The AMSA Security Blog

What are some of the best up-and-coming technologies to include in your holiday shopping list? Your tech-savvy loved one would definitely appreciate one of these gifts in their lives!

I’m Up Alarm

Great gift for: the college student who wakes up 15 minutes before his/her 8am class

Average price: $8 for the ad-free version

If you’re the type of person who has a hard time getting out of bed in the morning, this one’s for you! The I’m Up Alarm application will only be turned off by scanning a QR code which is placed in a different part of the house other than your bedroom.

AMPware CrankCase

Great gift for: anyone living if an area where power outages are common

Average price: $89

The CrankCase uses an old-school solution to solve a high-tech issue: a wind-up case that charges a mobile phone battery. This device is especially useful during power outages, travel, or any time you don’t have access to an electrical source. It features a pop handle that requires a minute of turning to charge your smartphone for 40 minutes.

Sun Strap

Great gift for: the avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast

Average price: $119

The Sun Strap is a unique charging device that can be fits inside the straps of your backpack. It uses solar energy to charge gadgets through a USB port. Made of waterproof material, the flexible solar panel draws sunlight and converts it to energy, delivering a charge to any device with a USB port.

Hail Protector

Great gift for: car owners without a garage living in hail-prone areas

Average price: $309

Did you know the largest hailstone on record in the US was 8” in diameter and weighed just under two pounds? Fortunately, most hailstones are pea to marble sized! This device was made to keep your car from being damaged in a hail storm. It is a large bag that surrounds your car and blows up just like a bouncy castle.

Selfie Toaster

Great gift for: the selfie-addict in your life

Average price: $75

Selfies aren’t just for Instagram anymore, and these could last shorter than your next Snap. This toast uses one of your selfies and toasts a piece of bread with the custom heating insert!

Automatic Cocktail Maker

Great gift for: the perfect party host or hostess

Average price: $1000+

You won’t need to be a master bartender to make perfect drinks at your next holiday party. An automatic cocktail maker is the perfect appliance for someone that wants to make the perfect cocktail every time. It can create up to 300 different types of cocktails. Just add the ingredients and voila!

Segway AirWheel

Great gift for: your teen looking to go faster than a skateboard

Average price: $210

Have you ever seen people using these while walking around in the city or on the way to the mall? A device that looks like a skateboard, you simply lean your body in the direction you want to travel and the AirWheel will take you there. It lasts up to 28 miles on a single charge.

Remote Controlled Golf Trolley

Great gift for: your dad who frequent at the country club

Average price: $700

You now have the perfect gift for the special man in your life. There is a remote-controlled golf trolley. You’ll never need a caddie again! Australian Ian Edwards created this gadget to relieve the backs of all golfers around the world.

There’s nothing more comforting than knowing you and your loved ones are safe during the holidays. Installing a home security system with smart home automation is a great first step to making your home a true winter wonderland during the holiday season. Make sure to follow these tips:

1. Set The Mood With Holiday Lights

With home automation and your smart phone, schedule your outdoor lights to turn on and off at whatever times you choose. More advanced lighting schemes include setting blinking and twinkling lights to the beat of your favorite holiday music!

2. The Perfect Playlist Can Ring In Good Cheer

Our home automation services allow you to play your favorite holiday music throughout every room in your home. Create your own playlist or stream your app of choice wherever you please. Then you can play different music in every room of your house! Pretty cool, huh?

3. Protect Presents

Use smart locks, window and door sensors, and cameras to keep your home, your family, and their gifts safe over the holiday season. Our 24/7 security monitoring allows you to know when packages are delivered and keep an eye on them until you get home.

4. Save Energy

One of the key benefits of home automation is that it enables energy savings. Schedule your exterior lights so they aren’t on when they don’t need to be or use motion sensors that automatically turn off when you leave the room. It’s a great way to conserve power. And you won’t have to deal with an outrageous electric bill just because you have the best decorations!

5. Temperature Control

A smart thermostat can keep your home warm and toasty throughout the cold winter months. It can be programmed to adjust itself when doors are opened and closed, keeping every room the perfect (consistent) temperature, while conserving energy when necessary. And if your holiday guests have different preferences or health concerns, you can vary the temperature according to room.

