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.

Cameras are everywhere. Security companies offer cameras small enough to fit in your phone and affordable enough for almost everyone to own. Because of this, security cameras have become a more popular option for consumers, offering clandestine surveillance of almost any location.

Today customers can choose from many innovative technologies with which to protect their property. Retail stores can use visible, tamper-proof cameras to help deter robbery.  Banks and ATMs can use tiny cameras to record every transaction. Many cities are also turning to traffic light cameras to help enforce speed limits and traffic laws.

Cameras are also playing a bigger role in home security nowadays. Although many homes use cameras for outdoor security, more and more families are taking this technology inside.  A carefully placed camera inside the home can give parents peace of mind when they are away. Live video feeds offer a home view almost instantly. With the touch of a button parents can check up on their children, pets, or even monitor a babysitter or housekeeper.

With the Baby Boomers generation coming into retirement, families that have aging parents to care for are also using video surveillance more frequently. Quality home security cameras can be highly beneficial as well as potentially life saving. Monitored security systems and home alarms have the power to greatly reduce the time it would take for a fire, health, or other emergency professional to get to a loved-one’s residence.

In the end, it really doesn’t matter what your home situation is or what you are most concerned about protecting or monitoring.  There are a number of useful security technologies available from reputable companies. Invest in the home security options that make you the most comfortable, and the safest.

Home security and home safety should be one of your top priorities. With crime rates rising in many parts of the country, it’s more important than ever before to keep these two things in mind as you head into 2010. Below, you’ll find our top 10 practices for enhancing your home security.

Install an ADT Home Security System: ADT is the most trusted name in home alarms, and burglars know it. Homes with monitored home alarm systems are three times less likely to be burglarized.

Change Your Locks: A new set of locks can go a long way toward preventing a break-in. Over the years, you’ve handed out plenty of sets of keys. Eliminate the chance of them being used for nefarious purposes.

Update batteries in the smoke detectors: Home security isn’t just about intrusion; make sure that in the event of a fire, you’re prepared.

Perform a Home Safety Survey: Twice each year, prepare a checklist of potential hazards, and carefully move through your property ensuring that everything is in proper working order.

Organize a Neighborhood Watch: Strength is in numbers. Talk to your neighbors about creating a vigilant neighborhood watch to make the block stronger as a whole.

Install Floodlights: Floodlights work to illuminate a large area, taking away the cover of darkness from criminals.

Check Your ADT Alarm System: Each time you leave your home, make sure that your home alarm system is armed. You can even post a note on the door to remind you.

Check Your Carbon monoxide detector: Change the batteries on your carbon monoxide detectors at least once every six months, and test to make sure they’re in proper working order.

Trim the hedges: Burglars like to hide behind high bushes and in dark areas. Keep entry points well-lit and keep the grass and shrubbery near doors and windows trimmed.

Talk to Your Children About Home Security: Home safety is probably the last thing on your children’s minds. Sit them down and have a frank talk about the importance of keeping the home secure.

These top 10 tips are the perfect way to start securing your home. Use them as a guideline, and improve your home safety from there.

From Law & Order to CSI, we’ve all seen a plotline where security camera footage busts the bad guy. But are security cameras a necessity for your home? They can be great for catching thieves in action, but they can also be extremely pricey. As Americans look for new ways for home security to protect their and families, it’s worth taking a look at the pros and cons of the home security camera.

Sure, security cameras are great for catching images of burglars, pesky teenagers or your neighbor’s cat lurking around the house.  But what is the camera doing to prevent would-be burglars from coming inside? If you’re out of town, the only way a security camera will prevent a burglary is if the bad guy sees it, gets scared and runs away. There’s also the whole problem with night-time theft. If you want to catch criminal activity that goes down at night, you’ll need a security camera with night vision – and that isn’t cheap. If you don’t upgrade to night vision, you’ll likely end up with fuzzy images that won’t get you anywhere.

If your house is burglarized during the day – web cams and security cameras can be great for catching criminals. The web cam was a fairly cheap, simple solution – and it worked well. You can the police if you see that a robbery is happening. If setting up a basic webcam or hidden camera inside your home is easy for you and fits your budget, it could be a good option.

If you’re not convinced you need a home security camera, start with a monitored home alarm system. The cost for one year of service will likely be the same or less than the cost of the camera. And with monitored home security systems, professionals will be working around the clock to keep your home safe.

Senior citizens face unique challenges. After all, it’s an unfortunate fact that life usually doesn’t get any easier with age. Health problems, a smaller budget, and a decreased awareness of surroundings can all contribute to a greater risk of danger, both inside and outside of the home. Luckily, there’s an affordable answer: a home alarm system. Easily installed and maintained, a home alarm system can provide an elegant solution for each of these issues.

Health Risks: As our bodies grow older, they become more susceptible to sudden failure. ADT has features available with its home security package that can help protect senior citizens. Plus, ADT provides continuous security monitoring from four interconnected command centers that are strategically located throughout the United States.

Easily Affordable: On average, senior citizens live on a more modest budget than younger folks. Pensions, social security, and 401K’s have to combine to replace the steady income that disappears after retirement. It is best to find a home alarm system that is a completely cost-effective method of protecting your property. You may even be eligible for a discount if you belong to AARP.

Decreased Awareness of Surroundings: Older folks can sometimes lose a step as the years pass. A home security system can help make up for this, providing an extra layer of protection. One example of this is that your home alarm system won’t successfully arm until all windows are closed; emitting a loud beep that lets you know there is an open entry point.

The elderly deserve the protection a home alarm system can provide. ADT has been protecting American homes and businesses for over 130 years.  This is one reason why ADT is America’s #1 choice for home security.