Author: GuardMe Security

At GuardMe Security, we love things that make the lives of our customers easier. That’s why we love the new Alarm.com App. It is one more way to streamline your life.

New Feature

With the busy lives we lead, it is easy for some things to slip through the cracks. With this new app, you never have to worry about trying to find your bill that is somewhere on your desk or forgetting about it altogether. The app, which is available for Android or iOS devices, can help you take care of business in a snap.
Here is what you can do from the new app:

• View your transaction history
• View a PDF version of your bill
• Make one-time credit card payments
• Connect your financial account and set up auto-pay

All from One Place

One of the best things about the new bill pay app is that you can take care of everything in one place. Whether you want to manage your security, arm or disarm your system, check security cameras, or pay your bill, you can do it all from one easy location with just a couple of taps.

Sometimes, small things can make a big difference in our lives. At GuardMe Security, we pay attention to the smallest details so that you do not have to. We stay on top of the latest security technology advances from design, solutions, and integration down to the latest updates in software. It all matters in the delivery of exceptional services and outstanding service. If you have any questions about home or commercial security, please give us a call today.

We like to keep our blogs as lighthearted as possible, but also as informative as possible. Sometimes, we have to get serious to share lifesaving information. This is one of those times. Home security is a serious topic. Some have never encountered a serious threat to safety and want to use home security to help keep it that way. Others have lived with the threat and for them, home security is a real and very active tool in maintaining safety. Those people are escaping domestic violence.

Domestic Violence in the United States

The tragedy of domestic violence in the United States is difficult to identify and quantify. Since 2000, more than 20,000 women have been murdered by domestic partners, while countless others continue to live with the abuse and fear for their lives.

Escaping Violence

For those in a domestic violence situation, escaping is the most dangerous time of the relationship. Statistics show that the risk of injury or death increases while in the process of leaving and the risk does not decrease after you leave. In fact, the risk after you leave may even be greater for some time as many abusers believe that if they can’t have you, nobody else can either. If you are escaping domestic violence, do so with great care and caution. Contact the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 to gain more information or visit the website. Always delete your phone or search history as you plan to reach safety. There are many domestic violence resources to help shelter you as well as help you develop a safety plan.

Securing Your New Home

After leaving an abuser and relocating, it is very important to maintain a high level of security, even if you believe the abuser does not know your new location. With the help of internet searches, finding someone is much faster and simpler than most people realize. Because of this, home security technologies become a valuable tool in your ongoing safety plan.
Here are some important things to consider as you implement home security technologies into your domestic violence safety plan.

1. Make sure your security starts at the perimeter of your property. Install motion sensor lighting that covers the front, sides, and back of the property.
2. Cover all doors and windows with alarms and sensors, either motion or glass break.
3. Use a video doorbell system so you can see who is at the door without having to go near the door. Always maintain as much distance as possible until you confirm your safety. <?li>
4. Eliminate dark spots or places to hide on your property.
5. If you have a garage, always store your car in the garage.
6. Make sure the garage is also covered by your home security system, and keep the door from the garage to your home locked at all times.
7. Never leave the garage open.
8. Use home security cameras to check in and look for signs of trouble before you go home.
9. Use a monitored alarm service. If trouble arises, you may not be able to summon help yourself. In a domestic violence situation, seconds count and a monitored alarm ensures that help arrives as swiftly as possible.

While GuardMe Security is proud to serve over 80,000 clients, we are most proud to serve you as an individual. We honor that with the highest quality products and service available.

Today’s home fires burn at a furious rate. All it takes 166 seconds to achieve flashover, the point at which fire spontaneous ignites and consumes an entire (sparsely furnished) room, and can happen even more quickly the more furnishings and possessions populate the room. Over the years, the time to flashover has changed, dropping dramatically from 17 minutes to just under three. Just as concerning, these fires are producing 200 times the amount of smoke than home fires a generation ago, so residents are in danger much sooner than they realize and have less time to get out safely.

Here is what is contributing to faster home fires and what you can do.