6. Cook With Ease

Whether baking a single batch of holiday cookies or cooking an entire family dinner for a crowd, you can use smart appliances to help with preparation. Your phone will notify you when the cookies are done, while our safety sensors remind you if you leave the stove on, and your fridge reminds you to pick up the ingredients you need!

You can use your wireless home security and smart home automation system to enhance your decorations, add a little warmth—literally and figuratively, and help make holiday time just a little bit easier and jollier.

In 2017, nearly 50 million Americans traveled over 50 miles or more to visit family and friends during the Thanksgiving season, the highest it’s been since 2005. With the right home automation system, you can rest assured your home is safe for Thanksgiving while also being a boon for your guests if you’re hosting dinner! Here are some tips on how to utilize your home automation system for Thanksgiving:

1. Smart Thermostat

Ensure that your home is always the perfect temperature throughout the holiday season. With so many visitors, doors will be opening frequently, which can let heat escape and bring the cold air inside. The smart thermostat alleviates this by automatically adjusting your home’s temperature to your liking.

2. Automatic Entry

With so much to do during the holidays and a lot of visitors arriving throughout the season, it’s difficult to ensure you’ll be available to answer the door. With home automation, exterior cameras, and smart locks, you’ll be able to answer the door whether you’re cooking dinner or not quite home to greet them in person. You can also give your guests a code that will allow them to enter on their own, which not only removes some of the pressure for you, it also makes it very convenient for your guests!

3. Mood Lighting and Music

With home automation, you can set the holiday mood with the push of a button. With smart lights and a house-wide audio system, you can use home automation to set up an endless number of holiday scenes, from crackling fires and soft jazz to twinkling lights and sleigh bells.

4. Home Theatre

Make the game come alive in your home with a 4K smart TV! You can have alerts set on the TV so that you will never get too caught up in the game to remember to take out the turkey.

5. Kitchen Features

There are many different home automation gadgets available for your kitchen that make it easy to control everything going on around you while you’re cooking. For example, a smart refrigerator can be programmed to send you alerts if the door was left open or when you need a certain ingredient for a recipe. Your automated stove can allow you to monitor your turkey while it is cooking. You can also get alerts when the oven is done preheating, when the food is done cooking, or if the oven was left on without you knowing it.

6. Fire Danger

According to the National Fire Protection Association, the Thanksgiving holiday season is the most common time of the year for a house fire to occur. United States fire departments respond to over a thousand fires on this day alone. Between so much food being cooked and so many cooks in the kitchen, a lot can happen, and it can happen quickly. With the help of your home security system and home automation, you can rest a little easier knowing there will always be an eye on your home. 24/7 security monitoring makes sure that if any smoke or fire alarms go off, the proper authorities will be notified immediately.

Make sure to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with these tips, and remember if a bad situation occurs, you’ll have emergency services there as soon as you need them. Alarm Monitoring Service of Atlanta wants to keep you safe, help make life a little easier, and remind you to have a loving Thanksgiving weekend.

Did you know apartment renters are more likely to become the victims of burglary than those who own their own homes? Yet many people assume that because they rent an apartment they cannot install a home security system. Alarm Monitoring Service Of Atlanta provides home security services that allow apartment renters to feel just as safe as those who own their own homes. Check out some of the outstanding features of Alarm Monitoring Service Of Atlanta’s affordable apartment security systems:

Wireless Equipment

With most apartments, you do not have the freedom to install a full home security system which would include drilling holes in the walls and running a number of wires through various spaces. Our completely wireless home security system can be installed easily. These home security systems are more reliable and more secure than others because they cannot be tampered with or disabled. The wireless home security system can also easily be packed up and taken along with you when you move into a new home or new apartment.

Security Devices

With Alarm Monitoring Service Of Atlanta’s home security system you will also be able to install various home security and home automation devices. You could install smart door locks that can be remotely accessed with any smartphone. If on the ground floor, you may want to consider window alarms to ensure someone can’t easily break into your apartment. The home security system will also come with home security cameras, so you can always keep an eye on your home no matter where you may be. Looking to add luxury to your apartment, with just a few smart plugs you can control any electronic device in your apartment from your smartphone. The possibilities are practically infinite.

Even though you may be renting an apartment, you can still install a home security system and reap the benefits of its protection. Installing a home security system will allow you to always feel protected and at ease.

Along with rising temperatures, summer often brings rising electricity bills. Try some of these strategies to reduce your electric bill this season. Think of it as making a good thing even better.

