5 Easy Ways to Keep Your Home Safe During Holiday Travel

5 Easy Ways to Keep Your Home Safe During Holiday Travel

There are some relatively easy solutions to keeping your home safe and secure while you’re away enjoying the holiday festivities.

  • By Herman Yau
  • Dec 21, 2017

This year, a record number of Americans will hit the road for the holiday season, off to visit family and friends or perhaps even escape the cold weather. With 103 million travelers heading out, that leaves a lot of homes unattended. In fact, according to crime statistics, the holiday season boasts the second-highest burglary rates of the year.

While many of us have seen the movie “Home Alone,” we can’t count on potential burglars to be the bumbling idiots who terrorized Kevin while his parents were away. But, while it might not be that easy to fool would-be thieves, there are some relatively easy solutions to keeping your home safe and secure while you’re away enjoying the holiday festivities.

1)    Let your neighbors know you’ll be away. If you have a dog or other household pet, you’ll probably need to ask a neighbor or friend to come by to feed, water and take care of your furry friend. That’s great because it means there’s traffic in and out of your home, and someone is around every day to check and make sure things are as they should be. But, if you don’t have pets, it’s still a great idea to inform a trusted neighbor or friend that you’ll be away and ask them to keep an eye on your place. One of the best defenses against any crime is simply keeping an eye on those we care about and taking care of one another.

2)    Install programmable lights. Break-ins are often crimes of opportunity. Thieves will drive around the neighborhood and look for signs that no one is home. Mail, newspapers or packages accumulating, cars that sit for days without moving, and a house that’s completely dark every evening are all telltale signs. Adding programmable lights to your home that turn on and off at normal active hours can give the illusion that the home is occupied and keep your house from becoming an easy target. Using high-efficiency LED bulbs will offset the “wasted” energy of having the lights on when no one is home, but certainly the cost of a burglary (which is nearly $2,000 on average) is far less than the cost of electricity to prevent it.

3)    Bolster your WiFi security. While most of us know we should keep our home WiFi network password protected, many either don’t use one or they offer a guest network that allows visitors to connect without a password. This not only allows passersby and/or would-be thieves to suck up your bandwidth, but also allows them access to your network where they can infiltrate your connected devices. We’ve heard the horror stories of creeps hacking into baby monitors, but access to the entire network could be even more dangerous. Before you head out, it’s a good idea to shut off the guest network, reset your router’s password and turn on security to prevent intrusion.

4)    Add security cameras. According to a survey of more than 400 incarcerated burglars, nearly 60 percent said the presence of a video surveillance system is a factor when selecting a target, and 40 percent said they would choose another target if a camera was present. Most people think of cameras as a way to gather evidence after the fact, but the mere presence of one can be a strong deterrent. With the wide range of models and options, plus WiFi capability and ease of installation, adding one or more cameras to protect your home is a relatively affordable and simple way to make your home less appealing to would-be thieves.

5)    Opt for some advanced features. While the mere presence of a camera can be a deterrent, why not choose a system with some added features that offer added return on investment? For example, a camera that offers built-in facial recognition capability lets you know exactly who’s at the door, or sneaking around to the back window. Simply program photos of visitors you know into the system, and if the camera captures someone it doesn’t recognize, you’ll get an immediate alert directly to your mobile phone, along with the ability to see who it is. Then, when that neighbor who you have keeping an eye on your place comes around, they can check for any signs of suspicious activity. Or, if you live in an area where inclement weather may cause utility outages, installing a solar-powered camera can keep your home protected even if the electricity is out. Some, like the Lynx Solar, will continue recording and storing photos and video during a power outage, then upload the captured images to the secure cloud server once utilities are restored. That way, if the power goes out, your programmable lights (obviously) fail, and a thief takes advantage of the situation, you’ll still have surveillance footage to provide to the authorities.

It’s worth repeating that there’s no substitute for a trusted, vigilant neighbor when you’re planning to be away from home. Having someone to look after your place—or offering to do it for another neighbor—is one of the best ways to take care of one another during this season of giving. But, even with a watchful eye, adding some technology to the mix can help ensure your home is safe, secure and welcome respite from your holiday travels.

Featured

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

  • Survey: 48 Percent of Worshippers Feel Less Safe Attending In-Person Services

    Almost half (48%) of those who attend religious services say they feel less safe attending in-person due to rising acts of violence at places of worship. In fact, 39% report these safety concerns have led them to change how often they attend in-person services, according to new research from Verkada conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,123 U.S. adults who attend a religious service or event at least once a month. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.