Category: Security Tips

Introducing Resideo’s ProSeries: Tech Savvy and Easy to Use

Are you looking for a cutting-edge security and smart home system? Resideo’s new ProSeries delivers a complete security and smart-home solution that’s simple to use and integrates seamlessly into your life.

With a refreshed user interface, ProSeries is easy to use with a consistent look and feel across all products, including the panel, touchscreen, and app. This streamlined look makes it easy to learn and operate your new ProSeries security system.

In addition, the ProSeries offers built-in voice control for hands-free operation, video alarm verification to reduce false alarms, and convenient hands-free system disarming. It’s truly the next generation of alarm technology.

ProSeries works with a family of wireless sensors and devices which are interchangeable across the entire platform. 

Homeowners can take advantage of an expanded line of sensors and life-safety devices and can easily add smoke and carbon monoxide detection, flood sensors, smart thermometers, and more. Best of all? These life-safety sensors are all connected throughout the system. If a smoke alarm goes on in your garage, you’ll be notified in your living room or anywhere you happen to be with the TotalConnect 2.0 smartphone app. 

Other devices include indoor and outdoor wireless sirens with built-in strobe lights and an indoor MotionViewer and video alarm verification. These MotionViewers are totally wireless and transmit alerts and images, even in a blackout situation without power or Wi-Fi.

All of this backed up by Resideo’s decades of experience in the alarm industry and powerful AES-128 encryption to ensure a high level of data security. 

Advanced Security Systems is proud to offer the ProSeries family of security products to all our customers in Northern California and Southern Oregon.

Give us a call at 877-443-6366 or schedule a consultation today, and learn more about protecting your home with Resideo’s ProSeries.

Related:

Keep An Eye On Your Front Door With Skybell® Video Doorbell

The Complete Guide To Keeping Your Packages Safe

Update Your Total Connect 2.0 App For A New Look & Feel

Securing Your Business During the Holidays

According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, robbery and personal larceny rise by 20% during the holiday season. This is proof that porch pirates aren’t the only ones who strike during this time of year. If you have a commercial property to protect, here are some quick ways to ensure your security equipment is up to date, tested, and ready to go for the upcoming holidays.

Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is right around the corner. With many businesses closing their doors for a long holiday weekend, taking a few extra security steps can help prevent break-ins, vandalism, and other big problems.

Video Monitoring

Roughly 64 percent of all small businesses experience some form of theft, whether from patrons or employees. But a lot of that can be negated simply by the presence of a video monitoring security system.

Burglary is considered a crime of opportunity because, to employees or customers, it seems like there are absolutely no consequences for stealing or no way of getting caught. And studies say that this crime is amplified by 20 percent during the holiday season. Theft can cost small businesses tens of thousands of dollars. Those numbers are drastically reduced by adding a security system to your business.

The presence of a video monitoring system also goes a long in preventing vandalism. According to the U.S Small Business Administration, one act of vandalism costs the receiving business an average of $3,370. That can take a considerable toll on a small business.

Testing Systems

The importance of video monitoring for businesses can’t be overstated, but what about those who rely on traditional security systems? The holiday season is the perfect time for users to test systems and upgrade older systems with the newest technology.

Testing your alarm system is easy. Call our monitoring center at 707-442-0681 and provide your password or account number to notify our dispatchers you are testing your system. Arm your system, wait for it to be armed, then open a door or window, and wait for the alarm to sound for 30 seconds. Enter your code to disarm. When done, contact our monitoring center again to ensure that the test signals were received and let them know you’re all done.

Reducing False Alarms

It’s fun and festive for businesses to spruce up their stores with fun decorations to get in the spirit of the season, but it can lead to some unexpected consequences. However, be sure that decorations are not blocking cameras or creating blind spots in the surveillance. Another issue with decorations can be an uptick in false alarms. Moving decor, whether it’s the HVAC system blowing decorative material or mechanical moving decorations, is a major cause of false alarms. And false alarms can lead to unwanted fines.

Updating Contacts

As you prepare for the holiday season, make sure that your contact lists are up to date. In an emergency, you’ll want to ensure that our central monitoring center can contact the correct people. Please take a minute to review your contact list by calling our office at 707-443-6366 or make updates right away with our contact list update form (this form will open as a PDF).

