No matter what big city you’re heading to for vacation – New York, Atlanta or somewhere abroad – it’s important to remember that seemingly friendly situations can take a turn when you’re not familiar with your surroundings. Use caution when you’re out of town and away from the comfort of your home alarm system. Follow these helpful safety tips and have fun in the big city:

• Avoid bringing valuables: Avoid wearing flashy, expensive-looking jewelry that will get the attention of potential thieves. Put any valuable papers or passports in your hotel’s safe deposit box. Never leave them in your room.

• Keep bags close: Carry wallets in inside pockets instead of in your rear pants pocket. Carry your pocketbook close to your body when walking, keep it in your lap while dining out or seated anywhere in public, and leave credit cards and cash in your pockets.

• Use verified vehicles: If you need a car service contact a company directly. Never enter a solicited vehicle offering to take you to your destination for a fee. According to the NYPD, in New York City yellow medallion taxis are the only vehicles allowed to pick up fares on the street.

Extension cords are an easy fix for hooking up appliances, video game systems and even holiday decorations, but it’s important to keep safety in mind when using them. Smoke detectors and home security system equipment from companies like ADT can help alert you to fires, but take these extra steps to prevent fires before they happen.

• Read the directions: Remember that just because an extension cord is the right length, it doesn’t mean that it’s the appropriate cord for the job.

• Keep it cool: Never run the cord through a floor or wall opening, or under a rug. Keep it exposed so that it can cool properly.

• Childproof: Use outlet covers for any extension cord or power strip outlets not in use.

• Store properly: Always store outdoor and indoor extension cords indoors when not in use.

• Do not alter: Never file, cut or alter an extension cord or its plug.

Make sure you’re not sacrificing home safety for convenience this month, and inspect your home’s biggest moving object during Garage Door Safety Month. Follow these tips to help ensure that your family is safe from garage door accidents.

• Keep controls out of reach: Hide garage door controls in a place where children cannot access them. And don’t leave them in your car where parking attendants or others can access them and compromise your home security.

• Test it: Each month, check the door’s reversing mechanism by placing a roll of paper towels in its path. If the mechanism doesn’t reverse the door’s direction as soon as it touches the paper towels, immediately contact a qualified professional to repair your door. Unplug or avoid operating the door until it is repaired.

• Unplug it while you’re away: Either unplug the opening unit or use a wall security switch made especially for use while you’re away on vacation.

Even the most graceful person can trip and fall over hazardous obstacles that clutter their home. According to the Home Safety Council, falls are a leading cause of unintentional home injury. Home security systems like ADT can help keep your family and home safe from intruders, so take these extra precautions to deter easily prevented accidents inside the home.

• Minimize slippery surfaces: Tape down small rugs and mats that slip and slide around so you won’t. In the bathroom, put a non-slip mat or strips in the tub and shower, and place a mat with a non-skid bottom on the floor.

• Shine a light on it: Keep stairs well-lit, especially at both the top and bottom landings and install nightlights in halls, bedrooms and bathrooms.

• Hold onto something: Have handrails from the top to bottom on both sides of steps and stairs. Install grab bars in the shower and tub.

• Keep things clear: Keep stairs and walking areas free of clutter, and wipe up any spills as soon as they happen.

Home is where you probably feel most comfortable, but it’s never a bad idea to evaluate your home’s security. Read below to see five top home security myths dispelled.

1. My neighbors will notice any lurkers: You’re busy and so are your neighbors. You may both be away from home at the same time, and you can’t expect them to stay on watch 24/7 to guard your property’s perimeter. Don’t rely on neighbors for home security.
2. My pet will deter intruders: Your friendly (or feisty) pet may not scare off intruders who make a career out of breaking and entering.
3. It’s okay to hide spare keys outside or leave them with a neighbor: Leaving a spare key in a hidden location may sound like the perfect solution. But if they’re accessible to you, they’re most likely accessible to individuals outside of your circle of trust. It’s easy for a criminal to pose as a service person and ask to borrow a key from an unsuspecting neighbor. Make sure to change your locks periodically.
4. Home alarm systems are expensive: There are many affordable home alarm systems that can help protect you and your family – like ADT – which has been helping protect American homes and businesses for over 130 years.
5. Smoke detectors are sufficient fire safety devices: Creating a family fire-escape plan is essential for helping to keep your family safe. Smoke detectors may alert you, but your exit time may be unnecessarily lengthy if you haven’t designated safe exits or a meeting place.

