Thousands of Americans invest in home security each year by installing a monitored home alarm. And there’s definitely something to be said about the extra protection a home alarm can provide. After all, if someone breaks in and nothing happens, they are far more likely to grab all of your belongings and take their time as they search for valuables. But if they break your window and an alarm sounds, that’s their cue to get out as quickly as possible.

Even with the obvious benefits of installing an alarm, there are still factors to consider if you want to keep your entire house as secure as possible. First, you have to remember to set your home alarm – no matter what. It seems like a no-brainer but plenty of people have fallen victim to burglaries because they forgot to activate their home security system.

You also have to remember to shut and lock all doors and windows. If something is ajar, a robber can work his way into your home without worrying about an alarm sounding. And this is just as important for basement and garage doors as it is for the front door.

If you’re investing in an alarm, make it known. Homes with monitored home security systems are three times less likely to be burglarized. So put those ADT stickers and yard signs on full display. It can serve as a great way to deter burglars.

Single parents have their own unique set of challenges when it comes to keeping their kids safe. There’s often no one that can provide a second opinion for home security decisions. Below, we’ve outlined ten tips for you to think about as you take steps to improve your child’s safety both inside and outside of the home.

Avoid Busy Bus Stops: A ball rolling into the street, forgotten glances both ways: there are any number of things that can go wrong while your child waits for the bus. If your child’s bus stop is in a busy spot, have them wait in the car, or drive them to school.

Have a Serious Talk About Home Security: Your son or daughter is old enough to hear the basics of home security. Tailor it to their age, but make sure to remain serious, impressing upon them how important home security is.

Install a Keypad Lock: Kids lose keys all the time. With the installation of a keypad lock, you can greatly reduce the chance of your child being locked out of your home.

Enlist the Family: Make Grandpa and Grandma and aunts and uncles part of your home security solution. Every little bit helps, and you’ll likely find that they’re happy to lend a hand.

Install an ADT Home Alarm System: No other home security provider in the industry has the experience and know-how that ADT offers. Their systems are so easy to learn that a child can be taught how to operate the control panel.

Cover Sharp Edges: Furniture often has sharp edges that can injure young children running around the house. Tape up pieces to avoid lacerations.

Get a Dog: Apart from the joy that a dog can bring into your home, there are real home security advantages that come along with a canine. Criminals will move to the next street when they hear the faintest bark, unwilling to contend with what could be a vicious pet.

Arrange Daycare: You don’t need to pay for someone to watch your children. Instead, set up a schedule with the parents of your children’s friends, saving everyone money and making sure that there is always an adult to supervise.

Add Carbon Monoxide Coverage: ADT home alarm systems offer optional carbon monoxide coverage. This silent killer is responsible for thousands of deaths each year; make sure your home is protected.

Plug Electrical Outlets: If you have younger children in your home, place cheap protective covers over electrical outlets to lower the risk of electrocution.

Homeowners across the broader Southwest region have watched as their neighbors go into foreclosure due to lost jobs and inflexible mortgage lenders. Unfortunately, some Phoenix, AZ homeowners may be ignoring their home security during this troubling time. Below, we’ve listed some tips to help you maintain your home throughout the recession.

Create a Neighborhood Watch Group: Talk to the homeowners around you about things you can do to keep up the neighborhood. Discuss group measures to preserve the appearance of the neighborhood, such as mowing lawns of unoccupied homes. It’s important that you show potential burglars that your block is still off-limits.

Install a Home Security System: One of the best ways to combat an intruder is with a home alarm system. Surprisingly affordable, this may be the most important thing you can do for your family and home security.

Change Your Locks: If you live in a rental, it’s important to change the locks when you move in. This is one of the simplest and least expensive home security measures in your arsenal, as well as one of the most effective. You can even ask your landlord to do it for you.

Remove Your Hide-a-Key: It’s amazing how many homeowners leave keys in easily accessible places. Think criminals are too stupid to look under your door mat? Think again. A safer alternative is a keypad door lock, which can be modified to accept a temporary code if you need to let someone in.

Home security for your Phoenix, AZ property has never been more important. Invest in some simple measures today, such as an ADT home alarm system, and you’ll be safe, rather than sorry.

When it comes to home security, there is a certain something to be said about strength in numbers. There are several components that come together to determine how well-protected your property is. The easiest to value are physical, like home alarm systems or improved bolt locks on all doors. Then there are the “intangibles”, things that can’t be boiled down to statistics and data.

One of the most powerful things you can do under this second category comes with the establishment of a neighborhood watch group. Your house, as it stands, is just one part of a larger community. By bringing the other homes in your neighborhood into a collective security agreement, you ensure that crime won’t have a chance of taking hold.

