Every year, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) devotes the third week in October to National Fire Prevention Week. The theme for this year is “Prevent Kitchen Fires,” with fire departments throughout the country holding local community events designed to educate the public on preventing fires in that busy area of the house. Here are some valuable tips they will be sharing:

Doesn’t he have enough stuff? Probably, but he wants things he can sell for cash – that is, unless you have cash. If so, he’ll take that too. There are plenty of official government statistics that show us exactly what burglars want, and common sense backs it up. Here are the items that burglars want the most:

When it comes to home security, the garage door is one of the elements considered least by most residents who think a garage door opening system or simple lock is enough to keep out intruders. This oversight can cause them to fall prey to thieves. In many cases in fact, the garage is the weakest point of entry.

A significant number of burglars gain entry to a home through an attached garage with an entrance to into the house. Even a detached garage or one without an entrance into the home is vulnerable to a break-in because the garage usually holds big-ticket items like your car, tools, or other equipment that is quickly and easily sold.

While you are assessing your home for a fresh coat of paint or even a possible remodel this spring, how much thought have you put into your home’s security system? Over the past five years, the home security industry has seen some remarkable technological advances. From home management systems to energy savings and even video surveillance, is your existing system up-to-date?

Seriously, it’s hard to not want to be like 007. There is just something super cool about the character that he has remained popular for over 50 years. So, what is it about him that makes him so universally popular? Maybe it is that he is always impeccably dressed, or that he remains completely calm and never even flinches in the face of danger. For us, it is his unreserved use of high-tech devices even before it was popular to do so that has the cool factor totally dialed in. So, we don’t have “Q Branch” supplying us with jetpacks and cars equipped with missiles, but Bond has nothing on us when it comes to truly incredible smart security and automation technologies.

When we finally get a few moments to relax in the summer, it is easy to let our security relax as well. We tend to spend more time outside, socializing with friends and neighbors, running short errands, having children coming and going, and visitors staying in the home.  We are more likely to stray over to a friend’s house without closing the garage doors or leave windows open to catch a summer breeze. When a stranger is in the neighborhood, we are likely just to assume it is an innocent visitor, not someone with ill intentions. All of these things put our safety in jeopardy.

To keep your summer carefree, remember these summer safety precautions.

Enjoying the season of giving is what the winter holidays are all about. However, because thieves know that homes during the holidays are filled with gifts, it should also be a time of vigilance. Take these precautions to ensure that your home is protected from a holiday break-in this winter.

Before making a decision to put in an offer a home, shoppers consider hundreds of factors. Some of those factors homeowners can’t change– such as location, size of lot, and school districts. Other features, such as countertop materials and open floorplans can be modified to fit the market. But there is still something buyers want that seems a bit intrinsic– a personalized and home that separates them from the rest of the world. So what are home buyers really seeking? Home Automation.

If you are a parent, you know FOMO. The Fear of Missing Out is a real problem for every parent because if it were possible, we’d love to soak up every waking moment with our children. Well, almost every waking moment. As much time as we spend with our children, it is still so difficult to know that we miss some of those small moments that make up daily life.
We have streamlined and simplified everything else in life, surely there must be a better way to manage or eliminate FOMO we think to ourselves. And we are right. There really is a tool to help you stay connected and banish FOMO once for all—your home security system.

For many entrepreneurs, the Internet of Things (IoT), or when individual devices are assigned an IP address so it can be accessed remotely, is something that remains largely, and surprisingly, in the workplace. Even for the driven, and super focused the IoT has a lot to offer through home security and mobile control.

Do you want to know the best back to school purchase you can make this year? It provides much more value and return on investment then a new laptop or jeans for the kids. The answer is smart home security. It saves you hours of wasted time and streamlines household activities.

Unique User Codes Help You Get Rid of Spare Keys

A smart home security system that includes smart locks and a video doorbell helps you manage how the family comes and goes. Each person gets a unique user code to enter and exit the house so you can stop worrying about lost keys and people locked out.

So, what if someone forgets their access code? Just tell them to ring the video doorbell and you can unlock the door remotely. You never have to worry about the wrong person finding a spare key and accessing your house.

You might wonder why smart locks are so much more popular than traditional locks. Traditional pin and tumbler mechanism locks have been around for centuries and have been a staple of home security. The purpose is, of course, to restrict access for better security and to ensure one’s privacy. The drawback of these locks is that if you are someone intending to commit a crime, gaining entry isn’t all that difficult. In addition to the problem of forgetting to lock the doors in the first place, burglars have many ways to bypass traditional locks, including the technology to easily replicate keys even without a physical key as a copy and now ways to get in are rampant. That is why smart locks are dominating the home technology market.

Crime is an unfortunate part of society, and no matter where we live, we are all vulnerable. That does not, however, mean that residents are defenseless in protecting their family, homes, or property. Crime statistics show that small preventative measures can thwart most crimes.

You’ve heard it said that too much “screen time” is a bad thing for some people – mostly for kids. But if you’re a responsible adult, you can use your smartphone as a powerful tool to make your life both simpler and safer. We call this system home control, because it can be accessed easily with your smartphone to give you total home control – not just over your security, but other aspects of the household as well. Here are some examples.

Hard rain, lightning, snow storms, low temperatures, power outages…everything we dread about winter is upon us. You may be accustomed to these weather conditions – but unfortunately, being used to something doesn’t make it any less perilous. Extreme weather can do extreme harm, and homeowners need to do what they can to keep their families safe from the risks.

These days, it seems everyone declares their favorite season to be fall. Maybe it’s the cooler air, brightly colored leaves, or the anticipation of the holidays. One thing we know it isn’t: the reality of leaving your summer retreat for another year. We’re talking about your vacation home, that sanctuary for the summer. If you own it, then you’re tasked with making sure it stays secure in the off-season. After all, there are no doubt criminals who live in the area year-round and prey upon empty vacation properties while the owners are away. How can you protect yours? With smart tech security.