Urban Alarm blog

Radio Monitoring with SNAP Technology

These days, many people have chosen to forego telephone land lines in their homes in favor of the simpler, cheaper cellular option. With this trend comes a shift in how we monitor security systems on those properties from the traditional land line to cell phones and radio networks. Although Urban Alarm can monitor your alarm system using cell phone technology, it often requires that you replace your alarm panel. Another option unique to Urban Alarm is SNAP(TM) radio monitoring. Urban Alarm offers the only FCC licensed radio monitoring network covering the NW DC area that will work with your existing alarm system to provide you with even better security than telephone-monitored systems. With telephone-monitored systems, it can often take 30-50 seconds to send an alarm signal, but with Urban Alarm's SNAP radio monitoring system the signal is sent instantaneously. Also, with traditional telephone-monitored systems, when your alarm goes off the alarm panel seizes the line, which can interrupt your ability to make an outgoing call (e.g., 911). With SNAP radio monitoring you have complete use of your phone line at all times. So how does it work? You do not need to replace your existing alarm system to take advantage of Urban Alarm's SNAP technology. Our technicians will simply install a SNAP transmitter at your home or business and you will be instantly connected to our mesh radio network. With SNAP radio monitoring, your alarm system will always be 'online' and ready to send a signal to our Central Monitoring Station. Whereas phone lines can be cut, seized or interrupted, your SNAP transmitter sends a repeater signal through its mesh network so that each alarm signal takes multiple pathways to the Central Monitoring Station, ensuring that your signal is transmitted effectively and as quickly as possible.

Manage Your Security Alarm System and Video on Your PDA

Urban Alarm has been installing Alarm.com managed security alarm systems for about five years. The service has evolved over the years regularly adding innovative  approaches to security alarm system management. Their most recent innovation are the iPhone and Blackberry Alarm.com applications. Alarm.com already offers a robust web dashboard to manage all aspects of your alarm system via a web browser. The new applications allow you to manage your systems anywhere from an iPhone or Blackberry PDA. Some of the functionality supported by the applications include: Arm and disarm remotely View sensor status and recent activity Watch live streaming video from their security cameras View video clips recorded by their cameras Access a complete, search-able system event history

Security Camera Color Wraps

Security video cameras in retail or commercial businesses can be a fundamental part of security. Sometimes making security cameras being visible to workers and guests is a desirable deterrent but other times it mares the aesthetics of a carefully designed space. On a number of projects we have color matched the cameras to be the same color as the wall. This has a nice effect of blending the security cameras into the space minimizing their aesthetic impact. Security is often a balance of invasiveness and effectiveness. Physical barriers, fire detection, intrusion detection, and surveillance cameras are always going to walk this line. Color marched security cameras are just one cost effective way to get at this issue. Cameras may be matched to any color, pattern, or image. The photos show an example of the security camera without color matching (left) and with matching (right). &nbsp&nbsp

Don't Answer Your Door for Strangers -- Maybe The Worst Thing to Do

Many people we speak with feel safest to not answer the door when a stranger comes knocking -- especially when home alone. This is repeated so often you might think it is conventional wisdom. However, it may be the most unsafe thing to do. Many burglaries follow a similar pattern. Someone comes to the door and knocks. If the resident answers the burglar has a cover story: selling something, asking for donations, "my agent told me this house is on the market and I wanted to take a look", etc. If no one answers they may try the door to see if it is open. Or they may come back later to burglarize the house. Having a security alarm system is important to alert the residents to an invasion. But the operation may be shut down if the resident makes it clear they are home. But better then coming to the door is the use of video intercom systems. Video intercom systems can deter crime by: Allowing you to answer the door, demonstrating the home is occupied, from a safe distance Asking the guest to leave without giving them any idea of who and how many people are in the home Demonstrating that the residents value security and have invested in systems to foil break-ins Capturing a photo of people coming to the front door when you are home or not The last item is a valuable feature available for video intercom systems. The system records pictures of anyone who rings the bell. When you return home you can easily see a picture of anyone who came to the home while you were gone. And, if an attempted break-in does occur, you have a photo and valuable information for the police. For more information on video intercom security systems give us a call.   

Recent Robberies in NW DC

Universal Gear was robbed on Thursday the 14th in the middle of the day. This was a brazen robbery by 9 people and was captured by security cameras (not Urban Alarm's). The video has been posted on YouTube with a award for information leading to the arrest and conviction. Shoplifting is always a problem but this was an in-your-face robbery that takes it to a new level. It highlights the importance of staying aware of your environment at all times. I was struck by recent surveillance video of a NW DC robbery showing shoppers browsing less then eight feet from an armed robbery in progress. The shoppers were unaware of anything out of the ordinary. Staying aware of anything unusual or suspicious is always important to your safety. If you observe something suspicious leave the store immediately (if practical) and call 911. If you are a shop owner or manager, you must make sure you have video and surveillance warning signs. Silent panic buttons should be located behind the counter, in the manager's office, and any other back of store area (e.g., stock room, walk-in cooler). Panic buttons can also be located close to the floor where accessible in the event you are forced to the floor. Wireless panic buttons should also be on the keychains of managers or other employees. New IP cameras can show much greater detail then traditional analog cameras. Strategically locating cameras can provide the most clear pictures of burglars. We have started placing high resolution cameras above the doors showing a clear picture of people as they exit. This can be a better quality image then people coming into the store since exterior backlighting reduce the visibility of peoples faces. At the end of the day, surveillance cameras serve as a deterrent. Ones that show greater detail of perpetrators' faces can lead to the arrest and conviction of thieves and give shoppers, storekeepers, and their neighborhoods greater peace of mind.