Start small: invite your neighbors into your home for a short meeting about home security. This will likely be a get-together that people will be very willing to attend. Compose a short agenda, talking about the major points of home protection, such as the importance of maintaining lawns, locking doors, and reporting suspicious behavior around the neighborhood. Talk to your local police department; they will likely be thrilled to send out an officer to talk to the group.

A neighborhood watch group is especially important for maintaining home security while you’re away on vacation. Let your friends in surrounding homes know of your vacation plans ahead of time. That way, if they spot something out of the ordinary, they can take the appropriate steps to stop a crime before it happens.

Security and safety start inside your house with concrete measures like the installation of an ADT monitored home alarm system, but it doesn’t stop there. With the help of the other property owners that live in your neighborhood, you can keep your home even better protected from intruders.

When people think about their home alarm system, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the image of a burglar crashing through a window or busting through a door. Intrusion is certainly something that every responsible property owner needs to consider and confront as they ponder home security, but there are other hazards as well. One of the most potent is a silent, deadly killer: carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide is a seriously toxic gas, and one that is virtually impossible for a human being to detect until it’s too late. It is odorless, tasteless, and colorless. Large amounts of CO can kill within minutes, while smaller concentrations can build up and cause long term damages if breathed in over time. Either way, an effective method of detection is extremely important.

As an important part of your home security system, carbon monoxide detectors give you warning before levels reach a dangerous point. This can give you enough time to ventilate an area and bring in fresh air to lessen the amount of CO in a room.

Sometimes, however, that’s not enough. What if you’ve already been incapacitated by the time the alarm goes off? If you’re protected by an ADT monitored home alarm system with optional carbon monoxide detection, you have an additional layer of security. That’s because, in the event of an emergency, highly trained technicians at one of ADT’s five interconnected command centers across the country are automatically notified. From there, they can contact the appropriate local authorities to ensure a rapid and effective response. When it comes to carbon monoxide poisoning, every second matters; ADT knows that, and works to deliver the help you need as quickly as possible.

Homeowners should take carbon monoxide seriously as one of the main potential hazards around the property. With the help of ADT, you can greatly reduce the chance of your family coming to harm at the expense of CO.

1. Home Security is Affordable: At these prices, you virtually can’t afford to leave your home unprotected. For just a little more than a dollar per day, you can give your home the finest home security monitoring that money can buy.

2. Technology is changing: As technology evolves, so are the techniques of the criminal community. It has never been more important to stay ahead of crime with an innovative, cutting edge system.

3. Decals are a Deterrent: A cleverly placed sticker on your window or post in your lawn can let criminals know that your home is not an easy target. Let them know that they are dealing with a reputable company with more than 130 years of experience.

4. Your Home is Vulnerable While You’re Out of Town: Many folks don’t realize just how susceptible their home is to a break-in while they’re traveling. Criminals scout out unoccupied residences, waiting to pounce once the resident is out of town.

5. Insurance Doesn’t Cut It: Home insurance does protect against theft, but there will likely be a gap in what you believe your possessions are worth, and what your insurer pays you. The installation of a home security system will also almost always result in lower insurance payments each month.

6. Your Family Deserves It: More than your possessions think about your loved ones. They should be protected by the very best in home alarm technology and service.

7. Fire and Carbon Monoxide: Criminals aren’t the only things that put your family at risk. ADT home alarm systems offer both fire and carbon monoxide detection.

8. Fast Response Time: When an emergency occurs, seconds matter. ADT leads the industry in response time, meaning that local police, fire, and medical services will be there ASAP.

9. Installation is Easy: Many homeowners are daunted by the prospect of a complicated ordering and installation process. That couldn’t be further from the truth. From the beginning of your dealings with ADT, you’ll be impressed by the professionalism and knowledge of the sales representatives and technicians. They’ll answer all of your questions in easy to understand terms.

10. Peace of Mind: Lastly, think about your own peace of mind. Sleep easy knowing that you have the best in home security protecting your property.

Most residents of New York City wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. The Big Apple, with all of its people and excitement, can feel like the center of the universe. Of course, with all of that excitement comes danger, in the form of burglaries and home intrusions.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) publishes crime statistics weekly, and a quick glance at the data shows that continued vigilance is necessary. For the week of January 11-17, for example, there were more than 1000 grand larcenies and burglaries across the city. Avoid being one of those affected by adhering to the following home security tips for your New York City home.

Install a Home Alarm System: Alarms are important for New Yorkers, whether they live in apartments, townhomes, or houses. Installing an award-winning brand can make a real difference in your protection.

Change Your Locks: Many New Yorkers live in rental units. This begs the question: how many people had access to those keys before you moved in? Avoid a potential problem by changing the locks on your door each time you rent a new apartment. In fact, you can ask your landlord to perform this service for you, often free of charge.

