How To Protect Your Home When Traveling

Home security isn’t just for someone who lives in a lavish, expensive house and has tons of valuables that warrant protection. It is for everyone who lives in a home. When you are out of your home and don’t have a home security system, the only protection you have is the door and window locks, and a hope that both of them are strong enough to keep burglars out. Well, that is a flawed ideology. However, there is a lot more to homes security systems than just keeping the bad guys out.

Problems people face while traveling

1. Protection against burglars

This is the biggest concern you can have when you are traveling and don’t have a home security system. Your only option is to lock all the entry points and believe that you live in a safe neighborhood. It doesn’t matter how safe your neighborhood is. In today’s world, you can never be too careful. There are many ways burglars can know that you are not home and haven’t been home for a while, and if you don’t have a home security system, all they have to do is pick their moment and ensure that you get the worst possible welcome when you return.

2. Child security

People often go for short weekend trips and leave their children behind for one reason or another. The usual thing to do is hire a sitter to keep an eye on your children. But as qualified and sincere as the sitter might be, they can’t always be there round the clock. There might be parts of the day when your children are by themselves, so to give you additional peace of mind, use a security system to monitor the house and property.

3. Appliances left running

It’s quite often that the moment you put some distance between yourself and your home you realize that you left your press, home heating, air conditioner, television switched on or the garage door open. The intensity of the problem depends on the thing left running and the duration of your travel. But it’s never a pretty scenario once you get the power bill or if something goes terribly wrong.

How can home security systems help while you’re away?

The issues discussed above are just some of the problems people face when traveling. The good thing, though, is that a home security system can help you solve all the problems. People still have the image of home security systems as security systems that send an alarm going and contact the authorities when someone tried prying the doors or windows open. That’s a case of security systems of the bygone era. Modern home security systems offer a lot more.

1. Wireless control and monitoring

With modern home security systems, you have full control right from your smartphone. All security systems come with their own app, and you can control all the features and monitor your house from it. To give you remote surveillance, these systems have cameras installed in all the entryways and in your house, and you can access the live feed anytime you want to see what’s happening. You can also control the lighting, HVAC, etc. through the app

2. A wide range of sensors

There are many home security systems that come with a host of sensors that detect and act against possible intruders before they have a chance to do anything. There are also carbon monoxide and flood sensors to prevent your home in case of floods or fires. The security systems not only warn you and the authorities, but they also notify those you have chosen in your contact list during installation, and can even take mitigation steps to contain the damage.

3. Proactive and not reactive

This is arguably the biggest improvement in security systems. They are not reactive in nature anymore. Using the different sensors and video capturing cameras, your home security system will constantly look for signs of danger and take authoritative action at the first hint of trouble. Giving you control over all the power outlets and systems in your house allows you to control them from anywhere in the world. You can even turn on the lights during the day and turn them off at night remotely to make it look like you’re still at home. No need to come up with an elaborate setup and do all the hard work yourself like Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone.

Best home security systems

There are many home security systems to choose from, but when you want to secure your home, you should only look for the best products from the best companies.

1. FrontPoint

FrontPoint offers one of the best home security systems in the market right now. It offers you everything you want and helps you set up and monitor your house from anywhere in the world. The equipment is delivered to you free of charge, and you can use their setup and installation guides to get it up and running real quick. Everything is pretty simple to do and defines the DIY category. You can add security components like CO and fire sensors, temperature and lighting controls, etc. You can request help to move the system in case you are moving, and the mobile app contacts the clients within 30 seconds of any mishap. Although it isn’t the cheapest option, it isn’t the priciest either but is one of the best.

2. Vivint

Vivint provides quality home security systems to ease your burden when you’re traveling or even when you are at home. All the packages come with smoke detectors, key fob, motion detector, and door and window sensors. With other packages and add-ons, you get services like a smart thermostat, tilt sensors, flood/freeze sensors, small appliance control, recessed door sensor, etc. You can buy the equipment and install it yourself. Should you need assistance, you can contact customer support 24/7/365. Vivint offers state-of-the-art equipment and service, and it really protects and improves the security of your home. You can relocate your entire Vivint setup without any hassle as well. All you have to do is contact their support staff, and they will do the needful.

3. Link interactive

Link Interactive security systems were designed keeping in mind the ease of setup, the quality of the products, and the cost of the setup. It means that this home security system is available at a reasonable price and is pretty simple to install. You can buy the components from Costco and installation does not involve any difficult work. All the packages come with door and window sensors, motion sensors, wireless smoke/heat/freeze sensors, as well as a yard sign.

With a few extra bucks, you can also avail features like a smart thermostat, wireless doorbells and panic buttons, recessed door sensors, and tilt sensors. The 30-day money back guarantees and two-year equipment warranty are similar to what Vivint, FrontPoint, and most other quality home security systems offer, but they’re always good to have. The equipment is delivered free of charge, and it’s all tested before it is shipped out to you.

Conclusion

Home Security systems offer a lot more than burglar alarms and contacting the authorities through your landline. All the systems discussed above come with wireless connectivity and access and battery backup to continue functioning in case of power failures. You have full control over your house’s electricity and security system even when you are thousands of miles away.

This means that even though you are on vacation and enjoy a break, your home security doesn’t take a day off. The energy management and conservation features like smart thermostats and HVAC controls enable you to improve your power bills and maintain the security of your home as well. You shouldn’t wait for something bad to happen before you install a home security system. You should rather install it to prevent anything bad from happening. Like most security systems today, you should be proactive and not reactive when it comes to the security of your house.

The above shall not be considered as an expert or professional advice for any matter.