Your Furnishings May Contribute to Faster, Hotter Fires

Home furnishings 50 years ago were made from natural fibers and materials versus today’s synthetics. Synthetic materials burn faster and hotter as well as put off more toxic fumes. Synthetic materials are hydrocarbons, or a solid form of gasoline. One option is to consider buying legacy furnishings when possible.

The Amount of Possessions Plays a Role, Too

Families today have more belongings than ever before. Our homes are filled with toys, clothing, furniture, electronics and it all adds up to more fuel for faster fires. When buying, or paring down possessions, remember the fire factor.

Open Floor Plans are an Issue

While beautiful and airy, todays open floorplans contribute to faster burning fires. Homes 50 years ago had more walls which could compartmentalize or slow a fire’s progression. If you have an open floorplan, consider adding additional fire safety features such as additional smoke alarms in your fire safety measures.

Tighter Envelopes, Saver Energy but Trap in Heat and Fumes

Today’s energy efficient homes have one drawback. They also hold in smoke and heat very effectively. This means that smoke and fumes build up faster and become life-threatening much sooner. Understanding that smoke and fumes kill more people than flame in a house fire, have and regularly practice an escape plan.

Monitored Smoke Alarms Are Your Best Tool in a Home Fire

A smoke detector typically goes off within 30 seconds of a fire’s ignition and it is important to react immediately to that alarm. Having a monitored alarm means help is summoned much more quickly and providing the maximum amount of time available to escape and protect your property.

GuardMe hopes that every resident has a fire escape plan in place and utilizes a professionally monitored fire and smoke alarm system. If a fire occurs, get out immediately. For questions about fire and life safety systems, please give us a call.

Disabled veterans have given so much and giving up freedom in their own home should not be one of them. Thanks to the many home automation options available today, our heroes can have the control and support they need to feel home again.

What is Home Automation?

Home automation is a network of connected systems utilizing a control platform that provides access and control from anywhere to automate many household activities. While home automation certainly provides convenience, for a person with disabilities and injuries it can be transformative.

Home Automation Empowerment

There are a wide range of injuries veterans can and have endured such as hearing or vision loss, mobility and dexterity decreasing injuries to their limbs, and emotional injury due to combat, among many others. With injury, our abilities can change the way we need to approach life and approach how we accomplish tasks. Until recently however, our home environment could not adapt to changing needs and abilities without serious, and seriously expensive changes. Now, home automation technologies help overcome many of those challenges.
Here are some examples of how smart home technologies is helping disabled veterans overcome challenges, make life simpler, and empower them to adapt with strength and dignity.

Mobility Challenges- Issues that limit mobility can make life exponentially more difficult. Tasks that were once routine can take longer, be tougher, or become impossible. Home automation can solve many of those challenges by scheduling tasks or making elements of their home-life such as turning off and on appliances, entertainment, lighting, or heating and cooling responsive to voice commands.

Dexterity Challenges- Manipulating small switches can present a big problem when physical dexterity decreases. Home automation technologies allows individuals to by-pass unnecessarily difficult and time consuming issues by providing an easy to access and manipulate platform on phones and other mobile devices from which to access and operate tasks such as locking doors, turning on security, or seeing who is at the door remotely.
Additional Emotional Support- Knowing you are not alone can be a huge comfort for all of us. It can help to know someone can check in to ensure our safety and get help if we are unable. If a person so chooses, they can allow friends or family access to security footage so they can check in even if they can’t be there at that time.

GuardMe Security would like to humbly thank all who have served. Your service and sacrifice is what makes this country great. If you’d like more information about how home automation can support strong, independent lives for disabled veterans, give us a call today.

When we think of fire safety and fire prevention some things automatically come to mind, like having smoke detectors or practicing an escape plan. While those are valuable and lifesaving practices, it is also important to consider if there are additional ways we could improve our fire safety and prevention plans. One incredible but under-utilized tool in fire safety, prevention, and management is home automation.

Fire does not discriminate. A fire event can happen to anyone, at anytime and anywhere; and it is up to us to be as ready and as proactive as possible, using all of the tools we have available to us to their fullest capacity. Home automation is more than just incredible technology that simplifies many facets of our lives; it can actually play an important role in our fire safety plans.

