The first time you considered adding video monitoring to your home security alarm system, it might have struck you as a “nice to have” vs. a “must have”. But have you considered the added peace of mind video monitoring can provide?  Let’s have a look:

• If your home is burglarized while no one is home, recorded video serves as added evidence of what happened, when, and who the perpetrator(s) might be.

• Your video monitoring service comes with a phone app so you can keep an eye on things while you’re gone. Did your kids arrive home safely and on time? Are they doing their homework or the chores you left for them? There are even video alerts to notify you if something out of the ordinary is taking place.

• Check with your homeowners insurance company, because adding video monitoring to your home security system could result in a premium reduction.

• If you have a cleaning service, a nanny, or any other full- or part-time home staff, a video monitoring system enables you to hold them accountable for the work they’ve been engaged to perform.

• Imagine for a second that a burglar enters your home and you don’t have access to a phone or any other means to contact the authorities and feel safe while doing so. With a video monitoring system, your security alarm provider will contact the authorities for you – after all, it’s part of what you’re paying for.

• A video monitoring system allows you and your security monitoring service to keep track of areas you seldom visit, like your garage, a distant hallway at your place of business, even your backyard. The more eyes keeping an eye on things, the better.

At Now Security Systems, we’re in the business of providing you with added peace of mind. Contact us today to learn just how capable we are of achieving that goal on your behalf.

Security system false alarms are a problem for everyone concerned. For the homeowner, they’re highly stressful and can scare the daylights out of you, not just small children or the elderly.

But they also place an added burden on your home security company and your local police and other emergency personnel.  In some Connecticut towns, you can even incur a fine for too many false alarms.

Here’s how to prevent future occurrences:

Know and remember your codes.  Entering the wrong code is the #1 cause of security system false alarms.  So, don’t just memorize yours, but know where they’re written down – somewhere not easily discovered, but easily retrieved by you should you forget.

Do you know where your pets are?  If you have pets who roam around your household while you’re away and you’ve set the alarm, you’re practically begging for a false alarm.  Either keep them away from sensors or upgrade your system to with pet-immune sensors.

Alert house guests.  If you have a house guest arriving before you do, be sure to mention that they need to disarm the system upon entering your home.

Keep your doors and windows closed and locked.  This is something you should do just before arming your system.  Conversely, be sure to disarm it before re-opening windows and doors.

Replace your batteries regularly. If you have a newer security alarm system, it will alert you when the batteries start to weaken. Be sure to heed that call as another away to prevent a false alarm.

Keep an eye on stray objects. Pets aren’t the only non-humans that can accidentally trigger your alarm.  Certain inanimate objects can achieve.  Take, for example, window treatments that start swaying from the moving air emanating from a heating or cooling vent.  You might want to tie those down.

At Now Security Systems, we react as if every alarm registered at our monitoring center is the real thing.  So, help us do our job better and more efficiently by eliminating as many false alarms as possible.  Have questions on how to better accomplish that goal or on any other residential or commercial security matter?  Contact us today – we’ll be glad to help.