Best Security Products blog

The Smok’n Hot Vapors electronic-cigarette shop in Henderson, Nevada found out firsthand just how valuable Honeywell’s Video Alarm Verification system is.

According to this Honeywell case study, two men broke into the shop in the early morning hours. After breaking an alleyway window, they then stealing merchandise. It took them under four minutes to steal cash from the cash drawer and smash the display cases.

However, unknown to them, their presence was being detected by a Honeywell Video Alarm Verification security system. This VAV system sent a real-time alert to the store’s owner and to their monitoring station. It also sent video footage of the burglary.

What was missing from this situation? Guessing games. Normally, it would have taken precious minutes to go through the process of verifying whether there was actually an intruder in the store. We’ve all had this experience – whether we’re at home or a place of business – of hearing an alarm and not knowing whether the alarm was indicative of a true emergency.

The case study points out that verified response policies require that polices officers cannot be dispatched to an alarm notification unless either eyewitnesses or video cameras verify that a break-in has occurred.

But with Honeywell’s VAV system, there is no need to waste time determining if there was actually an intruder in the store. The VAV system allows the monitoring company to literally view the scenes as the security cameras were recording the intruders. No guesswork needed: they could see the intruders for themselves and send police immediately.

If the system had not been in place, it is likely that the intruders would have escaped, due to the lost time.

Ready for peace of mind?

Best Security Products can help you choose the perfect camera system for your business. Give us a call or email us at 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com

Image credit: http://security.honeywell.com/documents/L_IVWNWCS_D.pdf

On more than one occasion, parents have been horrified to learn that strangers have been hacking into their baby monitor, spying on the child, speaking into the room and even controlling the camera.

According to this story in the San Francisco Globe, a Washington discovered someone had hacked their baby monitor. Their son had been telling his parents that he was afraid at night because someone was talking to him. They didn’t understand, until one night they heard the voice.

Sarah, the toddlers mother, walked into the baby’s room and hear someone speaking through the monitor. She also realized that someone was controlling the night-vision camera and following her.

The SFG reports that this type of crime is becoming more common, evidenced by the same kind of story reported here by ABC News. In this account, a Houston family heard a man cursing in their daughter’s bedroom. This hacker had a British-sounding accent and was also controlling the camera. This family has decided that they may never use the monitor again.

Click the video below to watch the story of an Ohio family whose camera was hacked as well:

With so many baby monitors in use, it is understandable that parents are nervous about this happening to them. What is the solution?

Parry Aftab, a lawyer specializing in internet privacy interviewed by ABC News has some tips:

1. Keep a password. Without a password, anyone can use the Wi-Fi and gain access to the monitor too.

2. Guard your computers and passwords from people who may have access, particularly babysitters and housekeepers.

Dave Hatter is quoted by FOX19 news as suggesting that another safeguard is to make sure the password on your Wi-Fi is different from the password on your camera. In addition he suggests keeping current on updates for the camera. This can be done by checking the product’s website frequently.

At Best Security Products, we are experts in Home Security Systems. Please call or email for a consultation: 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com

Do you wonder how safe you are in your home? Our homes should be the place we feel safest. However, the truth is that the United States has the more burglaries of any country in the world. One burglary occurs about every 15 seconds.

Knowledge is power though. Being informed can empower you to take steps to protect yourself and your family from potential break-ins.

Here are a few interesting statistics from Safewise:

1. 30% of burglars gained entry to homes by way of an unlocked door, window or other opening without having to use force.

The takeaway? Make it a habit to lock your doors and windows if you are not home. If you are home, constrain the open windows or unlocked doors to only those rooms that are occupied. Consider using a home alarm system to protect all windows and doors in your home, so that you can be alerted if someone attempts to enter.

Take a walk around your home to identify any other openings which someone could use to enter you house. Places to check are basement windows, crawlspaces and attic windows.

2. Most burglars will avoid homes that have security systems. And if an alarm sounds during a break-in, they will flee immediately.

The takeaway here is to install a professional security system if you do not already have one. Burglars know that a security system means sirens will sound, cameras may be watching and that the police will soon arrive, due to the monitoring service being notified.

When you have a system installed, ask for yard signs and window stickers that alert visitors that a security system is present. Also install cameras (indoor and outdoor) that are in plain sight, so the burglars realize they are being watched. Each of these measures may scare the burglar away before he does damage to your property.

At Best Security Products, we are experts in Home Security Systems. Please call or email for a consultation: 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com

Source: http://www.safewise.com/blog/8-surprising-home-burglary-statistics/