IPhone Apps Let You Monitor Home Security Systems

Technology and mobility increasingly creep into all areas of  life, entertainment and businesses, and home security is not an exception in these fast growing trends. We all know that the ability to remotely monitor home security systems is not new, as well as commands from a computer or cell phone, even managing lighting and thermostat controls remotely.

Well, now it’s time for your iPhone to provide you all these statistics and even pictures of your home security systems. One of the first adopters of mobile based control system applications is alarm.com, which offers a great monitoring technology for your iPhone or iPod touch! With your Alarm.com application you can instantly find out so important things as checking if your garage door has been left opened or locked, have you closed your medicine or liquor cabinet doors when leaving it, are your kids got home from school or not yet, or finding out whether your security systems are switched  on or off. If you find them off, no doubt- activate them over your phone.

iPhone, iPod, and actually web-enabled cell phone or smartphone security monitoring apps are getting more popular now. Many security companies are  offering mobile applications for their customers. If your home security company isn't offering these features yet, give them a call and check if it's in the works.

Tips To Select Your CCTV Cables

When installing your CCTV camera system complete with runs of cables for your video and power signals, it’s very important to be informed about CCTV cable types before purchasing them. These tips of  selecting CCTV cables will help you understand the necessity of buying CCTV cables as well as effectively choose the best option based on your needs.

Fire Codes and CCTV Cables

If you live in an area which supports return air flow in the ventilation; then you obviously will need to use a plenum rated CCTV cable. Areas that support return air flow are usually the locations that are used for heating and air conditioning. As you know it’s a vital part of the system as it is where the air from the supply registers goes. If your place doesn’t support return air flow, anyway a customary  PVC coaxial CCTV wire is also acceptable.

CCTV Cable Distances

The distance of CCTV cables is another important thing to determine, before you go about purchasing. The importance of this is consisted in degradation and failing of your signals in case of further distances depended on some type of cables.

If you are going to be installing your system with a max of 600ft - 800ft in between devices; then a standard RG59 coaxial cable should be the proper option to buy. For further distances you may think about upgrading to a RG6 cable then.

Check What Your CCTV Cameras Use

Standard Composite Video CCTV Cameras

Practically standard CCTV cameras use an analog composite video signal of 1V peak to peak (NOT RF) and it’s very important to keep in mind, as a RF signal uses aluminum coax to send the signal to your receivers or TV system. That’s why it’s required always use a copper braid / copper core coax for your composite video coming out of your security cameras. It’s advised  possible choose a coaxial CCTV cable with a 95% braid and a SOLID copper core.

Network Cameras

In case of network cameras coaxial CCTV cables actually are not needed and they will use network Ethernet cable such as CAT 3, CAT 5, CAT 6, etc... The cables are commonly connected using punch down blocks and modular connectors and  include some plenum and non plenum ratings as composite coaxial ones do.

To conclude, these were the details what you should consider and make a smarter and knowledgeable decision before purchasing your CCTV cables.

The Advantages of Megapixel IP Cameras

The demand of Megapixel IP Cameras has been  increased since the first time they were manufactured, therefore  the prices of these type of security cameras are eventually going to be lower and the use is growing. Megapixel IP and  standard IP cameras have some underlined differences when they are explored separately. IP cameras are generally the same resolution as an analog camera with a built-in video encoder to convert the analog signal into an IP address. Hybrid CCTV Solutions, a mixture of analog and IP/megapixel cameras have been becoming more popular since existing CCTV infrastructures could be tied in using one NVR/Software interface. Megapixel IP Cameras are powered with the ability to record a minute and accurate image display, which can be monitored remotely by authorized recruits, who are permitted to watch and observe the recorded material.  The advantages of this technology is quickly being felt within the market.

High-definition (HD) or Megapixel (MP) IP cameras are now available that offer a huge jump in image quality compared to conventional surveillance cameras. Resolutions are available as 1.3,2,3,5,8 and up to 16 megapixels (16 megapixels, 4872x3248 pixels, in resolution contains over 50 times more detail than images captured with conventional surveillance systems). A standard IP camera or analog cameras are 640X480 resolution (0.307 megapixels) cameras, that would only be able to view the image and would then need to be zoomed in telescopically via PTZ to view the detail loosing the rest of the picture that is out of view.

