With all the stresses of day-to-day life, home security can sometimes become an afterthought.
Here at Notion, we’re all about giving our customers greater peace of mind when it comes to their home or property – which is why we’re celebrating National Home Security Month!
Never heard of National Home Security Month? It’s an annual campaign to help raise awareness around the importance of home security.
Throughout October, NHSM provides resources and tools to help homeowners better secure their properties – like this guide on myths around home security or this guide on staying up-to-date with the most recent home security jargon.
We’ve rounded up a few tips of our own to help you keep your family, home, and possessions safe! Check them out below:
Home Security Tip #1: Invest in IoT and Smart Home Technology
When most people think of home security, their minds immediately jump to burglaries and vandalism.
But home security is just as much about protecting your home from internal dangers – things like fire, carbon monoxide, and water damage – as external ones.
And thanks to advances in smart home and IoT (Internet of Things), it’s easier than ever to rely on technology to keep your home safe and secure.
Take Notion, for example. You can install our sensors throughout your home to get immediate alerts about water leaks and spills, temperature changes, opening doors and windows, and triggered fire and carbon monoxide alarms.
As a result, you can respond to potential emergencies faster, even when you’re out of town.
IoT technology also helps homeowners become more proactive by dealing with problems before they become costly disasters.
Rather than simply reacting to a flooded basement in the aftermath, by installing Notion Sensors on piping near your water heater, you can detect leaks before they occur or before they cause costly damage.
So our recommendation? Smartify your home by investing in the tools you need to keep your home and possessions safe!
Home Security Tip #2: Find the Right Security Solution for Your Home
Our second tip: invest in home security.
Not only are security systems one of the best deterrents for thieves, but they can also alert the authorities in the event of other emergencies – like when a fire alarm goes off.
But with so many security products on the market, it can be difficult to know where to start!
Should you install a surveillance system, a smart home monitoring system, or will something more simple do?
The answer: it depends on your home, budget, and security needs.
Before you start shopping for a new security system, you should answer a few questions to get a better sense of what you need:
- What are you protecting?
- How do you want to install it?
- How big is your home?
- What is your budget?
- What security features do you need?
You may also want to check out our guide on the cost of home security where we look at the price comparisons for different options, including smart self-monitoring systems like Notion and more traditional home security systems with professional installation.
Once you have a clearer understanding of your security needs, it’s a good idea to shop around, looking at things like security features, cost, installation difficulty, and more.
Home Security Tip #3: Buy a Home Safe
To protect your most valuable possessions, it’s important to invest in a home safe.
Safes can be essential for keeping your documents, firearms, and other valuables protected from thefts, fires, and much, much more.
Like home security systems, shopping for a safe can be a little overwhelming. There are a ton of different models and sizes – if you aren’t sure where to start, Lowes has a useful guide with plenty of tips on how to buy a home safe.
As far as keeping your safe, well, safe, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
First, it’s important to never share your combination code with anyone and never keep the code near or on the safe.
You should also avoid telling people where your safe is located in your home. While most Americans choose the closet in their master bedroom, according to Safety Hub, this is one of the first places thieves will visit when they’re searching for a home safe.
Instead, it might be a good idea to store your safe in a part of your home that isn’t obvious – like a coat closet or guest bedroom closet.
Depending on the model you purchase, it’s also important to bolt the safe to the floor or wall for extra protection.
If you want to take your safe’s security a step further, we recommend installing a Notion Sensor on the door of your safe. That way, if someone opens the safe when you aren’t home, you’ll immediately receive a notification on your smartphone and you can take any necessary actions.
Home Security Tip #4: Install Fire and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
If you don’t already have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed, it’s crucial to install them in your home for you and your family’s safety.
There are plenty of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on the market and, unfortunately, not all of them are created equal.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, ionization smoke alarms are generally more responsive to flaming fires, whereas photoelectric smoke alarms are generally more responsive to fires that begin with a long period of smoldering (called “smoldering fires”).
Whichever option you choose, it’s very important to buy smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that are UL-listed.
UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories, an organization that tests and approves products for consumer safety. If your detector is UL-listed, it means that it has met specific, defined requirements.
One of the biggest problems with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, however, is that they’re only useful if someone is home to hear them go off.
That’s why we recommend installing Notion Sensors next to your alarms. Once installed, you’ll receive an alert on your smartphone when the alarm sounds so you can take action.
One more thing to remember is that most smoke and carbon monoxide detectors operate on batteries and it’s important to change the batteries every six months. Once you’ve changed the batteries, make sure to press the test button to make sure that your detectors are working properly.
Home Security Tip #5: Consider Professional Monitoring
Finally, if you haven’t already, it’s time to consider professional security monitoring of your home.
Professional security monitoring can be an incredibly effective way to make sure your home is safe from potential dangers.
Most professional monitoring services offer 24/7 service so that if you miss an alert or notification, they will dispatch the necessary authorities. This type of security can be perfect for those who are away from the house during the day or go on vacation for longer periods.
If you’re a Notion user (or soon-to-be Notion user), we’ll be launching a professional monitoring service that you can add to your Notion system in less than five minutes.
How’s that for secure?
And that’s a wrap! We hope you learned a few things about how to keep your home safe!