Fire Prevention and Home Automation

The best way to stay safe in a fire is to prevent one from happening in the first place. Home automation provides fire prevention support in several helpful ways. Forgetting to turn off common fire causing appliances, such as coffee pots, curling irons, clothes irons, and toaster ovens accounts for a substantial number of home fires each year. Home automation allows you to either schedule turn off or turn off enabled appliances remotely from your smartphone, tablet, or pc so you can always be sure to do all you can to prevent ignition caused by home appliances.

Limit Possible Damage Caused by Fire

One of the problems with fire is that if we are away from home when they occur, there is very little we can do— or is there? If you have an integrated monitored home security and home automation system, you can do something the minute you get a fire event alert. You can remotely turn off your air conditioning or heating system. Fires spread very quickly. In fact, it only takes five short minutes for a home to become absolutely enveloped in flame. Fire needs oxygen to burn and a running air conditioning system is a lot like fanning the flame. If you take that alert as an opportunity to turn off the air system you can buy a a little extra time when every second counts.

It is easy to put off making fire safety plans because it is a difficult and sobering subject. While it is hard to think about, these efforts can ultimately, either prevent or limit the damage caused by fire. GuardMe Security is a single source provider of home security and home automation systems. Family owned and operated, we take the needs of your family seriously. If you have questions about how home automation can boost your fire safety plan, place give us a call.

You can find standard, stand-alone fire and CO detectors and alarms in every home improvement and department store. You can find them in homes all across America. They must be a highly effective option, right? The truth is they are not as effective as you may think and may provide you more peace of mind than actual safety.

As you consider your home security options concerning fire and Carbon Monoxide detection and alarms, here are some factors to weigh in to the process.

1. Basic alarms rely on being heard to provide protection. If occupants are not home or do not hear the alarms, they do not provide any safety.
2. Traditional alarms also rely on an outside source to call for help. That means neighbors must first hear the alarm and then act. Surprisingly, many people delay in calling because they assume someone else has already called or that the system is monitored and emergency services are already on the way.
3. Monitored systems alert the occupants and summon emergency personnel immediately.
4. Most fires are not “movie scene” fires. They often start as a smolder in a place you cannot see and cause life-threatening damage before occupants even know it is there.
5. CO is an odorless, colorless and poisonous gas that can leave occupants incapacitated before they know there is a problem. An alarm that alerts only assumes that the CO has not already caused sickness and the sufferers can still get out on their own. A monitored system alerts, but also dispatches help.
6. CO poisoning kills over 400 people every year.
7. Children, elderly, or disabled persons may not be able to contact emergency services on their own.
8. Not all fires occur when people are around to summon help. This could mean the difference between moderate damage and losing everything.
9. Most fire related deaths are caused by smoke, not flame. Smoke can fill a structure much more quickly than fire can consume it in most cases, and far more quickly than most people realize.
10. Monitored systems provide notification so residents that are away can return home to check on their home.

At GuardMe Security, we understand that the security of your family is your number one priority. We are proud to offer comprehensive home security systems that include fire and Carbon monoxide detection, and even more pleased to serve our community. Call today to speak with a knowledgeable, friendly representative about installation options for your home.

We are just now sending the children off to school, but we can already feel the nip in the air. Winter is just around the corner and will be here before we know it. While we consider if it is finally time to pull out our favorite seaters, it is also time to consider one of winter’s subtle dangers—carbon monoxide.

What is Carbon Monoxide?

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is an invisible odorless gas which is harmful in concentrated amounts. Breathing Carbon Monoxide can cause serious sickness, even death, with the symptoms increasing in severity with increasing exposure and increasing concentration.

Sources of CO

Most all home appliances using gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal as fuel will release CO into the air. These sources include:

• Stoves and ranges
• Charcoal burners
• Furnaces
• Water heaters
• Room heaters/space heaters
• Wood burning stoves
• Fireplaces
• Portable generators
• Car engines (Engines running in closed space such as garage)

The Problem isn’t Always Obvious

When used in well ventilated areas, the amount of these sources of CO produce is negligible and dissipates, which is true most of the year. Since we can use most of these things most of the year without concern, it is easy to forget to heighten our diligence during the winter months when areas are more often closed.

