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It is not enough to build a fashionable home, it should be sufficiently safe and secure for its occupants as well. Those living in gated condominiums are not exactly immune to the ever growing home security concerns either. It is also not enough to secure your home against various physical threats. You need to plan well and build a safe interior as well, especially if you have children, elderly members or pets staying back when you are out for work or for any other purpose.
Before taking any action, you need to plan well. If you are building a new residence, then this planning phase should start in the designing stage itself. It is never too early to think of the health and well being of the family. Once you survey the layout of your house and its interiors, you will have a rough estimation about the possible threats.
Note down all the requirements first before you begin searching for the available security products. Analyse the pros and cons of each before investing in any of the available options. Discuss your requirements with a home security expert and seek his or her opinion about the matter. Don’t consider that making a home secure is possible just by installing the latest burglar alarm. As you will shortly see, there are other important aspects that you will have to cover.
Even when at home, we are continually exposed to different kinds of harms. To live as securely and peacefully as possible you need to prepare your building premises sufficiently. Natural causes such as storm, flash floods in the flood prone areas, forest fire etc can cause severe damages to life and property. You need to make your house immune to the fire hazards. Carbon monoxide monitoring is also needed for the interiors.
With medical alarms installed at your premises, responding to the emergencies becomes easy. This is particularly needed when you leave young children or senior members of the family at home. With home automation systems becoming a norm rather than an exception, you need sufficient wireless security measures as well. This will additionally help to protect your online data.
Finally, we come to the most pressing concerns of them all – physical threats. A variety of latest gizmos are very helpful for you to build a secure environment, but you will have to think beyond software and hardware to enjoy peace at home.
Unfortunately, “perfect security systems” are a utopian dream. You can try your best to ensure the safety of your property and well being of your family. And, you have various tools to assist you in this. Before investing in any one of the systems take a note of the size of your living area and lifestyle choices.
Your requirements will be slightly different for a holiday retreat only used during long holidays. Gated building with human security coverage is the most basic option for you to opt in. When feasible, ensure that your house or at least the main door is visible from the street. Do not avoid socialising with your neighbours. Check the reputation of the locality before building a new home.
Once you have completed assessing your needs, focus on these aspects step by step. If you have a reasonably sized plot and your house is built in the middle of it, install exterior motion sensor lighting. It will warn you about unusual movements anywhere in the garden. Remote locking is favoured by a lot of homeowners. Only after authenticating the actual password can anyone think of getting in.
Window break alarms are not too costly and capable of alerting everyone. It is also advisable to secure glass windows and doors with grilles. Though unsightly, they can help to secure your dwelling. Besides, they are also important for ensuring child safety. Going for a sophisticated burglar alarm is very important.
Keep your valuables in passwords protected safes or bank lockers. Use flood light in the garden, but just make sure they do not distract your neighbours. A gravel bed close to the boundary walls can make escapes difficult for the culprits. Indoor and outdoor CCTV surveillance can be costly to maintain, but would give you peace of mind. In such a case, you will also need a team of security personnel with a security manager supervising the entire program.
CCTV systems that can be accessed remotely are the best option for you. True to their name, night vision cameras work best under low light conditions. When installing cameras, make sure you are not breaching someone else’s privacy.
Don’t forget about the other kinds of threats, though not necessarily caused by any kind of break in attempts. When ignored, they can have a more devastating impact than your primary concern. Ensure fire safety by installing smoke detectors and sprinklers. Always take adequate care while handling dangerous and combustible materials in the kitchen or at other areas of your home.
Keep electrical fixtures, open sockets, electrical cables etc out of your child’s reach. Use such materials that are not easily inflammable or are naturally fire retardant. Every year a few hundred becomes a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is colourless and odourless. Common smoke detectors are not sufficient to detect the presence of this gas. It is important to buy a carbon monoxide detector with an audible alarm.
Storm and flood alarms are not frequently installed in domestic buildings. However, a large part of Malaysia suffers from frequent flash floods. This includes Malay Peninsula, Terengganu, Perak, Sarawak and other parts of coastal Malaysia. Only last June, Kuala Lumpur experienced heavy hailstorm and flash flood.
Under these conditions, water leakage detector, overflow alarm, flood sensors and storm alarms can come in handy. Most of these are battery operated, so power cuts do not affect them in time of emergencies.
If you are planning to invest in manned surveillance of your residential premises, which would be a wise thing to do, these are the things that you should closely watch out for. Make sure the home security company is reputable, is known to be in business for a long time and has trustworthy personnel. Security companies licensed by appropriate authorities are more reliable.
Before signing a contract with any of the agencies, clarify your requirements and ensure that all your questions are answered satisfactorily. Interview more than one agency before engaging any one in particular. Do a due diligence from your part and, if need be, conduct a background verification of the officers to be on duty.
Instead of signing a contract, you can avail the services month on month basis after paying the required fees. To assess the working of the respective company, you can begin with this approach before moving on to a long term contract.
Make sure that the customer care authorities are approachable 24-hours a day and the staffs are skilled at handling emergency situations. For a more comprehensive coverage, you can seek agencies with specific certifications.
Keep your ear to the ground to listen to anything suspicious in advance however do not lose your sleep unnecessarily. It is a common anxiety for everyone and you can only try your best. Once you have made all the necessary arrangements, breathe easy and lead a stress free life.
