Security Articles

This week the GTA experienced its first major snow storm of the year. While parts of the city experienced light snow, other sections North of Toronto got hit so hard many residents had to shovel their driveways three times before they even left for work. When winter storms begin to hit everyone has to be more cautious, driving becomes more difficult, sidewalks become slippery and the cold air can be dangerous. One thing we don’t think about is how winter storms can affect the safety and security of our home.

Why SafeLink?

With winter storms come inevitable power outages. Canadian storms are famous for either blowing down power lines or freezing them. Thus storms can sometimes result in the temporary knock out of power, cable and phone lines to residences. Most home alarm systems are monitored through home phone lines; therefore in the event that a winter storm has knocked out your phone lines, your alarm’s central monitoring station becomes disconnected from your system. When connection with the monitoring station has been lost your home is susceptible to break-ins, an intruder can break into your house and you will have no way of contacting to the monitoring station to send authorities. The monitoring station will be unable to maintain view of your motion sensors, or window contacts. Alternatively if the alarm goes off as a result of a mistake you will not be able to contact the monitoring station to let them know it is a false alarm. This could result in a hefty fine from the local authorities. To combat this problem SafeTech Offers SafeLink.

SafeLink is a GSM device that SafeTech uses to help better manage the communication between our monitoring station and ours clients. Each alarm system uses a home phone for communication but that doesn’t have to be the only form of communication. SafeTech can install a backup GSM device that can communicate via wireless transmission to our central monitoring station. Through this if someone breaks in when the phone line is down, we will still get all of the information that your alarm system is reporting. It does full supervisory, which means all of your alarm devices, whether it is a door or window contact or a motion sensor will be able to report information to our monitoring station. Regardless of whether the phone line is down or not we will be able to get the authorities to your home immediately following the signal. Having SafeLink is a great way to ensure your homes safety and security even in the event that a winter storm knocks out your phone line.

The holiday season is upon us. Malls have begun to put up their holiday decorations, houses are starting to become lit up during the evening and their have even been a few flurries in the skies the past week. The holidays present one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Many of us visit relatives over the holidays, while others take vacations to warmer, more tropical climates. No matter what your travel destination, if you are leaving your home this holiday season, you have to keep holiday security in mind. Here are a few necessary steps you can take to protect your residence while you are away.

Install and Arm a Home Holiday Security System

This is obviously the best holiday security tip for your home. A simple security system consisting of window and door sensors can protect all of your home’s entry points. Furthermore a home alarm system can be monitored by a security company’s central monitoring station. These monitoring stations are alerted if your alarm is triggered and will dispatch the authorities in the event of a security breach. A monitored home alarm system serves as a virtual security guard while you are away.

Mail and Newspapers

One of the tell tale signs that burglars look for to determine if a home’s owners are away is the build up of mail or newspapers outside of the home. If you are going away this holiday season it is important that you ask a friend or neighbour to pick up your mail and newspaper daily. This will create the illusion that someone is home.

House Light Timers

Another excellent tip to keep your home safe and secure is to set your house lights to timers. House light timers can be picked up at any hardware store and can easily be plugged in with your lights. Timers allow you to control when your lights go on and off while you are away. Some more advanced systems can even be controlled remotely from your smart phone. Regardless of the system you purchase it is important to not just set the lights inside to timers but also any exterior lights. Exterior lights prevent intruders from getting close enough to your residence to determine if anyone is home.

Mobile Security Guard Patrols

A final suggestion you can implement to improve your home holiday security is hiring mobile security guards to patrol by your home every night. If you are going away you can contact a security company to hire a guard to stop by and do an exterior inspection of your home once or twice every night while you are away. These security guards are good about making their checks unpredictable, so if a criminal is staking out your home the security checks by the mobile guards will act as a deterrent. Many neighbourhood associations hire mobile security patrols so before you hire one make sure to check if you can opt in to an already established service. When you go away for the holiday season you leave your home susceptible to theft, break-ins and damage. In order to avoid these unpleasant outcomes it is important to take some of these suggested steps. For more information on how to protect your home call SafeTech Alarms today.