The holidays truly are the most wonderful time of the year, and you can truly enjoy this time of year with updated video monitoring systems that keep your business protected and your minds at ease.

Stay Secure with These Crime Prevention Tips

October is National Crime Prevention Month. We all have a part to play in preventing common crimes, and Advanced Security Systems is your partner in keeping your home and family safe. Review this checklist for the most effective ways to prevent crime.

  1. Make a list of all valuable property. Keep at least one copy kept outside your home.
  2. Create a list of your valuable property (watches, cameras, computers, TVs, etc.), noting the serial number when available.
  3. Gather descriptions and photos of valuable property from each room in your home (and closets).
  4. Consider renting a safe deposit box for important papers.
  5. Avoid ‘hiding’ an extra house key under the doormat or other common location.
  6. Have a plan if you or your family discover a burglar in your home. Don’t go in! Dial 911!
  7. If you do discover a burglary, leave everything undisturbed and call the sheriff or police.
  8. Trim trees and shrubs to eliminate hiding places.
  9. If you have space, build a security closet with a solid-core door, non-removable hinges, and a deadbolt lock.
  10. Keep emergency numbers stored on your phone, including police, fire, and ambulance, and 911.
  11. Make sure the outside of your home is well lit.
  12. Is your house number easily visible from the street at any hour? Police need to see your number in an emergency.
  13. Lock up ladders and eliminate or block trellises and drainpipes that can be used as ladders to reach the upper floor.
  14. Ensure your exterior doors have cylinder-type deadbolt locks that are in working condition.
  15. Ensure all your doors (basement, porch, sliding, French, balcony) can be securely locked.
  16. Lock your car and take out the keys even when it is parked in the garage.
  17. Equip all windows in your home equipped with key locks or pins.
  18. If you’re going on vacation, ask a neighbor to pick up the newspaper, mail, and help keep an “occupied” look to your home.
  19. Invest in a home security system that includes motion detectors and door/window sensors.

3G Sunset: For Some, the Network Shutdown is Coming Early

Are you ready for the 3G Sunset? The 3G cellular network will be retired by AT&T and Verizon during 2021. But some network users are finding their service has been cut off well before the 2021 deadline.

Why the early shut-off? It turns out there are a few situations where users can find themselves without 3G network access. They include:

Areas Recently Hit by Natural Disasters

If you live in an area that’s been recently affected by natural disasters, there’s a good chance the 3G network won’t be returning. The reason is that when fires, floods, or other events damage 3G cell towers, cellular companies replace those towers with current equipment. And that typically means a 4G LTE tower. 

You’re Using a “Roaming” 3G Network

Some cellular customers are actually using a “roaming” version of the 3G network. Roaming is an agreement among cellular providers to share access as users move throughout the network. For example, if your cellular service provider is Verizon, but you’re in an area where Verizon doesn’t have service, another cellular provider will grant you network access on Verizon’s behalf. Roaming is common in rural areas and other places where cellular coverage isn’t complete.

The bad news? Most users won’t know they’re on a roaming network until it’s too late. For some alarm system users, the deadline to upgrade can be as early as Dec. 31, 2020. 

Don’t wait to find out if you’re a roaming customer! Upgrade your alarm system to a new LTE communicator and ensure your system can access the reliable LTE cellular network.

Related

Learn more about the 3G Sunset in our FAQ

Your New Home: How to Make Sure It’s Secured

 

What’s on your to-do list when you buy a new home? For total peace of mind, you should be thinking about how you’ll protect your home. Securing your new purchase against burglary and fire should be the first things you check off your list.

Let’s review six quick steps to making sure your home is secure.

 

1) Make Sure Your Doors and Windows Are Secure

Did you know 32 percent of burglars simply walk through unlocked front doors? Get in the habit of locking your front door and don’t make the mistake of hiding a spare key in an obvious spot, like under the doormat. Seasoned burglars know just where to look for hidden keys. Make certain all the locks on your doors and windows are operating properly and consider changing the locks when you move in. At the minimum, rekey the locks or consider upgrading to a smart lock you can control remotely from your phone or tablet. Adding a professionally monitored security system with sensors on all doors and windows will provide even more protection. Contact Advanced Security Systems today for your free security consultation.