With Megapixel cameras, forensic zooming can be capable while its simultaneously recording onto the NVR (network video recorder) server as the whole picture and vice versa by watching recorded video while forensic zooming on the desired view. The ability to capture not only situation awareness the big picture of what is going on but also fine details that can be used for license plate reading and identifying people. The combination of situational awareness and detail allows security operators to react faster and reduce investigation time, all with a higher probability of prosecution and conviction. Trying to achieve this with an analog camera would not be possible as 0.3 megapixel would simply not be enough pixel resolution to  achieve this. New HD surveillance solutions that preserve image quality are transforming the surveillance industry. Megapixel IP cameras are available  from Sony, Axis, IQinvision, Vivotek, Panasonic, Brickcom and other major manufacturers that provide very good performance.

Megapixel IP cameras can be  used as surveillance camera systems for your stadiums, airports, train stations, university campuses as well as your company.

Garage Security- 5 Typs To Help You Prevent Break-ins

As I noted on previous article- ‘’Where Do Thieves Break Into Houses’’, statistics show that homebreakings through garage doors make up 9%. Gaining entry into homes through  open garage doors is being the quickest and simplest way for most burglars.Garages are considering one of the favorite targets for thieves, because they contain such valuables as cars, bicycles, and tools that are easy to fence. FBI, local Sheriff/Police data and Department of Justice Statistics every year report thousands of garages burglarized.

In this article I’m not going to tell you to keep your garage door shut all time. I  simply advice you to  take certain actions to assure it’s safe for intruder to gain access to your garage when you are not around. Let’s take a look at these  types you can do to add  the security of your garage.

1) The easiest place for thieves to gain entry to your garage is a window. Very often they are placed on the side or around the back where thieves can work undetected. With a very low budget you can add additional locks and reinforced glass on your garage windows making them much harder to be broken.

2) Don’t forget to lock the door into your home from the garage. Even after long  day don’t be lazy to create one more step  to increase your garage security. Don’t forget that nearly 1 in 10 home burglaries are made through garage doors! Installing a Anti-Kick device  and having a wide-angle peephole in the door between your house and your garage will  help you check your garage security easier.

3) Even if your garage is separated from your home, it is important for you to secure it so that robbers will stay out of it. If your garage door uses a track to lift, then you can tighten a C-clamp on the track that is near the roller. The door cannot be opened until you take off the C-clamp.

4) For automatic garage door owners there are new generation automatic garage door openers which have undergone a lot of development since the early models. New gneretaion models of automated garage door openers make it much more harder for intruders to break the code of used to unlock automatic garage doors. So consider  to upgrade it now if you use an old model!

5) The 5th most important type that most garage owners don’t pay an attention. Always treat your garage door remote control like a key. Don’t leave it in your car where it can be seen - hide it in the console, glove box or somewhere else in your car, but don't leave it on the visor where it can be seen. Never leave it in an unlocked vehicle as this could result in your car and home property being stolen.

Where Do Thieves Break Into Houses?

Every 8 seconds a residential home is burglarized in North America,  and the chance of average homeowner to be burglarized is 1in 6. But how do thieves most often gain access to a home? Where do they break into houses?

Many people are surprised at this statistic but yes, the front door is the typical entry point. The most- 34% of home breakings are usually perpetrated kicking in or forcing open the front door. It is important to invest in a front door that is made up of superior wood, fiber glass or metal.

The second on the list are, unfortunately, the first door windows (23%). What is the shocking part with this, is that many homeowners leave them open or unlocked when leaving the home and  thieves gain access through unlocked windows!

The back door is another popular entrance for a burglar who wants  to stay hidden and have easy access in and out of the house. The back doors are usually off cover from witnesses and let them go about their business undetected. According to statistics, 22% of home breaks are made through back doors.

Whether you live in a garage-attached house or no, some burglars will use your own tools to break into your house! Make sure the door from your garage into your house is as secure as your front door. Don’t forget to add security camera systems to your garage and monitor it as well. Homebreakings through garage make up 9% by statistics.

Homebreakings through basements are very low (4%) as show the statistics. The reason is the lack of basements in many areas, for example in Florida and California. However, don’t forget to pay attention to your basement’s security as well.

Roof, storage and unlocked areas make up the final 6%. Average loss per burglary costs %1,725, most burglars occur between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.,  and the they spend  an average of 8 to 12 minutes to your home- these are another burglary statistics tracked by The Uniform Crime Reporting Program. Be attentive!