Best Security Products blog

According to this article from the New York Times, 7 siblings died in a house fire in Brooklyn, New York.  The cause of the fire was a hot plate which warmed food while the family slept.  Due to Sabbath restrictions, the Orthodox Jewish family was unable to light a flame, so the hot plate was used to keep food warm overnight.

This tragedy is made even worse because the family could have been warned about the fire if there had been working smoke detectors throughout the home.  Instead, only one smoke detector was found – and it was in the basement.  There were no working smoke detectors on the first or the second floor of the home.

While we grieve for this family, we can also learn a lesson from their tragedy:  make smoke detectors a priority both in your home and in your business. But having smoke detectors present is not enough if they are not checked and maintained regularly.

Here are some tips from Tim Gibson of Expert Village on how to test your smoke detectors:

1.  When you push the test button on a smoke detector that is interconnected with the other smoke detectors in the house, make sure you hear the test beeps from the other detectors.

2.  Press and hold the test button for one to two seconds until you hear the series of short beeps.

3.  If you press the button and you do not hear the beeps, you may need to change the batteries, replace the smoke detector itself or have the wiring checked.

Watch the whole video here.

According to a March 13 article in SDM Magazine, Smart Homes Sell Faster. A survey that was conducted among 513 real estate associates reveals what buyers are looking for when they purchase a home.

While it is true that smart technology used to be found only in high end homes, that is no longer true. Homes in many budget levels now come equipped with products and features that smarten up a home and make life easier.

So much so that buyers are now looking for this technology as they review properties; they are aware that the features exist and are eager to buy a ‘smarter home.’

Here are a few highlights from the article. Read the whole article here.

Buyers are asking, "How smart is this home?": Nearly two in three (64 percent) of the sales associates surveyed agreed that buyers today are more interested in homes with smart home features and technology than they were two to five years ago.

• Buyers want to control their home from their smart phone: 62 percent are seeing more buyers interested in controlling their home technology through their smart phone or tablet now than they were two to five years ago.
• Listings are getting smarter: Nearly 60 percent said they are seeing more smart home features in listings than they did two to five years ago.
• Smart homes sell faster: One in three (33 percent) noted that homes with smart home features and technology sell faster than homes without them.
• Gen X is the "smartest" generation of home buyers today: While it's no surprise that almost half of sales associates are seeing Millennials (age 18-24) interested in homes with smart home features, even more (57 percent) identified Gen X (age 35-49) as the top buying group interested in smart home technology.

Continue reading this article here.

At Best Security Products, we can smarten up your home for you. Give us a call at 1-800–988–2378 sales@bestsecurityproducts.com

TUXEDO Touch™ by Honeywell: BRING YOUR HOME TO LIFE

Talk about convenience! You’ll know how to use the Tuxedo Touch controller the first time you see it. It’s intuitive, easy to learn and easy to use whether you’re controlling your security and home control functions, viewing and recording video, or using voice commands.

GIVE YOUR HOME A VOICE HANDS-FREE HOME CONTROL

Simply say "Hello Tuxedo" to bring your home to life. The convenient, built-in voice commands can be configured to suit your lifestyle and needs. Your mornings can run more smoothly by saying "Wake Up" and having your shades raise and the heat turned up to the perfect temperature. Ready to turn in for the night? Just say "Bedtime" to arm your security system, turn off your lights, lock your doors and set back your thermostats. Say hello to convenience and peace of mind!

At ISC West 2014, Honeywell’s Tuxedo Touch with Voice Control is demonstrated.  Let’s listen in:

The beauty of a connected home is that it allows you to control a variety of devices, based upon your particular needs.  You can do this based upon time, or you can do this based upon an action that you want to have in your home.

Typically, you would do this using the touch screen or a mobile device – to control all these actions.  But with our new release of software, you can use your voice to do these same, exact actions.

So let’s say at night, you want to go to sleep and shut your lights, lock your front door, put down your shade and set back your thermostat:  you would just give a command, and all these things would happen! It’s really simple; it’s all part of the Honeywell user experience.

Let me show you:

“Hello Tuxedo!”

“Hello!  Please say your command.”

“Bedtime.”

“Processing bedtime command.”

And all of those things happened in one, easy command.

Watch the whole demonstration here:

Ready to talk to your home?  Contact us today at 1-800–988–2378 or sales@bestsecurityproducts.com