SafeTech Alarm System’s President, Sean O’Leary feels that bylaws that fine Toronto home owners for false fire alarms are excessive and restrictive. In the last six months over 800 Toronto residents have been fined $1050 by the Toronto Fire Department for false alarms caused by their home security system.

If a home equip with a monitored security system experiences a fire alarm, the alarm company’s central monitoring station is alerted and will attempt to contact the home to see if there is a fire. If the home owner can not be reached the central monitoring station will dispatch the fire department. In some cases the fire department arrives to find it was an equipment malfunction or a small incident that did not require the dispatch of fire engines. Due to the high cost of dispatching firefighters to a residence earlier this year the Toronto City Council passed a bylaw enforcing a $1050 fine for any resident who cause a false alarm.

False Alarm Report

In an article on November 25^th, 2010, the Toronto Star detailed the story of Andrew Cole, a home owner who recently received the hefty fine when his home alarm system malfunctioned and triggered a false alarm. Cole returned home from walking his dog to find three fire engines outside of his house. It was the first false alarm Cole had ever experienced and he was shocked when he received a fine in the mail. Cole explained in the article that he may just let his alarm system contract expire without renewing it because the cost of the false alarm outweighs the benefits he feels he gets from his system.

Cole’s reaction is frustrating for Sean O’Leary, President and CEO of SafeTech Alarm Systems, to hear. O’Leary feels that the new bylaws place home security companies between a rock and a hard place. O’Leary explained that he has two choices, the first being dispatching the fire department when SafeTech receives an alarm call that can not be confirmed. This choice could lead to angry clients who receive a hefty fine and then choose to discontinue their service as a result. The second choice is to only dispatch the fire department when a fire can be confirmed. This choice however increases liability because a fire could actually be taking place and waiting longer to contact the fire department reduces the impact of having a security system in the first place.

O’Leary takes his criticism of the new Toronto Bylaws a step further by arguing that they might not even be constitutional. “Section 2B of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, restricts the government from passing laws that are too restrictive or too expressive, justice requires that reasonable middle ground be achieved”, says O’Leary. “Dispatching three fire trucks instead of one to investigate a potential fire may be excessive. Not allowing a dispatch in progress to be cancelled by the home owner or monitoring station if they realize it is a false alarm is too restrictive. Finally maintaining a zero-tolerance policy and not allowing a premise owner at least one warning before assessing a large fine is too excessive”.

Since the new bylaws have been established three of SafeTech’s customers have had the fire department dispatched to their homes for false alarms. To avoid further false alarm fines for his clients O’Leary has implemented a program called “Call Crisis Only”. Under this new initiative a fire engine is not deployed unless a fire is verified. While this program will combat the fines for SafeTech’s customers the main answer lies in a revaluation of the bylaws.

Security Cameras Protect Properties from Crime

If you have been following the news over the last few months chances are you have heard of David Chen. Chen is the grocer in Toronto’s Chinatown who made a citizens arrest of a shoplifter that had been routinely stealing inventory from his store. Chen’s brave fulfillment of civic duty has caused stirs across the country, there is great debate as to whether or not he should have pursued the serial shoplifter or left it to authorities. The aspect of the story I would like to focus on is how Chen was able to recognize the shoplifter when he returned to the scene of his earlier crimes. This was because he had cameras installed and security cameras protect businesses.

How Security Cameras Protect You

Like all store owners Chen was greatly concerned with the security of his inventory, for after all his inventory was his livelihood. As a result Chen installed a security camera and positioned it looking over his store. When Chen noticed that some of his plants had gone missing he immediately reviewed his security tapes and was able to watch the crime take place. This is just one of the many ways that security cameras protect properties from crime. Thanks to his security camera Chen was able to place a positive identification on the thief and instantly recognized him when he returned later that day in an attempt to steal more. Once Chen spotted him pursued him and made a citizens arrest. Thanks to his security camera Chen was able to protect his businesses from further theft while at the same time apprehending a criminal who had victimized him.

