveillance Your security company can install a video surveillance system. This system lets you use your phone or computer to see any activity at your home. For example, if many people visit and someone breaks into your car, you can check the footage. It will show you what happened. Using video surveillance is smart, but you can do more to protect your car in the driveway. Don’t leave things in plain sight that tempt people to break in. Make your car a harder target. Contact An Expert Security Alarm Installation Company Interested in a security system Want to upgrade yours? Call SPS Fire and Security at 585-770-0348. We’ll help you find the best alarm for your needs.
Christmas Light Safety: Easy Steps for a Hazard-Free Display
How to Prevent Christmas Light Fires It’s almost Christmastime and everyone likes to decorate at least a month early.. Some even have a beautiful light display that many will drive by to see. One thing that crosses many peoples’ minds is how much the electricity costs for the Christmas season. They might even consider Christmas light safety to avoid having a fire risk. Just note that because there is always a fire risk, you also need to ensure you have the proper fire alarm installed in your home. This is so your family receive early warning that there is a problem. Christmas Light Safety If you are one of those individuals that like to decorate with lots and lots of lights, there are many things that you can do to prevent an electrical fire. If you forget to turn your lights off and are away from home, there are a few ways that you can turn them off right from your smart phone. Christmas lights When shopping for lights make sure you read the labels correctly. Putting inside lights outside can become dangerous and cause electrical shock. If you have lights from the previous Christmas, you want to check all the bulbs and the extension cord that they come on. If either is damaged don’t use them. Damaged cords can become overheated and cause a fire. Its always a good idea to save the extra bulbs that come with the string of lights so if one bulb needs replacing you are using the same exact light bulb for that string. Using a light bulb with a different wattage can be dangerous. When hanging lights on the tree, inside or outside, make sure that you connect no more than three strands of lights together. Connecting more could cause a fire because of overheating. Extension cords should not become overloaded with lights. When purchasing an extension cord, make sure you know how much wattage you are going to be connecting to it. Overloading the cord with more wattage than recommended can cause an electrical fire. Turning your lights on and off Make sure you turn off your tree lights, lights outside, or any Christmas lights used for decorating before you go to bed or before leaving your house. If there is ever a time that you forget, you can call a neighbor. If it becomes a repeated thing, you might want to invest in smartphone outlet plugs. These are plugs that you get for your house that you can plug the tree lights, outside/inside lights to. Once you have the plug, you download the app that is connected to the plug. Follow the instructions in the app and you are good to go. Exercise Christmas Light Safety with a Security System Fire Alarm Company Rochester If you have any additional questions regarding a home fire alarm Rochester residents trust in their homes during the holiday season and throughout the entire year, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 585-770-0348.
Burglar Secrets: How Thieves Pick Their Targets
Why Do Burglars Choose Certain Homes? Did you know that 71.9 percent of burglars target homes? That’s a staggering number. This figure was released by an NBC affiliate that sent surveys to convicted burglars throughout New Jersey and Jew York. The idea was to uncover the strategies that they used to break into homes. Below is what they found out, which is important for you to know so you can boost your home security and keep you and your family safe. The Biggest Findings The biggest findings had to do with unlocked windows. Forty-two percent of the burglars that completed the survey said that they entered their target homes through unlocked windows. Thirty-eight percent of them entered through unlocked doors. That is a lot of people leaving their doors and windows unlocked. The most common place they found valuables was in the bedroom. This was the first place that 75 percent of burglars looked after they broke in. The most targeted items were cash and jewelry. 84 percent of them went for cash and 80 percent of them went for the jewelry. Home security alarms do scare off burglars. Forty-two percent of burglars said that they left immediately when they saw an alarm system. Give Your Home Security a Boost If you don’t have a home security alarm, it is time to invest because that is the biggest deterrent when it comes to burglars entering your home. Here are some tips to help you give your home security the bump that you need: Lock all doors and windows. Get strong deadbolts for your doors. Add an alarm system. Install motion-sensor lights outside. Trim bushes and trees near windows. Don’t leave spare keys outside. Use smart home devices. Get a video doorbell. Tell neighbors when you’re away. Make your home look lived in. Back to the monitored home security alarm, one burglar gave advice to his own mother and that was for her to invest in an alarm system for her home so she would be protected. That says a lot when a burglar is telling his mother to protect herself against people like him. Other Security Tasks In addition to the items listed above, there are other things that you can do aside from keeping windows and doors locked and installing a security system. Lock your valuables in a safe. Burglars often look in bedrooms first, so don’t hide your things under a mattress or in a drawer. If you bolt the safe to the floor or install it in a wall, you’ll protect your items. Also, never keep valuables sitting where a burglar can look through a window and see them. When they case the house, they are going to look through windows to see what they can steal. During the holiday season or even around birthdays, don’t leave empty boxes to electronics out with the trash. When a burglar sees that you have gotten a new television or computer, they are more likely to break into your home to steal those items. Always lock your windows and doors, even when you’re home. People often say to lock up when you leave, but burglaries can happen while occupants are inside. This experience can be very frightening. So, lock your doors, lock your windows, and arm your home security system. That way, if someone enters, your system will alert you and the monitoring center. Contact A Rochester Home Security Company One of the biggest things that you can do to ensure your home is safe from burglars is to contact SPS Fire & Security. Our experience, state-of-the-art equipment, and excellent service will help you protect everything that is important to you. To learn more, call us at 585-770-0348.