The first step when you’re leaving for a summer vacation is to remember to activate your ADT home security system . Burglars know that people go away in the summer, and they prepare accordingly. To avoid falling victim to a burglary, you need to make sure that your property looks occupied – even when it isn’t. Be sure to replace the light bulbs around your house, including your exterior lights, and set some sort of timer that will turn lights on and off both indoors and outdoors. This way your house will look more lived-in.

But home security is about more than making sure robbers don’t break in. Also be sure to handle the smaller steps around the house. Unplug electronic devices from overloaded power strips, and be sure that you remember to turn off things like coffee makers, irons, and flat irons. This will greatly reduce the risk of a home fire.

Before you leave town, remember to make essential home security updates to your house. If you take the right steps before leaving, it will make for a much less stressful return home.

There are plenty of reasons for living alone if you can afford it. For one thing, there isn’t the constant stress of dealing with a roommate, or having to worry about your own home security because someone else forgets to lock the door at night. It’s also exciting just to have your own space.

Of course, when you live alone, there are certain safety concerns to take into consideration. And whether it’s the government or ADT telling you this, it’s important to know that criminals prefer to break into homes when they are empty. They don’t want run-ins with homeowners because they are typically just going after personal belongings and valuables. So what do you do about your place if you live alone? Well, installing a home alarm system is a definite step in the right direction.

If you’re ready to install a home security system, there are a lot of things to consider. One of the most important factors is burglary monitoring. You want a system with 24/7 home security monitoring. This way, you’ll know your home is being watched around the clock by security professional and technology. You can even customize a system for your specific needs. Companies like ADT have special pet-sensitive motion detectors so pet owners don’t have to worry about false alarms.

Taking simple and effective steps towards improving your home security will make living alone an even more enjoyable experience.

As parents age, their home security and safety becomes a big concern – especially if they live on their own. Fortunately, the latest home security technology makes it easier than ever for the elderly to stay safe at home and contact the authorities in case of an emergency.

The first step in helping protect your senior parents is making sure their home has a reliable home security system in place. ADT provides more than just 24/7 burglary monitoring – they also have one-touch monitoring for medical emergencies and fire. Their security keypads and keychain remotes make it easy for people of every age to alert the local authorities if an emergency occurs.

Of course, having an ADT home alarm system is not the only step in keeping your parents safe and secure. The next time you’re at their house, do a simple walk-through and identify any potential danger areas. If climbing the stairs is a risky idea, get one of the chairs installed that makes it simpler to get upstairs. If you notice lots of spots where wires are running under the rug, increasing the odds of someone falling and getting hurt, figure out a new way to re-route them that won’t cause a problem. After all, it’s a combination of those little things with the bigger items like a reliable home security system that will help keep your parents safe and healthy–and will leave you feeling good about their independent lifestyle for years to come.

We’re quickly turning into a more wireless world, which is becoming increasingly helpful to many Americans. The introduction of wireless options, whether it’s a Wi-Fi internet connection or the latest ADT alarm, helps people get things done more efficiently.

The new high-tech gear that comes with ADT monitored alarms does an incredible job of improving the functionality of your home security system. The latest wireless home alarms are not only easier to work with, they also streamline your security system so there are fewer chances for things to go wrong. Take the digital keypad, for example. It lets you activate your home alarm or contact medical or fire dispatchers with the touch of a button. And it’s easy enough for all members of your household to use.

If you are constantly tripping over yourself rushing into the house to disarm your home security system at the end of the day, the keychain remote can save you a lot of time and hassle. The one-touch remote fits right on your keychain and lets your arm or disarm your system from nearly anywhere in your house. It’s perfect if you don’t want to run back inside to set the alarm or if you want to activate the system once you’re already in bed.

Everyone knows the feeling of opening the door with an armful of groceries, only to have to quickly set them down to shut off the home alarm. Of course, it makes sense that you have to quickly disarm your alarm once you get home: that’s part of what makes your ADT security system such an effective form of home security. Fortunately, ADT also provides easy ways to arm and disarm your home security system with the touch of a button.

ADT wireless home security systems make arming and disarming your home alarm possible from just about anywhere in the house. With the keychain remote you can turn your alarm on and off from the driveway. This means you don’t have to worry about tripping over anything in your effort to hit the lights and get to the alarm panel fast enough, and it also means that if you forgot to set the alarm after you already locked the door, you can actually do that without having to get your keys out again and go back inside. It’s exactly the kind of development that makes things easier without making anything less secure – another example of ADT’s industry leading technology at work.