Back To School Safety and Security NightOwl Giveaway

This post was created in partnership with eAccountable. All opinions are my own.

Nothing is more precious than your family, your home, your business and your security, safety and of course, peace of mind. One way to provide that peace of mind, security and safety is to have your very own security video camera. 

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5 Ways to Keep Your Things Safe While You're Away

Photo credit: yahoo image

Going on holiday or getting away somewhere is your chance to relax and take a well-earned breather from the life at home. But you are not going to be able to really relax unless you are sure that everything at home is safe and sound. There are ways of preparing so that you have that peace of mind while you are away and here are 5 ideas for keeping your things safe while you are away.

Get Friends to House Sit

One way to make sure that your house and things are safe is to get friends or family to live in your home while you are away on holiday. Thieves will be less likely to go to a house that has people living in it than one that seems to have nobody around. For the price of having someone living in your home for a few weeks/months, you can have the peace of mind of knowing that your things are safe and sound with an eye being kept on them every day. Another great thing about this is that your friends or family member/s will have the opportunity to have a little holiday of their own as they stay in your house.

Store Them

If there are specific things that you are concerned about such as garden furniture, tools, personal items, or anything that you don’t feel safe leaving at your home unattended, hiring a storage unit could be just the thing that you need. A storage unit, such as the ones at Fort Knox Sunshine Coast can be any size from small to large and will be kept securely for you so you will be able to access them again when you need them.

Mail Collection

One thing that tells thieves that there is nobody home is the mail building up in the letterbox. Organising a mail collection, or redirection service through your local post office is one way of ensuring that this little clue is not available to would-be thieves who might be looking for a free ride. You could even get the mail redirected to a friends or families home and they can let you know if there are important letters that arrive while you are away. Alternatively get someone that you trust to go to your home regularly and collect the mail for you.

Stop the Newspapers

A pile of newspapers building up on the front lawn is another way that thieves might get the idea that there is a chance to steal some stuff, so make sure that you have your newspapers stopped for the time that you are away. If you are unable to do that, such as in the case of the freebie newspapers that are delivered weekly then ask a neighbour or someone you trust to pick them up for you and put them in the bin.

Lights on Timers

Having your lights on timers to come and on and off at certain times will give the illusion that there is someone in the house that is coming and going. The small effort that it takes to install some light timers could mean the difference between keeping your stuff safe and having a nasty surprise when you get home.

Indulge Yourself in Luxurious, Hassle-Free Living by Automating Your House

How good would it be to live in a highly automated home where your effort is maximized and your every bit of energy perfectly utilized. A century ago, this would be a wishful thinking because technology then could not cope with the demands of a highly automated house. Yet now, with the onset of microchips and other miniature gadgets, homes can be fully automated and life can be a lot more fun and easy for any homeowner.

What does home automation entail?
Home automation may include a hands-free control of home gadgets and household activities. This may include a highly centralized automation of heating and air conditioning system, lighting system, security system, security systems including gates and doors, appliances, and other household activities. Being free from manually controlling these household activities, a home owner gets a lot of extra free time and energy to engage himself or herself in other more pleasant and fruitful activities.

A system of home automation readily integrates all the electrical gadgets in a house into a holistic automated system. The integrated system controls home activities such as home entertainment systems, blinds and curtains movements, air-conditioning, even yard watering, houseplant watering, and also pet feeding. Moreover, home automation may include the use of domestic robots and the integration of all these activities through the use of a computer network which allows you remote access to the system. Likewise, you can make use of smartphone and other gadget connectivity to make possible home automation.

Elements Necessary for Home Automation
There are various elements necessary for a systematic home automation.

• First, you need to install sensors. These sensors are sensitive to temperature, motions, and even daylight.
• Second, there is the need for controllers such as a personalized computer or any automation controller.
• Moreover, there is a need for actuators such as light switches, motorized valves, and motors which initializes the movements of any gadget or appliance.
• For monitoring and controlling the functions of any gadget or appliance, there is a need for a device which allows interactive activity between the owner and the machines. Additionally, multiple intelligent devices are usually used and distributed around the house for a systematic control of all home functions and activities.

Lighting Control
In a highly automated home, a lighting control system is put in place to automatically turn on and off the lighting of the house. You can readily extinguish any light in your home on a scheduled basis. A lighting system includes detectors which readily determine if the light in the room is turned on, or if there is no longer any person in the room. Moreover, lighting control may include the control of the brightness of lights or the color of the lights.