Chen’s story is an excellent example of how security cameras protect businesses. Whether you own a small grocery store in Toronto’s Chinatown or a large warehouse in an industrial park you are susceptible to theft, break-ins, property damage and other crimes. It’s important that you understand how security cameras protect properties and what makes them so crucial. Security cameras can help to deter crime if they are placed in a highly visible area as most criminals will not take the chance of being recorded in the act of committing a crime. If a criminal does commit a crime in front of a security camera the recorded evidence will help authorities catch them and hold them accountable for their actions.

This is just one of the many ways that security cameras protect properties. Chen’s security camera protection does not end with his citizens arrest story. Two days before he was to appear in court to get hear the final ruling on his citizens arrest case he caught two more shoplifters through the aid of his security camera. For more information on security cameras please visit the SafeTech website.

Smartphone Security: Watch Your Security Cameras from Anywhere

Smart phones have revolutionized the way we communicate and do business. Through the development of mobile applications designed to do everything from receive e-mails to track global positioning, our cellular phones have evolved to essentially become mobile computers. The wide success of smart phones has fuelled the emergence of an entire industry built around designing these innovative and advanced applications. Smartphone security is important. The security industry has consistently stayed ahead of technological trends and smart phone technology is no exception. Various security companies have developed smart phone applications that sync up with internet-enabled security cameras, thus enabling you to view your home or office cameras anywhere you go through your phone.

No matter what make or model smart phone you use chances are there is security camera mobile application for it. Honeywell recently launched an application for Blackberry users called “Total Connect”. This application, allows Blackberry users the ability to control their Honeywell security systems and view live, streaming video from any remote location. The convenience of interacting with your security cameras remotely using your phone is made available to users through a simple download off the Total Connect website.

For those who prefer the iphone there are also a number of mobile applications available to sync up your security camera with your phone. The most impressive of these applications is iRa Pro, which Apple claims “delivers a video command center to the palm of your hand”. Among iRa Pro’s many features are the ability to watch up to 6 live streaming camera feeds at once in addition to full screen viewing and the ability to pan, tilt or zoom your security camera by simply dragging or tapping your finger on the iphone’s touch pad. Much like the Blackberry mobile applications iRa Pro is easily downloadable from the itunes website and can be up and running on your iphone in minutes. If you are an ipad user Apple has available uNetCams as an application that syncs up with your video surveillance equipment. uNetcams offers the same features as iRa Pro for the much bigger ipad system.

If you are a user of Android smart phones you too can enjoy the convenience of syncing your security camera to your phone by downloading, IP Camera Viewer. This Android developed application allows users the ability to view multiple IP security cameras with ease from the palm of their hand. Through a simple download you can engage in a one time setup and begin watching live stream of your security cameras in no time.

The technology that smart phones and mobile application designers are developing is truly revolutionary. Today no matter what your preference of smart phone is you have the ability to view your security cameras from anywhere. This smartphone security system adds a great deal of usability to your home security system or office security system.

Security System Benefits: The Most Advanced System On The Market

At SafeTech Alarm Systems we pride ourselves in offering the most up to date and state of the art security systems on the market. One of the latest technological advances in home security is 2gig’s Go!Control system. The Go!Control is the first all-in-one home alarm security system. There are many security system benefits of it. It offers a great deal of new features never seen before in one security system including a colour touch-screen interface, a GSM cellular radio, integrated two-way voice control and many more.

Go!Control: The Functional Security System

One of the most technologically advanced features of the Go!Control home alarm security system is its ability to sync with other forms of technology you may have. The security system’s intuitive, user-friendly interface is easily linked up with your home or work computer or your web-enabled smart phone by harnessing the power of the internet. This technology allows you to gain access to your home security system when and where you need it, regardless of where you are. Among the functions that you can control from your phone are lighting, setting and disarming your security system and many more. What is even more impressive is that you do not require any additional hardware. Everything you need is contained within the Go!Control panel.

One of the unique security system benefits that this cutting edge security system possesses is a GSM cellular radio. What this means is that your home alarm system is connected to your monitoring station and emergency services through the most reliable communication option available in the industry. Traditional phone lines that are wired into homes are susceptible to a number of security concerns. First and foremost wired phone lines are able to be cut be a burglar or intruder when they attempt to break into your home. Secondly, when residential phone lines are brought down in a snow or wind storm your home remains protected thanks to the GSM cellular radio. No matter what circumstance you face your security system will always be able to stay in communication with SafeTech’s central monitoring station.