1. Change Your Hot Water Temperature

Hot water is the second largest energy expense within the average home, accounting for 18% of your monthly utility bill—making it a great starting place for reducing energy usage.

Check the thermostat of your hot water heater. If you can, lower your hot water temperature to 120 degrees. Some appliances, like dishwashers or washing machines, require the water temperature to be around 140 degrees. A little research may go a long way in savings. If your appliances won’t be negatively affected, you can take 6% to 10% off your utility bill when you lower the hot water temperature to 120 degrees.

2. Only Run Appliances At Night

Appliances generate a lot of heat, which means more energy usage. By waiting until nighttime, you could save money because your appliances won’t be working as hard.

3. Turn Off Your Ceiling Fan

Keep your fan off when you aren’t home. The fan doesn’t reduce the heat in your home, it just circulates the air so that it doesn’t feel as hot. There’s no point in running the fan when you aren’t home. This is wasted energy.

4. Check The Refrigerator and Freezer Temperatures

The typical refrigerator is designed to run between 37 and 40 degrees, while the recommended freezer temperature averages around 5 degrees. Don’t make your appliances work harder by setting them colder! These temperatures will keep your food preserved properly and you’ll save money on your electric bill.

5. Check Your Windows

In both the winter and summer months, it is important that your windows are energy efficient with a full seal around them. Any draft coming in from the windows will cost you money. Even though a new window may sound pricey, it will certainly pay off in the long run. Probably sooner than you think!

6. Install A Home Automation System

One of the best ways to reduce your electric bill is to install a home security system with home automation. Alarm Monitoring Services of Atlanta provides local Atlanta home automation that allows you to control your thermostat and your electricity from anywhere.

The home automation system will also allow you to save electricity with your lights and electronics. You’ll have the ability to control your lights if you ever forget to turn one off!

Some home automation systems include motion sensors that will automatically turn lights on when someone enters the room and turn them off once the sensor registers no one there. You can even add timers to lights, so they’ll turn off and on when you schedule them to. This is not only energy efficient but safety conscious as well, allowing you to turn on exterior lights when it gets dark and make it seem as if someone is home while you’re on vacation.

7. Don’t Use Appliances Without A Full Load

This rule applies mostly to your washing machine and dishwasher. Don’t waste water and electricity on only a half load of laundry or just a few cups in the dishwasher. Use your appliances efficiently and fill them to capacity. You shouldn’t overfill them either as this may not only waste energy, it can also impact performance, leaving you with dirty dishes or laundry—that need to be re-run.

To prevent expensive water damage, it’s best to prepare your home before a flood occurs.

1. Be Aware Of Weather Warnings:

Floods are a common and costly natural disaster. They can occur anytime following a hurricane, thawing snow, or even just several days of heavy rain. Watching your local weather report will help warn you of a flood if it is likely. A flood or a flash food watch means that a flood is likely to occur and that residents should be on the lookout. A flash flood warning means that flash flooding is already occurring or will occur soon. You should take immediate precautions in the event of a flood warning.

2. Establish An Evacuation Route:

When a flood is taking place and you need to leave your home, it is recommended to have a plan for your family to meet up in a specific area in case you are separated for any reason. Create your plan with a flood map. Make sure to use the highest elevation to leave your neighborhood. Also avoid any bridges with fast moving water beneath them as the strength of the water flow could compromise the bridge.

3. Prepare Your Home:

Bring in any outdoor furniture and move any important items to the highest possible floor of your home to protect them from flood damage. Seal walls in your basement with waterproofing compounds to avoid direct flooding. Disconnect electrical appliances and refrain from using them if you are wet. If instructed by an emergency warning, turn off your gas and electricity at the main switch or valve.

4. Create A Disaster Kit:

This should include a portable radio, emergency cooking equipment, flashlights, fresh batteries, non-perishable food, drinking water, and any essential medicines along with a first aid kit.

5. Install A Home Security System:

A home security monitoring system with flood protection will let you know when there is something wrong and a flood has started in your home. It will also automatically turn off the water supply to prevent further damage. With a home security flood monitoring system, you will be warned before the damage begins and will have immediate assistance for any flood damage you may have received.

Alarm Monitoring Service Of Atlanta provides leading security monitoring and flood monitoring services. Keep your home safe during a flood and prevent the damage water can cause to your home.