Meet Your Neighbors: They’re not there just to socialize; the neighbors across the hall can be a powerful part of your home security plan. Have a candid discussion about what home security means to you. Encourage them to call you and the police if they spot suspicious behavior. It’s always better to respond to a false alarm than do nothing in the face of an emergency.

New York City is one of the most wonderful places on Earth. Don’t take any chances with your home security, and you’ll always be able to enjoy it.

Being a single parent is perhaps the hardest job on the planet. More often than not, single parents are mothers, and they face a unique set of challenges raising, providing for, and protecting their family. One of the most important issues faced by single moms in particular is home security. Luckily, with some simple measures, keeping your loved ones safe can be made much less daunting. Below, we’ve listed some tips for single moms who want to bolster their home security.

Install a Home Alarm System: For single mothers on a budget, an alarm system may not seem to be the most cost-effective way to secure the home. But for less than the price of your habitual cup of coffee each weekday morning, you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with having the best name in security monitoring keeping you safe. Alarm systems can help protect your family from theft and burglary, fire, medical emergencies and carbon monoxide.

Talk to Your Community: Stay in contact with neighbors and friends to help keep an eye on your home and children. You and your family will benefit from the help you can get from the entire community. Carefully and gently explain your home security expectations with your children and let them know the difference between helpful neighbors and harmful strangers.

Put In Floodlights: No one wants to come home to a dark, empty house. With the installation of motion-detecting floodlights, you’ll ensure that your house is never pitch black. This improves your security at night while also deterring criminals looking to hide in the darkness.

Upgrade Your Locks: In this digital day and age, keys are quickly becoming a thing of the past. The latest high-tech solutions for securing your door include electronic keypads and fingerprint readers. These systems, a perfect addition to your home alarm, can be purchased at a local hardware store and take less than an hour to install.

Although there are many options when it comes to home alarm systems, only one company is the undisputed industry leader in home security. Below, discover five of the many reasons behind ADT’s continued success.

Pedigree: No other home alarm monitoring provider can match ADT’s 135 years in the business. For over a century homeowners across the United States have counted on ADT to keep burglars at bay.

Value: ADT offers its customers a variety of packages to fit any household budget. Even the most basic installation comes with the components necessary to deter and deflect criminals from gaining entry.

Customer Service: Year after year, ADT garners the highest marks from experts in the field for customer service. The company is proactive about your security; rather than waiting to hear about a problem, they’re out fixing it before it becomes an issue.

Technology Out of the Home: Most monitoring companies have a central facility that handles all of their reports. But what happens in the event of extreme weather or a power outage?  With ADT, you never have to worry, because five connected command centers spread across the United States offer secure backup protection.

Technology Inside of the Home: ADT’s technology solutions inside your house are just as powerful as the brains backing it up behind the scenes. Leading advances like CellTech, designed to eliminate the need for a land line connection, continue to set ADT apart from the competition.

Among the many reasons why ADT is the best choice for your home’s security, these five stand out. This holiday season, make the right call for you and your family by calling ADT.

All home security monitoring companies aren’t created equal. There are significant differences in the services offered by each, and when you are deciding between providers, there are some essential questions that you need answered. After all, we’re talking about something serious here: the safety of both your family and your physical property. Below, find five important questions to ask when you’re searching for the perfect home alarm company.

How Long Have You Been in Business?
Is this a relatively new start-up with minimal experience in the field?  If you are going to invest in a service or product you want to make sure the company has staying power.  With 135 years in the business, ADT has robust resources to offer you for the best home security available.

What Comes With Your Basic Package?
The most basic home security package should come equipped with everything you need to stay protected. ADT includes a pet-sensitive motion detector, 3 entryway contacts, and a backup battery with their least expensive offering.

How Many Command Centers Do You Employ?
Most companies use just one command center. While it’s unlikely that it will suffer a complete knockout during your reliance on their service, why take the chance? ADT spreads the risk around across five closely connected control centers.

Can You Install Two Way Voice?
In the event of a slip or fall, a few minutes can make all the difference in getting your elderly loved ones the treatment they need. With ADT’s Two Way Voice technology, the control panel is transformed into a two way radio which can be used to communicate with an ADT representative. From there, the appropriate help can be immediately dispatched to your home.

Do You Offer Cell Phone Based Service?
As a testament to its commitment to the ever-evolving home security industry, ADT now offers Cellguard technology, designed specifically for customers who don’t have a land line installed in their home. In the event of an emergency, the wireless home alarm sends a signal directly to a trained professional over the airwaves, ensuring a rapid response. Competitors won’t have this for years.