 

2) Get to Know Your Neighbors

Knowing your neighbors is one of the most important things you can do to protect your family and your home. When neighbors look out for each other, it’s much harder for burglars to case neighborhoods and identify easy break-in opportunities. Organizations like Neighborhood Watch and apps like Next Door (available for iPhone and Android) make it easy to stay in touch with those around you.

 

3) Think like a burglar

As you’re moving in, walk around your property and imagine “how would I get into my house if I didn’t have a key?” Look for low windows or other access points. Will you be leaving a window open for ventilation? That’s an easy spot for a burglar to enter your home. What about the unexpected? Is there an open skylight a burglar could get to by climbing a tree? Thinking like a burglar can help you spot these locations before the bad guys do.

 

4) Get Exterior Lighting

Motion-activated lights on the outside of your home are great deterrents to ward off burglars plus they make the home safer for you. Consider installing these by the front and back doors and the garage. You’ll decrease the likelihood of both break-ins and falls.

 

5) Keep Police and Fire Info Close at Hand

Be sure to have numbers for your local police and fire departments where you can find them at a moment’s notice—and where your kids can find them too. Keep a list on the refrigerator with important numbers, including neighbors, family members, and anyone else you might need to call in an emergency.

The days of a family phone in the kitchen are gone. In fact, more than half the homeowners in America have disconnected their traditional telephone lines. It’s important that everyone in your family know how to use your cell phone to make emergency calls. If you’re not comfortable giving total access, be sure your kids and spouse can use your phone to make a call in case of an emergency. Most modern phones allow limited access to emergency numbers from the lock screen.

 

6) Plan Ahead

Having a clear plan for how you’ll deal with a break-in can alleviate the stress should such an unfortunate event take place. That plan should include who to call (insurance agent, bank, credit card companies, etc.), a good home inventory with all your major purchases, and a file with any recent work orders.

Following these tips is a great way to make sure your home is secure. For total security, contact Advanced Security Systems today for your free security consultation.

The Complete Guide to Keeping Your Packages Safe

Online shopping is booming, and package thieves are taking notice.

 

Retailers report a 76 percent increase in online sales during the COVID19 quarantine, and with those record sales come record numbers of deliveries.

 

For many of us living under shelter-in-place orders, home delivery is our lifeline to groceries, consumer goods, medicines, and more. Stopping package theft is more critical than ever.

 

This article will give you several tips for preventing package theft and help you learn how a  security system can help you keep watch on pesky porch pirates.

 

Track Your Packages and Get Updates

Millions of package thefts are reported each year, but dismally few cases are ever solved. That’s why experts urge prevention, and savvy shoppers know prevention starts with tracking your packages.

 

Your smartphone’s app store is loaded with apps that can track packages sent from multiple delivery services. Parcel – Delivery Tracking (iPhone, iPad) or Deliveries (Android) are highly rated for their ease of use. FedEx and UPS offer their own apps, but we prefer the convenience of a single app that can track packages from multiple sources.

 

Have Packages Delivered to your Workplace or Office

One of the best ways to combat package theft is to have items delivered to your office (with your company’s permission) or a friend’s house who will be home to receive the packages. This will stop porch pirates in their tracks. Of course, with the COVID-19 quarantine, many of us are working from home these days. In that case,upgrading your home with a video doorbell can suit your needs.

 

Require a Signature on Delivery

To prevent your package from being stolen, ask for signature delivery. Contact the sender and request a delivery confirmation signature. Most companies will add this service free of charge.

 

Use Local Package Lockers

Rite Aid and Walgreens locations offer locker service for Amazon purchases. It’s easy to keep your packages safe and secure with these self-service lockers. Customers also report that they love picking up packages when it’s convenient for them.

 

Pick Up Packages in Person

This suggestion may not be quite as convenient as receiving deliveries at your front door, but it’s sure to work. Contact your delivery service to hold packages at a local location so you can pick them up.

