Brian Schmucker has long protected his Chicago residence with a professional alarm system.
But that didn’t stop burglars from breaking into Schmucker’s home last year while he and his wife were traveling. The burglars stole about $25,000 worth of items, mostly audio-visual equipment, and, at the same time, taught the Schmuckers a costly lesson.
“We learned that not only is a security system important, but it’s also important to take other steps to protect your home,” Schmucker said. “It’s important to have your lights on timers. It’s important to make sure all your lower windows are barred or secured. There are little things you can do to improve your home’s security.”
Schmucker, who plans to move soon to a West Loop townhouse, is taking little steps–as well as some moe costly ones–to better secure his new abode. For starters, he has requested that builders place motion detectors on all four levels of his new home. He also is making sure that he and his wife, Jennifer, each have remote alarm activators on their key chains. This way, if he or his wife notices something suspicious after pulling into their garage, they can press a button and instantly set off their home’s alarm. And, the Schmuckers’ home will feature a cellular backup alarm system, ensuring that their electronic security system will remain active even if their land telephone line somehow gets cut off.
“If someone really wants to get in, he is going to get in. But by doing some of the extra things we’ve done we’ve given ourselves a bit more protection. It’s not quite Ft. Knox, but it is close,” Schmucker said.
Schmucker is hardly alone in spending more time and money on protecting his residence from theft.U.S. homeowners, in fact, spent an estimated $20.3 billion on professionally installed security products in 2002, according to the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association. The association reports the industry is growing by an estimated 8.6 percent each year.
Meanwhile, improved technology has created more effective and powerful alarm systems. Today’s homeowners can choose from a variety of security options, including keyless lock systems that read thumbprints to microwave motion detectors to Internet access that allows homeowners to check their living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms while they’re on vacation hundreds of miles away.
Majid Ghadiri, a professor of electronic and computer technology at Oakton Community College, which has campuses in Des Plaines and Skokie, says the trend toward James Bond-like security gadgets taps into homeowners’ growing fascination with “smart home” technology, which can include everything from home theaters to computer-controlled lighting and heating. .
“Home security is a big part of the picture when you are talking about automated homes,” said Ghadiri, who plans to discuss the latest in home-security systems this spring in a new adult education course, “Home Technology Integration.” “And the best thing is the prices are now starting to come down for some of these systems. That only means they will become more popular.”
Plus, the wireless technology involved with many new systems makes home security redos more appealing for homeowners who don’t have to go to the mess or expense of cutting into walls to install them.Mike Kelahan, director of sales and marketing for Chicago-based homebuilder Dubin Residential, says a growing number of his buyers seek upgrades from standard security packages. The most common upgrade, he says, is a wireless cellular backup system.
Technically, a cellular backup system is not a security device but an alternate communication system for a home’s alarm. The cellular backup system allows the alarm system to send a signal to the security company even when the land line isn’t operating or has been cut.
Kelahan says that cellular backup systems, which cost his home buyers about $175, are becoming more popular not only because of the protection they provide but because of people’s changing phone habits. “There are a fair number of people moving into residences who have no intention of installing a land line in their home. The cell phone is their primary phone,” Kelahan said.
Electronic eyes
Peter Stefani, president of Naperville-based King’s Court Builders, says more of his buyers are spending an extra $918 to have builders install a tiny camera outside their front doors. The camera connects to any television in the home to allow buyers to monitor visitors–both expected and unexpected–as they arrive. Owners can control the camera through a touch pad, which is usually in the kitchen where a smaller screen projects the same images.
“There really is no rhyme or reason when it comes to people who want this extra level of protection,” Stefani said. “Maybe one of the spouses travels a lot. Maybe the wife is often at home alone with the children. Maybe both parents work and the children are at home for a short while by themselves after school. These systems attract a wide range of people.”
Making contact
Window-screen contacts are another security option growing in popularity. Most standard alarm packages include magnetic contacts on a home’s perimeter doors and windows. When a homeowner turns on an alarm system, these magnetic contacts will tell a security company whether a door or window is open or closed. However, standard systems rarely include contacts on window screens. That means that homeowners on hot evenings either have to sleep with the windows shut or leave them open and take the chance that an intruder may slip into their residence by cutting through a window screen.
Contacts on window screens, though, solve this problem. Joe Bieritz, owner of Yorkville’s Home Tech Management, says that about 10 percent of his clients now order this extra level of protection.
Worth the investment
Homeowners willing to spend on home-security systems usually find that their investment pays off.
Not only do many homeowners get a break from their insurance company for putting an alarm system in, but officials with the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association cite a study by Temple University that found homes without security systems are about three times more likely to be broken into than those with the added protection. The same study found that losses because of burglary averaged $400 less in residences with security systems than in those without them.
Statistics such as these have meant big business for the company’s largest home-security companies, firms such as ADT Security Services, the largest such company in the United States. The company plans to do even more business by introducing new products, with one such product being its new Safewatch EZ system.
With Safewatch, consumers no longer have to punch in numbers on a keypad to turn their home alarm systems on and off. They can do this by simply locking their door when they leave their homes, which turns the system on, and by unlocking their doors when they return home, which turns the system off.
Other consumers opting for simplicity are purchasing key chain transmitters that allow them to instantly sound their home’s alarm system by pressing a button on their key chains. Homeowners can do this when they notice something suspicious before they even enter their homes.
Homeowners can also choose pet-free motion detectors. These detectors contain a microchip that allows them to tell the difference between non-threatening activity, such as a cat or dog bounding through a room, and an intruder creeping through the living room.
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Remote patrol
High-tech gadgets that not long ago were reserved for securing businesses are increasingly becoming standard in homes too. Here’s a look:
Home-control systems. ADT’s Safewatch iCenter not only controls a house’s security system but also screens and blocks phone calls, controls the lights, stereo and coffeemaker, opens the garage door and includes a family communication system in which members can leave and retrieve messages. Internet access lets users activate the system while away from home.
Web monitoring. Internet-based security systems allow homeowners to dial in via laptop while they’re on vacation and see what’s going on in their living room.
Cameras. Want to see who’s at the door? Wireless cameras can send images to a home’s personal computer or TV.
Remote keyfobs. Pocket-sized keyfobs, such as NAPCO’s 2-Way Universal LCD Keyfob, let you control your alarm system without leaving the car.
Infrared sensors. Motion sensors, such as NAPCO’s IQ Profiler, are designed to cut back on false alarms by recognizing the difference between your dog and a burglar.