Hidden Problems

Tighter seals help retain heat in the home but can also contribute to the dangerous accumulation of CO in living areas. We may also be more likely to use more CO producing appliances in colder weather, which can cause the poisonous gas to accumulate more quickly. Another problem is that many of the things we use nearly exclusively in winter months may not get serviced as often and may be faulty in a way that increases CO output.

Carbon Monoxide Detection and Monitoring

Since Carbon Monoxide is colorless and odorless, and its effect incremental and subtle, it is important to have a home security system that includes CO detection and monitoring. When a monitored CO system detects the poisonous gas it sounds an alarm and notifies the central alarm station who immediately dispatches help to your home.

Carbon Monoxide can be lethal and can incapacitate residents long before they even know there is a problem. This makes having a Monitored CO system a critical part of your home security. GuardMe is on duty 24/7 to protect the safety and wellbeing of your family. If you have any questions about Carbon Monoxide detection and monitoring, please feel free to call us.

When it comes to your home security and home automation system, application integration is more than a convenience; it empowers technological excellence. Why? Because with application integration, your system gains intelligence from multiple sources to really “get” you and respond accordingly. With application integration you can connect your entire system, and the more you connect, the more your home can do for you.

To get a better idea of what we mean, here are some of the advantages.

More Data Equals Better Responsiveness

Application integration completes the circle between your home’s systems and your activities. It assembles data from all the connected points, such as security sensors, lighting, temperature control, activity, inactivity, and how you access the system and when, for adaptive learning. The more information the system can gain, the more responsive it becomes to your needs.

Take Command

The application integration feature allows all of your connected devices to talk to each other and with customizable triggers, respond to your life. For example, when the lights go in in the bedroom in the morning, it may trigger the coffee to brew and the thermostat to reduce the temperature. Closing and locking the front door may cause the lights to go out, and inactivity may trigger the air conditioning to turn off to save money.

Gain Knowledge

So you know your system can learn from you, but did you know that you can glean information from your home? Application integration can keep you in the know with real time text or image alerts if anyone enters your home while you are away.

Geo-Services. We Have Arrived.

Who doesn’t appreciate a warm welcome? With geo-fencing your home can respond to your needs as you are approaching so the lights can be on, and the home at perfect temperature. All you need to do is kick off your shoes and enjoy.

GuardMe Security has been family owned and operated for over 20 years. We work hard to provide the most technologically advanced systems and offerings in the industry and then back them up with outstanding customer service. Like you, we’d expect nothing less.

Where would we be without windows? Windows give us light, a view of the outdoors, and make rooms feel spacious and airy. They also provide a point of serious vulnerability when we are thinking about our security.

In addition to the obvious fact that windows are made of glass which is breakable, windows are also often obscured by trees or bushes which provide ready cover for criminals wishing to enter your home. One of the most effective ways to protect this vulnerable area is to install glass break sensors.

What are Glass Break Sensors?

Glass break sensors are sensors specially tuned to be sensitive to the frequency of the sound of glass breaking. Shock sensors detect vibrations, while acoustic sensors detect sound. These sensors work in conjunction with other components of a home or commercial security alarm system.

How Do Glass Break Sensors Work?

When glass breaks, the sensor picks up the sound (or vibration) it is activated and an alarm is triggered.

Why Use Glass Break Sensors?

While most criminals prefer just walking through an unlocked door, gaining entrance through a window is still a very attractive option. Since breaking a glass window is quick and easy,  window latches and locks are not enough. Glass break sensors are an added layer of security.

Glass break sensors could be the difference between deterring a burglar or dealing with the aftermath of a burglary. If you would like to find out more about glass break sensors or other home security options, give GuardMe a call. Since 1997 we have had one goal– to provide our customers with custom integrated security systems that meet their needs.