What to Know about Home Security and Surveillance
How to Decide What You Need
How do you know you need a surveillance system? You may have many reasons, and ultimately, the decision is about being is about staying on top of any situation that may arise at your home and protecting your family and property.
Some questions you may want to ask as you consider a home security and surveillance system for your Cedar Rapids property:
-
1. Do I need to keep track of when my kids get home from school?
-
2. Do I have an elderly relative that I may want to check in on throughout the day?
-
3. Do I have a pet that I want to ensure is not getting into trouble at home?
-
4. Do I feel safe with the large dark areas of my property at night?
-
5. Do I need to keep an eye on all the outside entries to my house?
-
6. Do I want to see who is at my gate before I let them in?
There are more considerations you may have, and maybe they are particular to your family or property. But if a number of these are concerns, then you should look into a surveillance system to enhance your home’s security. Read on to learn what to look for.
Consumer vs. Professional Grade Equipment
There’s no shortage of security cameras and other smart home security devices available online or your local big-box retailer. Most claim a long list of impressive features. How can you tell how well they work? Reviews can help sort out inferior products, but often it's challenging to know if a feature important to you is a checkmark or something that really works, like facial recognition in a camera.
Professional-grade equipment, installed by professionals like Reference AVS, is built to a different standard. It costs more, but it's designed to last longer as opposed to being a throw-away product replaced by another version in a year. With surveillance, you want equipment that doesn't fail. Whether it's a camera or a sensor, you want something that works all the time.
Professional Monitoring
Most consumer camera and surveillance systems don’t have professional monitoring options. If a real emergency happens, is an alert enough for you? What if you’re far from home and have no way to react? A system that allows for professional monitoring goes beyond alerts, bringing the right resources to bear - whether it’s the fire department, police, or an ambulance.
Continuous Video Footage
Many consumer surveillance systems only record footage when motion triggers a camera. If you want to keep an eye on a pet or activity outside your home, you might need to pay for additional video storage, or not be able to do it at all. Professional systems can do both; recording for specific events and continuously when the situation demands it. Further, the latest systems have advanced intelligent search capabilities, such as the ability to find the specific delivery truck that deposited a package at your door.
