intrusion of a burglar in a house inhabited

How Burglars Think: How to Outsmart Them

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

intrusion of a burglar in a house inhabited

Every New England home or business owner wants to protect their property from burglars. Such invaders are a real threat today. According to the FBI, in 2018, the most recent full year with available statistics, there were 1.2 million burglaries in the United States. This represents some 17 percent of all property crime.

Naturally, you can take basic steps to defend yourself, such as locking doors and windows when you are absent, alerting neighbors if you are going on vacation, and so on. To take it a step further, however, try to think a bit like a burglar and develop your defensive strategies accordingly.

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Loving couple paying bills online at home using a laptop computer and looking very happy - lifestyle concepts

How to Secure Your Home Without Breaking the Bank

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Loving couple paying bills online at home using a laptop computer and looking very happy - lifestyle conceptsRoughly 250 New England homes out of every 100,000 are burglarized each year. Massachusetts residents alone have about a 1 in 79 chance of becoming the victim of a property crime. 

If you want to ensure that you do not become part of that statistic, you’re not alone. Homeowners are looking for better ways to secure their property – that don’t come with a hefty price tag.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to achieve greater home security that don’t involve a lot of additional investment. Often, some creative thinking matched with wise decisions are all it takes to ensure that your home is safe from would-be intruders.

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Shot of an unrecognizable little girl playing with a sparkler at night time outside in nature

Safety Tips for the 4th of July

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

The Fourth of July brings the excitement of backyard barbeques during the day and awe-inspiring firework shows at night. However, as Pew Research describes, Fourth of July weekend is also considered the most dangerous and deadliest weekend of the year. Emergency rooms experience thousands of patients on normal weekends for a variety of causes, but Independence Day adds a high number of firework, alcohol and water-related injuries to the Shot of an unrecognizable little girl playing with a sparkler at night time outside in naturelist. 

There’s no reason to let these statistics dampen your enthusiasm. Most – if not all – Independence Day accidents can be avoided by observing a few standard safety precautions. Implement the following tips to ensure that your Fourth of July remains a fun weekend of relaxation and entertainment.

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young couple buying a new house

5 Reasons to Upgrade Your Home Security Before Selling 

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Invest in Home Peace of Mind 

Planning to put your house on the market? Want to differentiate the property and build value for it in a practical, demonstrable way? Offer your buyers full security capabilities and extra peace of mind.young couple buying a new house

If you already have some sort of basic alarm system in place, consider upgrading it and implementing a cutting-edge, high tech and holistic surveillance/life safety solution. The safety of your property and loved ones is crucial. Anything you can do to enhance that protection will most likely appeal to future owners of your house.

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Teenage girl with mobile phone in bed

How Monitoring Your Kids’ Online Activity Mitigates Break-Ins

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Online “casing” has become a new favorite tool of burglars throughout the country. Statistics show that nearly 75% of home invaders used a resident’s online presence in some way to target and locate their home. While adults use social media and other online platforms to engage with the world, children are far more Teenage girl with mobile phone in bedinvested in their virtual life, which makes them a vulnerable target for would-be burglars looking for easy access to a vacant home.

There are many ways you can monitor your child’s online presence to ensure that your entire family – and your home – are kept safe from intruders. First, it’s important to know exactly how potential robbers locate the information they need.

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Summer Vacation Safety Tips

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

School’s out! Children will most likely be spending a lot more time in or around the house, which may require leaving them home alone.

This is worth thinking about in advance. In terms of the law, each New England state has its own rules about the minimum age a child can be left alone. Read more →

Four Tips for Spring Security

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Days are getting longer, temperatures are rising, and the ice and snow are melting. Spring has arrived here in New England, and with it, an opportunity to reevaluate your home security.

After huddling indoors for the past three months, spring offers the chance to finally go outside and enjoy the mild weather, but it also provides an opportunity for thieves. Read more →

Predictions for 2019: Why Cybersecurity Protects Physical Security

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Given recent trends in information technology and crime, we have two major predictions about security in 2019:

  1. The biggest single threat to your business will come via cybersecurity vulnerability.
  2. The Internet of Things (IoT) will come to dominate your house and small business systems (assuming IoT hasn’t already taken over).

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10 Security Lessons from “Home Alone”

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

“Home Alone” is an all-time classic holiday movie. Young Kevin McCallister cleverly outsmarts two house burglars in a hilarious Christmas comedy. In addition to the slapstick laughs, Kevin employs non-traditional security measures to protect his house against the would-be burglars. While we don’t recommend icing your doorsteps and swinging paint cans from the top of your stairs, there are some lessons to be learned about proper home security.

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Halloween: Spooky Security Facts for Homeowners

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Halloween crept up quicker than you can say “boo!” and you should be aware of the night’s spooky security facts. About 175 million Americans will be observing the holiday in some form, says CNN. With all those parties, costumes and related activity in New England and beyond, it should be no surprise Halloween can be a scary day for homeowners.

In fact, the holiday sees a 17 percent spike in home claims for vandalism, theft and other crimes, as compared to the 364 other days a year, notes a recent CNBC article.  The most common vandalism acts include kicked-in doors, broken windows and mailboxes knocked down. Also, in-house theft claims jump by 60 percent, says a USA Today article. Read more →