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Moving House This Spring? Why Changing Your Locks Should Be a Priority
Are you moving home this spring? If so, you’re not alone. This season is arguably the UK’s most popular time to move house. According to
What do Burglars look for?
Understanding how a burglar’s mind works is essential for safeguarding your home against potential break-ins. Considering what they most commonly look for gives the opportunity
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What You Stand to Lose by Not Having a Smart Home
The Internet of things has substantially developed in recent years. It’s easy to see that it will continue to do so considering the growing demand and the increasing number of developers.
Are you unsure whether it’s worth turning your home into a smart home? Here’s what you’re missing out on:
Time on Menial Tasks
You may not realise it, but we lose up to a few hours every day on hundreds of small tasks. Ten years ago, we’d just consider it an unavoidable nuisance, but not anymore.
While no action takes very long individually, they do build up.
A smart home gives you the chance to automate a large part of these small tasks. You will no longer have to waste time on things like:
- Making coffee in the morning;
- Turning the oven on/off;
- Turning on/off the sprinklers;
- Locking/unlocking the doors;
- Turning on/off the lights;
- Opening/closing the garage door;
The list goes on and on. All of these things can be done automatically. You’ll have more time to pursue your goals, whichever they are, and spend time with your family.
Increased Comfort
With smart gadgets, you don’t just save time, you enjoy life more. It’s not just that you command a device to do something, you program it to do it by itself.
Here’s an example: your slow cooker in the kitchen could fire up as you’re getting ready to leave. When you get home, your food is hot, fresh and ready to be eaten.
The same goes if you fancy a drink after work, a hot bath, or just about anything else of this nature.
Your smart home doesn’t just take care of your chores; it works to make your life more comfortable.
Money on Bills
We all forget things from time to time. It’s a bit unfortunate, though, when we forget to turn off the thermostat and end up having to pay a monster heat bill.
With a smart home, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. The thermostat can adjust itself. Therefore, you can program it to work exactly how you need it.
That means that your house will be warm only when someone is around. When there’s no one home, it can turn off, saving you money.
That’s also the case for lightbulbs. Through sensors, they will turn on only when you need them. Forgetting to turn the light off is no longer a risk.
When you add up all the appliances you’re probably using inefficiently, you’ll see that you’re losing quite a bit of money.
A Complete Home Security System
Lastly, one of the biggest advantages smart homes have is the security they provide.
This type of home can help you use your security system to its full potential so that burglars have no chance of bypassing it.
That’s because everything is connected. If a lock is tampered with, for example, it will send a signal to the alarm, triggering it.
Smart locks don’t need keys so they can’t be lockpicked. You just send a signal from your phone and it unlocks itself.
If you’ve got CCTV cameras installed, you can see what’s going on at home, even if you’re away. You just take out your smartphone, fire an app, and look through the cameras.
With all these security devices working together, a burglar can’t even come close without being noticed.
Should You Invest in a Smart Home?
If any of these benefits you’re currently missing out on sound appealing to you, maybe you should.
You don’t have to break the bank on features you won’t use, just pick the applications that sound useful.
Smart devices are becoming cheaper as well, so why not give them a try?
If you have any other questions about smart homes or their security, don’t hesitate to ask. Reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or by using our contact page.
Where to Put Home Security Sensors and Cameras in Your Smart Home
Home security sensors are a great way of making sure no one breaks into your home, but where you place them around your home makes a significant difference. Same goes for surveillance cameras.
If you want to make sure that your home security is in top condition, you have to find the perfect spots for them. Here are some helpful tips that will aid you with placement.
Install Home Security Sensors At the Front Entrance
If you have a patio or something similar, install a sensor there. If a burglar decides to go in through the main entrance, they will be detected before they even get the chance to enter.
This option may save you some damage to the door or windows, and increase the overall safety of your home.
Cameras can cover a lot of ground when placed outside. Just remember that most break-ins happen at night, so it’s best to invest in a camera with night vision.
To avoid any malfunction, make sure the devices are protected from the elements.
Install Home Security Sensors In the Basement
Most thieves don’t target the front door or ground floor windows as a way to let themselves in. Many will try to go in through the basement since there’s a smaller chance of getting caught.
Make sure all your entrances are covered by placing home security sensors in there as well. Since basements are usually used for storage, make sure nothing is obstructing the sensor.
Cover all possible entrances to the basement, including the staircase. If someone manages to enter through the window undetected, they’ll be caught when going up.
Install Sensors At the End of Hallways
Placing a home security sensor in every room of the house may be too much. However, to ensure the best home security means to cover as much ground as possible.
The solution to this is to install a sensor in the hallway connecting more rooms.
It doesn’t matter from which room the burglar enters, the alarm will go off when they exit the room. The hallway is also a perfect place for a camera.
We recommend keeping two things in mind when placing security devices in hallways:
- The reach. Most modern home security sensors have a good reach, but you still need to check. It may be positioned slightly in a direction, leaving some rooms unprotected. Make sure it also covers the whole length of the hallway.
- How noticeable it is. If a burglar is coming towards the hallway, they may see the sensor or camera. A good idea is to install it on the ceiling where it’s less likely to be seen.