Additional Feature of The Go!Control Security System

Another groundbreaking feature of the Go!Control home security system is the integrated two-way voice communication. This feature allows our central monitoring station to listen and talk to the homeowner when an alarm is triggered through an intercom system built into the panel. This feature is incredibly important in the event that an intruder enters your home and you are unable to get to the phone or control panel. Our expertly trained monitoring station staff can listen into the situation and if they sense something is wrong they will call the authorities right away.

These are just a few of the dozens of exciting security system benefits and technologically advanced new features of the Go!Control security system. What is even more amazing is this is just the beginning! Numerous money and time-saving applications are currently being developed for 2gig’s Go!Control system. To learn more about Go!Control or to have one installed in your home contact us today.

Burglar Alarm Systems

Whether you own a home or a business you are susceptible to break-ins and theft. One of the best ways to safeguard against these potential threats is to outfit your home or business with a SafeTech burglar alarm systems. When shopping for the burglar alarm systems, it is easy to get overwhelmed and confused by the choices that are made available to you. Before making purchase, it is important to familiarize yourself with the different options available to you. These systems range from do-it-yourself kits to sophisticated whole-house security networks that must be installed by professionals. Once you understand the burglar alarm systems you can confidently make the purchase that best suits your security needs. At SafeTech our courteous and professional sales staff will help walk you through the various burglar systems options at your disposal.

Component of Burglar Alarm Systems

The first line of defence when building your home burglar alarm systems to place alarm sensors at all entry points to the home. By successfully installing these systems on all doors and windows you are setting up the first line of defence. If a window or door is kicked, broken or opened the sensor will trigger your burglar alarm systems and SafeTech’s central monitoring center will be notified of the issue.

The 2nd Component of Burglar Alarm Systems

Another key component of a SafeTech burglar alarm system is motion detectors. Motion detectors are an excellent way to ensure that no intruder can gain access to your home. Our motion detectors are usually placed in the corners of rooms where they send out ultrasonic waves across a room. If the electronic waves do not bounce back to the detector in the same pattern the system recognizes that there is motion in the room and it will trigger the alarm and our central monitoring system will be alerted.

The alarm is another key component of SafeTech’s burglar alarm systems. Typically these systems will let out a loud siren that may or may not be accompanied by flashing lights. Depending on the SafeTech system you have installed it might also auto dial the authorities, alerting them to the intrusion. The sound of the burglar systems is designed to scare off the intruder as well as alert the home/business owner and any neighbours to the presence of a potential burglar. The burglar alarm systems are also monitored by a central monitoring station that watches over your home or business and act as the virtual security guard. In the event of a break in the monitoring station will call the house to determine what the exact problem is and alert the necessary authorities. To learn more about our various burglar alarm systems contact us today.

Access Control

An access control system enables you to control physical access to areas and doorways while at the same time allowing you to track the movement of people throughout your building. Traditional forms of access control include the mechanical keys and locks most of us are familiar with; however technological advances have greatly improved these methods. Today many access control systems are managed electronically through proximity cards, key tags or swipe cards. These new methods are becoming more and more common; in fact your ATM card is a form of electronic access control.

Access Control System Benefits

There are countless benefits to upgrading to an access control system including safety, convenience and flexibility. By installing an access control system you eliminate the need for multiple keys and locks. Through the windows based software system the user is able to separately configure each door allowing you to not only determine who gets access to specific areas but when they are granted the access. One of the greatest aspects of an electronic access control system is the added security. Traditional keys can easily be copied, electronic key cards on the other hand can not be copied and can even provide a record of who entered and when.

Where to Use Access Control Systems

Access control system has been used in hospitals and government and military offices for years. Nowadays they are prevalent in many commercial business as well as residential homes and condominiums as a way to upgrade the safety and security of families and livelihoods. SafeTech Alarms has various options available should you be interested in this innovative safety technology. Some of the access control brands that SafeTech carries include Kantech, DSC-Ioprox, Keyscan, Paradox, Cansec. Don’t hesitate to contact us at any time. Our experts will help you choose the right option for your safety and peace of mind.