Ultimate Car Kit Guide: Stay Safe on the Road
Keep Yourself Safe on the Road All Year Round The thought of getting stranded or running out of gas leaves a nervous feeling in many of us. It affects our sense of security. There are Multiple things that you can do to make sure that your automobile is well-maintained. What’s inside your car plays a key role as well when preserving your sense of security. Below is a list of ten of the most popular items that you would want to have in your automobile in case of an emergency: 1. Fully Charged Mobile Phone With technology these days, having a fully charged cell phone on hand is the quickest way to get in contact with someone. Some cars don’t charge cell phones while they aren’t running. If you notice that your phone is low on battery, charge it while driving. 2. Jumper Cables You come out from work, put the key in the ignition and your car doesn’t start. What do you do next? The smartest thing that you can do when finding a parking place at work or at any store would be to park where another car can park in front of you. Never pull through because it makes it harder for any one to help you out. Plus, it blocks car drivers from backing out. 3. Flashlights Flashlights come in handy for when you need to check under the hood or if you get stranded when it is dark outside. Again, your sense of security is very important. 4. Roadside Flares Roadside flares are the best form of light signals to have when it is dark out and you are on a busy road or thruway. Many people won’t see you or your car right away if it is a dark color. Having the roadside flares will allow other drivers to see you and your car ahead of time and give them enough time to move over to another lane, if possible. Keeping jumper cables in your automobile in case of an emergency, may not only keep you safe but others as well. 5. Blankets You should have one blanket for every person that is in your family. Even though you are in the car where it might be slightly warmer than it is outside, you want to be sure that everyone in your car is warm, especially if you have little ones. 6. Bottles of Water Keep one or two bottle of water for every person that is in your family. You never know how long you are going to be stranded for. Water is better for you and lasts longer than juice or soda. Keeping water in your automobile in case of an emergency, not only can keep you safe, but you could also use it to help another person or animal. 7. Food Granola bars are always a good food to keep in your car. Like Water and Blankets, you should keep one to two per person in your family in the car. 8. First Aid Kit Whether it is cleaning up a head wound from scattered glass or cleaning a boo boo for your three-year-old, a good stocked first aid kit always comes in handy. The first aid kit should have bandages, white tape, gauze, cotton balls, medical gloves, Neosporin, and anything else that you would think would be helpful during a medical emergency when on the road. Having a first aid kit in your automobile in case of an emergency, could keep someone safe until more help arrived. 9. Ice Scraper It is 5am and you are outside in the cold scraping your car windshield with a credit card. That is not always a good idea. Having a least two scrapers in your car would benefit you just in case one of them breaks. 10. Gloves (both work and winter) Both work and winter gloves are key essentials to your car kit. Winter gloves are not going to be safe if you need to check under the hood of your car. Buy safety work gloves in case you or someone in the car with you knows what it is that can be fixed under the hood. No matter what season (winter, summer, spring or fall) it is, always revamp your car kit based on the season. Sometimes you might not need the winter gloves or ice scrapers anyway, but you need extra water bottles because it is 90 degrees outside and there is always the possibility you’ll break down. When taking things out of the car kit, make sure that you have a bin to place all your off-season car items so you know exactly what it is that you took out. This keeps you equipped and organized. Contact Your Rochester Security Experts All in all, having a car safety kit is one of the most important things you can do for you and your family. You never know what is going to happen on your daily routine. Keep your insurance information and a good reliable towing service number handy in case of any emergency. To extend safety measures to your home, SPS Fire & Security can help you. Call us at 585-770-0348 to learn more.