If you plan ahead, your hallways can become certified thief traps.
Install Sensors Behind Valuable Items
The reason burglars break into houses is to steal expensive items. They’ll go for things like jewellery, TVs, laptops and phones.
To make sure none of these gets stolen from your home, you can set a sensor specifically for them. This is a good tactic for keeping the most valuable items safe.
For example, you could place one behind the TV. This way, if it’s picked up or moved, the sensor will trigger an alarm.
The only mention here is that you shouldn’t move your valuable too often from one place to another, and notify close family members and trusted friends about the sensors.
The Finishing Home Security Touch
We mentioned the risk of a thief seeing the sensor. That doesn’t apply only to hallways but to all locations. If burglars can see them, they can plan around them.
There’s an easy and efficient way to avoid this. Camouflage all of your home security sensors. You just need to be careful not to block the sensor’s view as well.
If you’d like some more helpful tips about home security, get in touch with us. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter as well.
Home Safety Tricks that Will Take Any Burglars by Surprise
There are a lot of valuable insights regarding home safety you should know about. For instance, 59% of all burglaries in the UK happen while the owner is in the house.
There are multiple reasons why this happens. But your takeaway from this data is that you should be preoccupied with home safety even when you’re not away on a holiday.
Here’s what you need to do:
Get Burglar Alarms
That is the first thing you should do. Why? It can keep burglars away.
Some people choose dummy alarms. For them, it provides a – false – sense and appearance of security.
Dummy surveillance cameras or fake alarm system decals are a way to keep burglars away. That’s because it makes it look like there is a high chance they will get caught.
Still, while dummy alarms are cost-efficient, they aren’t very reliable.
Here’s a better idea instead.
Invest in Smart Security Systems for Extra Home Safety
Dummy security systems are a cheap way to maintain the illusion of home security. However, they don’t actually provide any safety.
If a burglar realizes it’s all fake, you’re in danger. Nothing is stopping them from getting inside your home. Well, there’s a better solution.
Smart security systems include locks, sensors, alarms, and cameras. They can all communicate with each other. You can also access them remotely, while on holiday, for example.
If a burglar tampers with one of them, they will alert the owner immediately. That will take the thieves by surprise, and there is a high chance they will bail.
Install Anti-Snap Locks
Lock snapping is a technique burglars use to get inside your home. Some types of lock cylinders are easy to tamper with. Actually, an experienced thief can get inside your house in under a minute.
Anti-snap locks are far more durable and hard to destroy. No burglar expects to struggle more than a moment with your locks. If you’re interested in this, or you want to know further details, feel free to contact us.
Prevention Helps More than You’d Think
Prevention is the best “offence” against burglars. That is something you have to take care of, though. What we can help with, however, is giving you some helpful tips:
- Hide your jewellery
- Make sure you don’t have a mirror reflecting your home alarm
- Don’t leave a ladder in your backyard
- Keep your lawn clean and trimmed
- Remove flyers from your doorstep
Jewellery attract burglars like a magnet. It’s a sign that they can find valuable goods inside your home.
Here’s another thing to consider: Keep everything clean and in top shape. That is a sign that people are living there. Otherwise, your home might seem abandoned.
If You Live in a Bad Neighbourhood
If homes in your neighbourhood are often targeted by burglars, go the extra mile:
- Reinforce your door jams if you have weak door frames
- Invest in toughened glass windows
- Find a secret hiding place for your jewellery
These are the most straightforward measures you should take to boost your home safety. In the end, it’s not about the goods – it’s about your family’s safety.
We are a professional team of expert locksmiths. Working with us gets you access to the latest technology in home security. We also provide burglary repairs.
For more information about how we can make your home safer, get in touch with us.
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Locksmith Services
If you’re locked out, we can get you back in! We’re experts at picking locks and gaining entry.
We change, repair and fit a wide variety of locks, including : Mortice Locks & Euro Cylinders.
Our expert locksmiths can supply and fit the latest digital smart locks. Including the Yale Linus.
Our trained locksmiths can supply and fit the latest High definition CCTV to your home or business premises.
Our locksmiths can provide boarding services to secure your home or commercial premises.
We offer a full security survey service. Do you really know how secure your home or property is?
We can cut extra keys for your home or office. Our locksmiths carry a range of key blanks.
Smart Security Installed
Yale Linus
Smart Lock
The Yale Linus door lock. A keyless lock, designed to secure and simplify your life. Lock and unlock your door, no matter where you are.
Yale Conexis
Smart Lock
The smart door lock that puts you fully in control. The Yale Conexis gives you the freedom to secure your home without the need for a key.
Yale Keyless
Connected Smart Lock
The Keyless Lock allows you complete control over how you lock your home. Unlock with a PIN, key card, key tag, remote fob or your phone.
Yale Sync Alarm
The Yale Linus door lock. A keyless lock, designed to secure and simplify your life. Lock and unlock your door, no matter where you are.
Yale CCTV
The smart door lock that puts you fully in control. The Yale Conexis gives you the freedom to secure your home without the need for a key.