Everyone is excited for Valentine’s Day. Before leaving home for your romantic getaway, make sure your home is prepared and secured so you’ll have nothing to worry about.

1. Place Mail On Hold

To ensure your home is safe while you’re gone, make your home appear as if it is occupied, even when it is not. Place all your mail, newspapers, and deliveries on hold while you are not going to be at home. It is a clear sign that a house is empty, and has been for several days, when there is a packed mailbox with newspapers strewn across the yard and packages by the front door.

2. Ask A Neighbor To Park In The Driveway

Have a car parked in the driveway each night that you’re gone. The change of position will make it appear that someone is home. Ask a trusted neighbor to either park their car in your driveway or to move your car in your own driveway. This makes it appear as if people are coming and going.

3. Install Timers On Lights

Use lights in your home that can be seen from outside windows and set up timers on them. The appearance of several lights turning on throughout the home makes it appear as if people are there.

4. Use Outdoor Motion Detectors

A great way to scare off any intruders is to have them be seen. If you use motion detector lights throughout your property, any trespassers will be deterred from theft if there is a good chance of being seen by someone else.

5. Do Not Leave A Spare Key Outside

It’s important that you do not leave a key outside your home. Even if you think it is in a unique place that no one would think to look, there is a chance that someone else could find it. The worst situation you could get into is giving your house key over to a stranger when you are not home.

6. Install A Home Security System

Alarm Monitoring Service Of Atlanta provides home security monitoring for you as well as a home automation system. You’ll feel safe when you’re not at home because there will always be someone monitoring your home. You’ll be able to lock your front door remotely and view the security camera feed from your phone. Even if you’re away and your alarm goes off, the police will be there very quickly.

7. Lock Your Doors And Windows

Sometimes you might forget something simple like a window that one of the kids opened last night. Sadly, this could lead to a much more serious situation. Keep your home completely locked up and give a key to someone that you trust to keep an eye on your home.

8. Don’t Post About Your Trip

It is important to keep your Facebook friends out of the loop on your vacation. By posting the details of your vacation on social media, you are posting a free invitation to the world that you will not be home and that your house is completely empty. Be wise about your choices and on social media.

Alarm Monitoring Service Of Atlanta wants to remind you to have a safe and happy Valentine’s Day by securing your home before you decide to take a weekend getaway. You’ll have peace of mind while enjoying time with your loved one.

Halloween is creeping up on you. Wouldn’t you love to give the neighborhood a fright they’ll remember? With new home automation technology, it’s easier than ever to bring ghoulies and ghosties to life. Check out these frightful Halloween home automation ideas to ensure Halloween night is an absolute scream.

• Monsters Emerge As Night Falls: Many lawns are now decorated with inflatable monstrosities of every kind, but leaving them plugged in wastes a lot of energy. Set your dastardly decorations up on smart plugs that turn off during the day and activate when night falls. The neighborhood will watch your front yard slowly fill with monsters as darkness descends.
• Ghosts At Your Window: With a motorized drapery controller and a ghostly decoration, you can set it up so a ghost will randomly fly across your window every now and then. Giving trick or treaters on the outside a small fright when they see something move in the darkened windows.
• A Breath Of Foul Air: With motion detectors and a fog machine hooked up to a smart plug you can have the machine spray a stream of fog at trick or treaters as they approach your door, causing them to shriek with surprise.
• Spooky Music And Screams In The Night: With a few well-placed wireless speakers and a good home automation app, you can stream spooky music throughout every room of your home. But why stop there? Set up creepy sound effects on a random timer and watch as Halloween house guests jump at the creaky doors, evil laughter, and bloodcurdling screams that echo down the shadowy corridors of your home.
• Terrifying Television: With a smart TV you can set your screen to some spooky static or any other terrifying image you’d like. You can even make it so that if anyone changes the channel the TV will turn itself back. Guests will think your home is haunted when the channels start changing themselves.
• Flickering Lights: Smart lighting allows you to set scenes that automatically activate at a certain time. Using this technology, you can program your lights to randomly flicker throughout the night.
• Halloween Hues: Smart lighting also allows you to change the color of your lights. Exchange the bright white lights of everyday life for the spooky orange and purple of Halloween.
• Doorbell To Die For: With a smart doorbell you can replace the ordinary chime with a horrifying sound. You can even program the lights to flicker and a fog machine to go off. The neighbors will have to muster up real courage before ringing your bell.
• Death’s Door: With a motion sensor and an automatic door opener you can give your neighbors a real fright. Nothing will send more chills down their spine then when they go to knock and the door opens for them. Once guests enter your newly haunted home, you can even program the door to shut itself behind them. Add smart locks and watch as guests try to leave only to find the recently open door now locked to keep them inside.
• Somebody’s Watching: With security cameras throughout the interior and exterior of your home you can watch all the spooky happenings from one secret location. A great way to keep an eye on kids and make sure they’re safe. Combine this with all the fog machines, smart lights, and scary sounds to set off any of your fearful decorations when it will scare people the most.