New Parents: Using Home Security Products for a Safer Home
Using Home Security Products to Keep Babies Safe It is exciting to be a new parent. You have expectations and plans for your child. You want them to grow up to be a good person and to make something of themselves. It’s important to keep them safe in every area of their life. Home security products iis where that safety starts. Keeping your child safe starts at home. There are several home security products that will help you make your home as safe as possible for your baby and you. This will give you what you need to be safe and feel safe. Peace of mind is a powerful thing when you are taking care of a new human being. The Usual Home Security Products Of course, there are the usual products that you can use to make your baby safer. It won’t be long before your baby is crawling, so you want to put locks on toilet seats and covers for electrical outlets. You will also need safety gates to keep your baby from wandering all over the house. Pressure mounted gates can fit any size doorway and keeps you from having to permanently install hinges and latches in the door facing. It is entirely up to you, as babies eventually figure out how to knock down pressure mounted gates. You also need to childproof cabinets. There are some great locks you can buy at your local department store that are easy for you to figure out, but they aren’t so easy for the baby. This can keep them out of cleaning supplies and other harmful items. Lastly, a baby monitor that you can carry around the house with you while your baby naps or sleeps at night can help you keep your ears peeled. You know what’s happening in the room. Motion Detectors are Golden Home Security Products Motion detectors are useful anywhere in your home. First, place them in your child’s room. This alerts you if anyone tries to break in through that room. In fact, motion detectors work well near any doors and windows. Finally, if you sleep soundly and might miss the baby monitor, motion detectors are a great help. Video Surveillance Video surveillance is another one of the best home security products you can opt for. This is because you can monitor your baby’s room while they sleep. As your baby gets older and begins sitting and playing on his or her own, you can monitor your little one in the room while you clean the house, do the dishes, or simply take a load off for a few minutes. Video surveillance is also useful for when you have a babysitter come to your home to watch your baby. You can keep an eye on things while you’re gone by accessing the system through your smartphone. If the babysitter doesn’t do their job or they are mean to your child, you can intervene or never hire them again. A video surveillance system can be just a camera or two or you can have many. Another area where video surveillance is useful is outside so that you can see who is at your door. This keeps your entire family safe. The Almighty Home Alarm System Motion detectors and video surveillance can be components of a full-scale home alarm system. If someone breaks into your home, you are going to know about it. The alarm will sound and it will most likely make the burglar leave very quickly, keeping your family safe. With video surveillance in place, you can get a glimpse of who the culprit is, increasing the chances they will get caught so they aren’t on the street to try and destroy another family’s sense of security. You can secure all doors and windows so that you have peace of mind, but also so you are much safer than you would be otherwise. Enjoy Your New Life With that said, enjoy this new life that you have with your bundle of joy. They grow up before your eyes and, of course, keeping them safe through every phase of their life is extremely important. With so many home security products that can secure the home and keep all of you safe, you take control away from anyone who would even think about interfering with your safety. SPS Fire & Security Can Help You with Your Security Needs To give your home the added security that it needs so you and your family can be safe, SPS Fire & Security offers state-of-the-art equipment and exceptional service so that you know you are much safer. To learn more about how we can help you, call us at 585-770-0348 for a free consultation.
Is Home Automation the Way to Simplify Your Life?
