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by Lauren Busser, VP of Production and Design for The House Designers
Your home’s safety and security are important details that you will want to give plenty of consideration. Equipping your home with adequate safety measures will not only protect you and your loved ones from unexpected problems but also give you peace of mind even when you're away. Here are our favorite products to help keep your home safe and secure.
Get Smart and Efficient Safety Lighting
Keeping your home safe doesn't just refer to preventing intruders from entering, but also keeping your family safe every day. Making sure you have hallways lit at night is an important safety feature, particularly when you have young children, but the problem with traditional nightlights is that they are bulky and take up outlet space.
That's why we love SnapPower Guidelights. These tasteful cover plates provide beautiful, efficient safety lighting with three built-in LED nightlights. They cost less than 10 cents a year to operate and have a life span of 25 years. As an added bonus, they install in seconds with no wires or batteries.
If you want to add an extra touch of tech-savvy to your home, check out SnapPower's other product, the SnapPower Charger. This cover plate has a USB charger built in. That means no bulky USB plugs and both of your outlets will be free for use.
Monitor Your Home with Video
Keep an eye on everything even when you are away from home with a hidden camera like the Belkin® NetCam. Set up multiple cameras so you can always keep an eye on your home whether you are in the master bedroom or miles away. The handy night vision feature also makes it easy to make sure that your teenagers don’t sneak out at midnight with a carton of eggs or to embrace your inner ghost hunter. Compatible with Apple® and Android® devices, Belkin’s® NetCam system will work with the technology that's already in your life.
Installing your NetCam is easy. There are no installation CDs or complicated user manuals. To get your NetCam up and running, download the free NetCam app to your mobile device and plug in the camera. The camera connects to an existing Wi-Fi router immediately. Afterwards, simply launch the app on your smartphone or tablet and follow the instructions to start streaming video.
These cameras are also part of the WeMo System from Belkin®, a family of products that allows you to control your home’s electronics from anywhere.
A Smart Door Lock
Do you have a babysitter or dog walker who comes to your home regularly? Want to make sure that your kids are coming home on time? Control and monitor who enters your home with the help of a smart door lock.
One product you may like to try is the Schlage Connect™ Touchscreen Deadbolt with alarm with Camelot Trim. It features a strong motorized deadbolt that locks and unlocks when a user code is entered. With the ability to hold up to 30 codes, you can give a code to each member of your family as well as the babysitter, dog walker, or cleaning service. You can connect and monitor your home via computer, tablet or smartphone with the service provider of your choice to get the exact features you want.
This intelligent deadbolt also senses door movement and sounds an audible alert for the homeowners and lets you select between three alerts (activity, tamper, and forced entry) to meet your security needs.
With a matte finish touchscreen that protects against fingerprints and smudges and an anti-pick shield that protects against lock tampering, you can be sure that your home will remain secure.
A Place for Valuables
Over time, you accumulate a lot of important documents and paperwork that need to be kept secure. Whether you are storing birth certificates and passports or bills, bank statements, and important valuables, you will love the 2.3-cubic-foot Security Safe from Zoro®. This small safe features two adjustable shelves and an electronic lock with four live locking bolts to keep all your most important property and documents secure.
A Top-Notch Security System
Cameras and safes are great for keeping your home and valuables secure, but sometimes you need backup. Add a complete system to your home to improve its security. One of our favorite security systems is ADT Pulse®. You can use the in-home system or app to call for help and expect rapid response from monitoring centers. The app also gives you the ability to arm your system remotely wherever you are.
ADT Pulse® doesn’t just protect you from burglary and home invasion, but it also monitors smoke, fire, and carbon monoxide. It can also protect you from floods by using sensors to alert you to rising water.
ADT Pulse® has added live video to their repertoire, allowing you to watch a live feed right from your smartphone or tablet. The system also sends you email and text alerts with custom notifications and recorded video clips of any alert events.
A Driveway Alarm
A regular alarm system is great for your home’s security, but what if you had a little advance warning when someone approached your home? Driveway Patrol is the perfect solution. It detects any approaching person or vehicle and sends an alert signal over a 400-foot range through the use of infrared motion detection technology.
This is an ideal device for detecting visitors, kids, and intruders. You can install the device anywhere on your property, whether it’s a mailbox, front entrance, garage, or driveway. This is the perfect way you can monitor your surroundings and eliminate the element of surprise.
Don't Forget a Well-Lit Landscape
Nothing deters burglars like a well-lit exterior. Try adding some outdoor lighting products from Kichler® to illuminate your home's landscape. Whether you add LED Hardscape brackets to your steps or beautiful professional grade landscape lighting, you will not only deter burglars but also keep your family and guests safe walking through your property.
Keeping your home secure with these systems will protect your home, your loved ones, and your valuables inside. There is no one-size-fits-all security system, so think about what features you would benefit from the most and shop for a system with those features.