5 Home Security Tactics of the Uber Rich

/in /by

The uber rich have many reasons to invest in uber security. I met a woman who won a $300 million lottery, and she had some unfortunate stories about how low people go to get at and to moneyed individuals. So to protect life and limb, the uber class invest in:

  • Safe rooms: These include not just bulletproof but bombproof glass, walls, ceilings and floors. But for the ubers, it’s a “safe core” that includes bedrooms, bathrooms, a cooking area and food, and other necessities needed for survival for a week or more.
  • Pepper fog: Sure, you can grab a can of pepper spray and douse your home invaders, but how about outfitting your home with a sprinkler system-like pepper fog that can be accessed via an app?
  • NBC shelter: A nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) shelter can be 20 feet or more underground and is designed to keep a family alive for months with all the necessary supplies, including oxygen.
  • Mega control room: Security cameras for a residential installation are around $100-$200 apiece, more or less. But for the uber rich, they invest in pan-tilt zoom cameras that pick up body heat, incorporate facial recognition, and eventually will be able to predict what people will do next based on their body language.
  • Helipad: If you need a quick escape from an imminent home invasion, why not install a helipad on your roof?

It’s beginning to sound like it’s much too complicated to be uber rich. But heck, I’d be happy to give it a whirl! Wouldn’t you?

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

House Keys for the Kids…When Your Children are Ready

/in /by

Education.com reports that according to the U.S. census, one third of all school-age children in the United States are, for some part of the week, latchkey kids—that is, they go home to an empty house or apartment. The total number may be between five and seven million children between five and 13 years old. (I say five is just way too young.) Anyway, the Census Bureau found that 15 percent were home alone before school, 76 percent after school.

Whether due to necessity or because providing a 12-year-old house keys frees up a parent to run errands, the day will come when the decision to hand over the keys arises.

Parents are (mostly) the best judge of their child’s character and can disseminate when their kids are ready to be on their own and hand over the house keys. My parents, like many others, worked when I was a young teen and didn’t have many options for child care, so I got the keys at 14. And, like many kids, I promptly abused that privilege by having boatloads of kids over to the house.

Today, with technology at our fingertips, it has become much easier for a parent to monitor their child’s comings and goings with various mobile applications, security cameras and GPS devices.

Another advancement in technology is keyless door locks with a programmable touch pad. So latchkey kids become “touch-pad” kids! Ha!

Schlage’s Touchscreen Deadbolt is also enabled to work with Nexia Home Intelligence, a home automation system that allows you to control locks, thermostats, lights, cameras and more from wherever you and the internet happen to be. Lock or unlock your door from anywhere with your cell phone, or schedule lock codes to be active only on certain days at specific times. You can also receive text alerts when an alarm triggers or when specific codes provided to your kids are entered at the lock.

Once a parent comes to the conclusion it is necessary to provide keys to a kid, it might now be a good time to consider ditching the keys and handing over the passcode!

Robert Siciliano home security expert to Schlage discussinghome security and identity theft on TBS Movie and a Makeover. Disclosures. For Roberts FREE ebook text- SECURE Your@emailaddress -to 411247.

Most Burglarized Cities in the U.S

/in /by

Surprisingly, burglaries happen more often during the day. Burglars wait for the home owners to leave for work, usually attempting to break in between the hours of 10 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. The FBI has stated that burglaries were the reason for a loss of $4.8 billion in 2011, meaning that the cost of each burglary at that time was $2,185.

Obviously, there are cities that are more crime-obsessed than others. Here are the top three most burglarized cities in the United States:

Highest Burglary Rates

1. Houston

The humid Texan city is known for many things, including great entertainment and fun, but it also has seen its fair share of crime recently. Houston climbed to the number one spot after seeing an astounding total of 27,459 burglaries in one year alone. Lack of security equipment is one of the biggest issues for burglarized homes.

2. Chicago

Unfortunately, Chicago is no stranger to being in the news and obtaining national media attention for being one of the most dangerous cities in the country. The amount of burglaries the Windy City has seen in one year adds to rough crime stereotype, documenting 26, 420 burglaries.

3. Dallas

The central Texas city, which provides the state with a substantial amount of income, saw a total of 18,727 burglaries in one year. While the total is significantly lower than its fellow Texan city, the amount of money Dallas generates along with the wealth of its residents, leaves the burglars with much to desire and be curious about.

States and individual cities, especially the most crime infested ones, encourage their residents to take measures that help prevent burglaries. One of the ways is home owners receiving discounts on their home owner’s insurance when they add safety features to the home, such as motion detectors. Many of the tips residents are given include always locking your vehicle, making sure you do not leave any valuables such as phones, a GPS or iPad in your vehicle at any time, locking your windows and doors of your house, installing monitoring systems, motion detectors and house alarms. Another great place to get tips is to check home security blogs with reputable authors.

Help decrease the number of burglaries in your city by following the aforementioned tips in order to do what you can to protect your house, family and belongings.

Top 5 Home Security System Scams

/in /by

When a home security salesman comes a-knockin’, beware, pay attention and know what you are getting into. He might not be who he says he is, or he might have tactics under his belt that will cost you big time.

WZZM reports, “For a couple of years now, the Federal Trade Commission has been warning people about shady practices by some door-to-door salespeople, especially those representing home security systems. While many reps are legitimate, others have found success using high pressure tactics and outright lies to get you to switch companies or sign you up for new service.”

Protect yourself:

  • Never let anyone inside your home. It’s just not a good idea.
  • Always ask for identification and keep the conversation outside.
  • Door-to-door salespeople should tell you their name, business name and the services they wish to sell before asking you any questions.
  • Salespeople should show you their state-issued “pocket card” or license and ID. Take the time to scrutinize their documentation.

The FTC lays out some tips to recognize when a scammer is on your doorstep:

  • They may make a time-limited offer and claim that you need to act now.
  • They may pressure their way into your home and then refuse to leave.
  • They may use scare tactics. For example, they may talk about a supposed rash of burglaries in your neighborhood.
  • The sales agents may state or imply that they are from your existing security company and that they’re there to “upgrade” or “replace” your current security system.
  • They may claim your security company has gone out of business, that they’ve taken over the accounts, and that you have to buy new equipment and sign new contracts.

At this point, with the internet being so accessible and all the major security companies at your fingertips—coupled with BestHomeSecurityXCompanies.com doing all the legwork for you—it makes no sense to even open the door when a salesman comes ringing.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.