How Does Home Automation Make Life Easier? Home automation isn’t an entirely new technology, but it is one that is making great strides in making life better for families. However, many homeowners question how convenient home automation really is. It does involve everything from remotely adjusting a thermostat to turning on a light, but is it really worth it? The following list gives you a glimpse into the conveniences and if they are will help make your life easier. Reduce Stress with Home Automation Ever leave home and wonder if you locked the door? Many people do. But home automation can help! It gives you smart locks. This means you can lock your doors from anywhere. For example, if you go on vacation and wonder about your locks, you can check them. If any doors are open, you can lock them right away. This stops you from driving all the way back just to check. All you need is home automation and your smartphone. Keep Things Peaceful Smart lighting helps keep things peaceful and you can even save money on your power bill. For example, you can put countdown timers on the lights in rooms that are used for short periods of time. Bathrooms are the perfect example. The light will automatically shut off in five or ten minutes. This will prevent the light from being left on for hours and that will save you money on your electric bill. Motion sensors installed in rooms can result in the light being turned on and off as people enter and exit the rooms. Another thing you can do is set lighting schedules, especially when you go on vacation. The lights can be scheduled to make it appear as if someone is home. This will help deter burglars from entering the home. If they do enter, your alarm system can run them off and video surveillance can capture who they are. Your Home Becomes More Accessible with Home Automation Home automation also greatly benefits the elderly or those with disabilities. Simple tasks can become challenging for some people. Automating the home makes a big difference in their lives. Now, they can complete certain actions by simply pushing a button. This reduces physical effort, making the home much safer for anyone who has trouble moving around. Stay Aware When you add video surveillance into the mix, you can look at your video feed from your smartphone when you are at work, on vacation, or when taking a walk. You can see what the dog is doing, what is happening in your yard, and what is going on in your house. This gives you peace of mind because you know what’s happening. Save Time Home automation also saves time because you don’t have to run through the house turning off lights or locking all of the doors. You can do this straight from your smartphone. Stand in one place and get it all done. It’s as simple as that. User Fewer Resources When you buy a home automation system, you help the economy. You also use fewer resources. This happens because you cut energy use, only consuming what you need at that moment. Keep Tabs on the Kids You can’t always watch your kids every second. But with home automation, you can add home video cameras. This lets you watch your baby while they sleep or keep an eye on the kids in the playroom. This gives you peace of mind and can even help you get more done. You Move Into the Future When you install home automation, you step into the future. As technology advances, so can your system. This means you’ll always have the latest tech. Consequently, your system will improve with every upgrade. Contact A Rochester, Syracuse & Buffalo Smart Home Installer and Make Life Easier with Home Automation At SPS Fire & Security, we specialize in a wide range of security products, including home automation. If you are ready to turn your home into a smart home or you want more information, call us at 585-770-0348 for a free consultation.
Identity Theft Shield: 5 Ways to Secure Your Information
How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft Many people over the years have found that with the busyness of family gatherings, it’s so much easier to do their holiday shopping online. Unfortunately, identity theft via a computer or internet is the easiest way to gain access to an individual’s identity. Yes, just like a home alarm system keeps out burglars, anti-virus and anti-malware software can keep out thieves. Nonetheless, you have to take precautions. Below, you will find five ways to avoid identity theft when using your computer to make online purchases. Also remember that identity theft can also occur if a thief breaks into your home and takes personal documents. Having an alarm system in place will help prevent this from happening and, if it does, video surveillance is a great way to identify the perp. 1. Pay Close Attention to Accounts for Signs of Identity Theft Always make sure that you are watching your bank and credit accounts. If you notice any unusual activity, make sure that you report it right away. 2. Never Give Out You Social Security Number Most banks and credit card companies ask for the last four digits of your Social Security number. However, only give it out if you already have an account with them. Otherwise, a thief can easily get your account details. Instead, ask for a callback number. Then, you can call them back yourself to give your information. This way, you ensure you’re really talking to your bank or credit card company. 3. Make Sure to Shred All Papers with Personal Information Get a paper shredder if you don’t have one. It’s a smart buy. Shred all papers with your personal details. This means things like account numbers, part of your Social Security number, and your address. Why? A thief can break in and steal this info to commit identity theft. So, putting in an alarm system can really scare thieves away. 4. Make Passwords Secure to Avoid Identity Theft Never make passwords words or characters that someone could easily figure out. Plus, don’t write your passwords down and leave them around the house so that anyone could get them. Make your passwords words and characters that only you know and don’t give out your passwords to anyone that you don’t trust. 5. Use Protection On The Computer to Avoid Identity Theft If you do a lot of home shopping from your computer, make sure that you have some computer security installed. Some proper security that you could install on your computer would be firewalls and spyware. Each one of the programs can keep your computer and identity safe from viruses and hackers. Make sure that the programs are updated before shopping online to secure that you have the best safety. Having knowledge of identity theft could save you from any harm happening to you this holiday season. One other way to protect not only you but your children is to teach them about identity theft. Teach your children not to give out any information to anyone that they don’t know or to anyone online. While identity theft is certainly something to watch out for during the holiday season, it defiantly should not keep you from doing your holiday shopping at your own comfort of your home computer. By following these tips, you can continue to enjoy the internet from just about anywhere. And don’t forget that an alarm system is also a valuable component in avoiding identity theft. Protect Yourself from Identity Theft Better with SPS Fire & Security Although SPS Fire & Security is a home and business security alarm company, our services can keep burglars out that can steal your personal information. Unfortunately, thieves will acquire credit cards, social security cards, and important documents for the purpose of committing identity theft. To learn more about how SPS Fire & Security can help you, call 585-770-0348 for a free consultation.