Heating, Air conditioning, Ventilation Control
Home automation of heating and air conditioning includes the use of internet-controlled thermostat. This allows homeowners to remotely control the heating and air conditioning system from afar or just automate the functions of such system. This system allows homeowners to save on their energy consumption and optimize the use of the heating system.

Audio-visual Control
This includes the automation of your Home Theater system and other audio-visual devices inside your home. Just imagine how you can awe your visitors by automating these devices remotely.

Shading
Shading is one of the most important factors in setting the ambience of your home or any room in your house. Motorized shades can readily close or tilt open shades and blinds at a single touch of a button. This system is easy to install using a remote control device and allows you to maintain your privacy or set the mood and tone of any room at will.

Security System
This is an essential aspect of every home and thus should be a vital part of the integrated automation system of your home. From your computer-based center, you can control and watch security cameras and install motion sensors to detect any unusual and unauthorized movement inside your home premises. Likewise, you can install sensors to detect any leak of gas and water in your home.

Intercoms
The intercom system allows you to communicate from one room to another via the use of communication devices. This will enable you to communicate faster and easier around your home.

With all these automated systems in place, you can relax and save a lot of energy and effort in monitoring and controlling all the activities and functions in your home. Thus, home automation is very advantageous and pleasant because it makes domestic life a lot easier and comfortable for every homeowner.

This article was written on the behalf of RoseSun Window Coverings, A specialist in home automation and motorized shades in Toronto

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Term Life Insurance for the Future

I am not getting any younger. I told myself that by the end of this year or at least by the first quarter of 2012, I have already acquired a term life insurance for my family.

I have been postponing this plan due to circumstances beyond my control. I already allocated my budget for the purchase of an insurance this year but my brother became unemployed. After that, my mother got ill so I had to send money back home. I closed some of my cards and the cost of living here in Dubai tripled!

I am scrimping again so I can save enough money to buy the insurance that will secure our future. I just hope that the premium will not be exorbitant considering the age factor.

Tight Security Measure

Our company is strict with accommodating visitors in the building. Everyone goes through the security in the lobby. Most of the time, the security officers assigned would call us first to verify if we were expecting visitors.

Our building is equipped with a swipe card system and barcode scanner which reads the strip in each of the employees' identification cards. Not only that, we have a reception area to filter those who are already in the building and CCTV cameras are also installed to check the comings and goings in each room.

Before the 9-11 event, our office was just like any ordinary building. We only employed security guards and trusted everyone who would come in and go.

Times have changed. Tight security measures are not being implemented and improved for those which are already in place and installed.

Security Around the Clock

I could not help but wonder why there were so many wireless cctv cameras in Seoul. They were just everywhere I turn my head to, the hotel hallway (thank goodness not inside the rooms and bathrooms too!), the metro subway stations, the ATM machine stands, the lifts, the cashier areas, in restaurants and even on some shops' front door.

Seoul was like a land of CCTV cameras! I think, being a modern and industrialized country, they are also particular with their people's safety and security. It is a good way to curb untoward events and minimize crime.

I guess it is working well for their society as crime rate is relatively low for a global and rising nation.

Security and Fliers

Our building lobby has a security feature which is quite advanced. It has an automatic door which only opens when a resident buzz you in. It used to be just open so anyone can come in and go and we felt that our safety is not taken seriously. Also, plenty of people from various companies leave their fliers and brochures about restaurants, supermarket produce special, insurance advertising, products and services. Lately, I have noticed that the fliers have dwindled in number. Either the building's security feature is really up or there is barely a company left here. I wonder...

Secured in my Home

Living in Dubai has its perks in terms of security and safety. Although we cannot dispute the fact that there are crimes anywhere. However, crime rate here is down to the minimum.

We live in a building flat and have a security guard round-the-clock. The home security systems here are okay because most buildings are equipped with auto-lock system in the main lobby door. Unless you are a resident of a certain building, you cannot enter right away without buzzing the owner of the flat or leaving your ID in the security guard.

Having Insurance

I used to work in one of the leading international insurance company many years ago. I am familiar with the terminologies but not by heart. I remember reading tons of insurance policies coming from our insurance marketing department. They were very keen on wordings, terminologies, and clauses (you know, those fine print that one should never, ever miss to read and understand!). Although my understanding was not extremely in-depth but I always make sure that when hubby and I purchase insurance, we always read the fine print and everything from top to bottom, front to back.