Alarm Monitoring Services Of Atlanta provides home automation services for the local Atlanta area. They would be more than happy to set your household up with home automation equipment so you can haunt your home for Halloween. Try out home automation this haunted Halloween night and be prepared for the screams!

Home automation not only makes life more convenient around the house, it also saves you money. Check out the infograph below for more information on how home automation can help you save on insurance and energy bills as well as some helpful suggestions from AMSA on how you can best utilize home automation in every room of your home. Make your home a smart home today!

Many different apps exist for personal and home safety. Some send alerts in case of break in. Others take advantage of home automation systems. The sheer number of apps and their uses are astonishing. Here are just a few:

1. SOS StaySafe App
   This app allows you to send an emergency message to your friends and family by shaking the mobile phone. It sends a text message or email to specifically selected contacts with your name, exact location, and battery level. This message will continue to be sent at regular intervals until deactivated.
2. VithU App
   This safety app for Android sends an SOS text message when you press the power button twice. Your contacts will receive alerts every two minutes with your physical location.
3. bSafe
   This app is designed to keep you in touch with your friends 24/7. This app shares your location with friends and triggers an automatic alarm if you have not checked in on time. It will even send you a fake call to help dodge an unwanted situation.
4. Life360 Family Locator App
   This app allows you to create circles and add people to them to examine locations on a confidential map. This way you’ll always be able to keep track of your family members and confirm that they are safe.
5. iCare Health Monitor
   This app is designed to measure physiological parameters using your cell phone. It measures blood pressure, respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygen, vision, hearing, lung capacity, and other physical data to keep you aware.
6. S Health
   This app records and analyzes your daily activities to help maintain a successful diet and lead a healthier lifestyle. It also allows the user to search for health issues and find help for them.
7. Kitestring
   This app is based on a web service that checks in with you and sends alerts to pre-selected contacts if you fail to respond. These alerts are sent through SMS text messages so the service can work with the most basic phones.
8. Bugle
   This app was created with input from Search and Rescue professionals. This app is designed for runners, hikers, cyclists, and other people who don’t want to take their phone when they’re not home. If the owner doesn’t check in after a certain period, contacts are alerted.
9. SafeTrek App
   This is an emergency app that lets you alert the police if you are in an unsafe situation but also has a failsafe in case you don’t need emergency help. The app is launched if you place your thumb on the “Safe button”. If you move your thumb from the button, it will prompt you to enter a 4-digit code. If you don’t answer the code, the police will be notified. If you answer the code correctly, nothing will happen. This is a discreet way to be ready in case a situation is questionable.
10. Samsung Galaxy’s Safety Assistance
    This is one of the features installed in the Samsung Galaxy S5, S6, and S7. This is a built-in emergency tool that lets you quickly notify pre-determined contacts that you may be in trouble. You can configure the settings of this feature by going into the settings on your phone. This can turn on an SOS alert by setting the lock button 3 times. Your location, a picture from your camera, and a brief voice recording will be sent.
11. React Mobile
    This app turns your smartphone into a powerful lifeline. It features a “Follow-Me” feature that lets you share your GPS location with friends and family so they can track your whereabouts in real-time and follow you to safety. This app is perfect for running alone, meeting new clients, keeping track of loved ones, and walking home alone at night.
12. MyHome from AMSA
    Created by Atlanta security company, Alarm Monitoring Service of Atlanta, it enables you to connect with your home automation system. It allows you to set the security system as “armed” or “disarmed”. It can alert you if there is motion activity on the property. If for some reason there is a power failure or if a window is left open, this app will alert you. You will also be sent a text alert if there is any flooding. MyHome allows you to control your lighting and climate as well.

By downloading a few safety apps, you can better protect yourself and keep your home safe.