 

Your Security System Can Keep Your Packages Safe

Ensuring your packages arrive safely is one of the ways your security system works for you. Security cameras and video doorbells can notify you with an email when the package comes.

 

If you’re not home when the package is delivered, you can use your smartphone to disarm your alarm system and unlock the door so the package can be placed inside. Once the package is safely inside, arm your alarm system, again right from your smartphone. It’s that easy.

A young woman checks her smartphone to see video message that her delivery man has arrived with her packages.

What to Do if Your Package is Stolen

More than 26 million packages are stolen each year in the U.S., and less than 10 percent of cases are solved. If you discover you’re the victim of a porch pirate, take these steps to help remedy the situation.

 

As soon as you notice your package is missing, file a police report. While the odds are low that your package will be recovered, there’s always a chance. Plus, filing a police report is required if you’re going to make a claim against your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance. Beyond that, contacting the police will help them establish a pattern if porch thieves are prowling your neighborhood.

 

Within 24 hours of noting the package missing, contact the store and shipping service you used. Many online stores have policies for missing deliveries and may even send you a replacement at no cost. Keep track of order and delivery numbers to save time when contacting your retailer. This same advice applies if a friend or relative sent your package—keep them in the loop so they can report it to their retailer.

 

File a lost package claim:

  • Did you ship with the USPS? Click here to file a lost package claim.
  • Used UPS? Click here to file a lost package.
  • Was FedEx your delivery company? Click here to file a lost package claim.

 

Six Ways to Stop Package Theft

Waiting on that special package to be delivered? Don’t Get Grinched! There are several easy ways to keep your packages safe this Christmas. The Eureka Police Department shares some great tips to keep your packages safe this holiday season.

 

“The Eureka Police Department (EPD) is recommending that online purchases that would normally be mailed to your residence be sent to a secure location, such as a work address.” writes EPD Captain Brian Stephens in the December edition of the City of Eureka Newsletter. “To combat package theft during the holidays, EPD is recommending that citizens have a plan to secure packages so they are not stolen from the home. When possible, shop locally and bypass issues of theft.”

 

Have Packages Delivered to your Workplace or Office

One of the best ways to combat package theft is to have items delivered to your office (with your company’s permission) or a friend’s house who will be home to receive the packages. This minimizes the opportunities for theft.

 

Require a Signature on Delivery

To prevent your package from being stolen off the front porch, side door, back porch, or garage area, ask for signature delivery. If your package is delivered by UPS/DHL/FedEx, consult your sender and require a delivery confirmation signature.

 

Use Local Package Lockers

Rite Aid, Walgreens, and GNC locations all offer locker service for Amazon purchases!

 

Sign Up For Alerts

Delivery services are happy to send you text and email alerts with updates about your packages. Additionally, you can use FedEx Delivery Manager to keep track of your packages and re-direct them if necessary.

 

Pick Up Packages in Person

It may not be quite as convenient as receiving deliveries at your front door, but one sure way to guarantee safety is to have packages held at the post office or delivery service store until you can pick them up yourself.

Both FedEx and UPS provide options to have packages held at a local location rather than dropped off at your home.

 

Your Security System Can Keep Your Packages Safe, Too

Your cameras can notify you with an email when the package arrives. If you’re not home when the package is delivered, you can disarm the alarm and unlock the door so a trustworthy neighbor can place the package inside. Once the package is safe inside, simply arm your alarm system right from your smartphone.

Don’t Ignore the ‘Beep’ – It May Be Time for a New CO Detector

If you installed a carbon monoxide detector when California made it state law, it might be time to get a new one.

The California Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act requires most new homes be built with a carbon monoxide detection. The legislation is designed to save lives, but it only works when carbon monoxide detectors are working correctly.

Since the law passed in 2011, many of the standard carbon monoxide detectors have reached their end-of-life. All carbon monoxide detectors are required to alert you with an end-of-life signal; in most cases, you’ll hear a beep at regular intervals.

When you hear this beep, it’s time to replace your carbon monoxide alarm. Changing the battery isn’t enough—it’s time for a new device.

The good news is that if your carbon monoxide detector was installed by a fire alarm provider like Advanced Security Systems, you don’t have to waste time hunting down the “beep.”

“What’s great about the carbon monoxide detectors we install is that our customers will get a call from our dispatch center alerting them that their detector has reached its end-of-life,” says Ian Schatz, Operations Manager for Advanced Security Systems. “It takes the guesswork out of it.”

Customers also benefit from the longer lifespans of professionally installed carbon monoxide detectors. The CO detectors from Advanced Security Systems are rated to last ten years—considerably longer than store-bought detectors, which are rated for 3- and 7-year life spans.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas, produced any time fossil fuels are burned. Carbon monoxide poisoning contributes to more than 400 deaths and 50,000 emergency room visits each year according to the Centers for Disease Control.

To learn more about preventing carbon monoxide poisoning, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Six Reasons Why DIY Security Can Be a Let Down

DIY security systems offer homeowners an affordable way to get into home security, but that affordability comes with a downside: trouble with installation, a lack of confidence when buying a system, and being on the hook for any service or repairs that are needed down the road.

 

Here are the six biggest reasons to avoid DIY security systems.

 

You’re On Your Own When You Design Your System: Does this camera see in the dark? Is this the right motion detector? Do I need to secure the cellar windows? These are all common questions when designing your security system. By working with a professional security consultant, you can be confident that the system will work like you wanted to while also meeting your security needs.

 

Lousy Tech Support: Insurance companies may hold you liable for incidents involving break-ins if you have a self-installed security system and some insurers also don’t offer discounts on DIY systems.

 

Customizing Your System Gets Expensive: the package deals offered by DIY manufacturers are very basic, typically offering protection for just one door and one window. You’ll watch those low prices disappear as you add to your system. Our security consultants work with you so you get adequate protection for your home without getting too much or too little security.

 

It Can Be TOO Basic: DIY companies make basic systems so homeowners can do the installation themselves. The downside is that many of the advanced features of professionally installed systems are unavailable. You might miss out on essential features like 24-hour backup batteries, monitoring in case your system goes offline for any reason, low-battery alerts, fire and carbon monoxide monitoring, and more. DIY systems rarely offer more than basic security.

 

No Police Dispatch: Many DIY security companies won’t dispatch police if they receive a signal from your alarm system. Instead, they will call you or other people on your notification list and leave it up to you to contact the police. Our professional dispatchers are available 24-hours a day to dispatch police, fire, or other emergency services.

 

No Service Technicians: Sure, you might get a 12-month warranty on your DIY security system, but you won’t have access to a staff of factory-trained and certified technicians. You’ll be relying on over-the-phone tech support and online forums for help. Oh, and when you do figure out the problem, you’re responsible for the repairs. Most folks would rather have a trained technician come over to replace the battery on a hard-to-reach sensor on their 20-foot vaulted ceilings.

Advanced Security Systems Announces Acquisition of Petaluma’s K & R Security

Petaluma, Calif.—Advanced Security Systems announces the asset purchase of one of Petaluma’s oldest and largest security system providers, K & R Security, Inc.

 

Karim Salih, president and operator of K & R Security, is also announcing his retirement along with the sale. Salih and his wife will remain in the Petaluma area and continue to be active members of the community.

 

“In announcing my retirement, I was careful to select a security system provider with over 48 years of combined experience, not only in security systems, but access control systems, surveillance systems, and fire alarm systems. Advanced Security fills the bill with a proven track record of operating a local, family-owned, regional security company.”

 

Chuck Petrusha, president and CEO of Advanced Security Systems, offers a warm welcome to the K & R Security clients. “I can assure our K & R Security clients a smooth transition with the quality of service, monitoring, and testing you’ve come to trust,” says Petrusha.

 

Advanced Security Systems with offices in Santa Rosa, Eureka, and Crescent City, will continue to service K & R Security customers from its existing Sonoma County location. Customers can use K & R Security telephone numbers to contact the main office and the monitoring station—707-762-5311 (office) and 800-353-3064 (24-hour monitoring station)—that they are used to.

 

Advanced Security Systems is a full-service alarm company with capabilities of monitoring, and working on leading brands in the market place. Advanced Security technicians are factory authorized and trained in the latest technologies and security products.

 

For more information, visit www.advancedsecurity.us.