Urban Alarm Accolades: Excellence in Design

Urban Alarm won the logo design category for the Security Sales and Integration's 2009 SAMMY Awards. The SAMMY Awards recognize superior design and implementation in sales and marketing for the security industry. Miles Fawcett, Urban Alarm's President, received the award at the March 31st 2009 Las Vegas ceremony with Urban Alarm beating out Protection One and Stanley Convergent Security Solutions.

Washington Parks and People's Riverside Center

This month, as part of Urban Alarm's community outreach program, we installed a new security system at the Washington Parks and People's Riverside Center. The Riverside center has been opened since the Spring of 2004 and has become a hub of activity. Located across the street from the Watts Branch Park in Northeast DC The Center serves a diverse community with a weekly farm stand, neighborhood cafe, arts center, and community meeting place. Urban Alarm's donation of the system and it's monitoring will help to secure the significant investment Washington Parks and People has made into this program. Every quarter we look for community organizations that would significantly benefit from our products and services. Washington Parks and People stands out because of their passionate investments in DC's parks and communities.

The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad (BCCRS)

The "Call 911!" article in the February 2009 issue of Washingtonian Magazine highlights some of the short falls of the DC emergency response system. The problems have been widely reported after a few high profile failures of DC's ambulance system. The Washingtonian article (which is not available online as of this post) provide the history of context of DC system as well as a contrasting overview with Maryland and Virginia's systems which have performed much better. Some Northwest residents are already familiar with The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad (BCCRS). Maybe from a volunteer knocking at your door during their annual door to door fund raising campaign. If you have taken the time to chat with one of the volunteers you may already know that BCCRS was originally located in Northwest DC. With that history they still have a commitment to serve Northwest DC residents who are geographically reachable. Their response area is listed on their Web site. Urban Alarm residential customers in the covered Northwest DC service area have the option of the medical panic on their alarm system being tied to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad. You can also call the rescue squad directly for emergency ambulance service by dialing 301-652-1000 rather than 911. While it is wonderful to have Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad as an option for some Northwest Washington DC residents, it is unfortunate that we are not able to have confidence in our home system. The limited response area in DC leaves a major disparity on the quality of service available in Washington DC unfortunately echoing the social economic layout of the city with BCCRS only responding to some of the most affluent parts of DC. Please keep pressure on your ANC and City Council representatives to repair the DC system. There are professional and committed people in the DC medical response system and we all deserve the resources and leadership to have a world class system.

Gun vs. Alarm for Home Security

I take issue with some of the ideas in the recent Washington Post article "Downturn Pumps Up Anxiety About Crime ". The last paragraph closes with, "A gun seemed to be the answer," and this statement is misguided, in my opinion. As an alarm company, we clearly have a vested interest in how people approach security -- but as a resident of DC and having the professional perspective we do, I couldn't disagree more strongly. There really is no comparison between a gun and an alarm system for home security. They serve two very different (although admittedly perhaps sometimes complimentary) purposes. First, an alarm system is not going to "protect" a home. Its main purpose is to secure a home in such a way that the residents know (a) when the home is secure and (b) when the home's security has been breached. Now that the DC handgun ban has been overturned, the decision to own a handgun is a personal choice. But the choice should be made with a clear understanding of what owning a gun can and cannot accomplish. Many conditions must line up in order for a resident-owned handgun to be a positive factor during a home intrusion. And there are many scenarios, which I will not go into, that can result in a negative outcome. A gun in a home is not a replacement for an alarm system. Just as a security system cannot technically "protect" someone, a weapon cannot "secure" a property. In fact, an alarm system may become even more important when there is a gun in the residence at risk of getting into an intruder's hands. Alarm systems, when used properly, will alert residents quickly, so they may prepare a weapon and take a defensive position. Alarms will also reduce the chances of the resident waking up to find their own weapon in the hands of an intruder who has quietly broken in. Additionally, an alarm system is critical to secure property when residents are not home. The system will reduce the time window an burglar has in your home and will notify residents, police, and other responders. Reducing the chance of walking in on a burglary in progress is also a primary value. Any approach to home security should take a thoughtful and deliberate approach which includes playing out the pros and cons of various scenarios, especially when there is a gun -- in the homeowner's hands -- in question.

Securing your Freedom of Speech (or, at least, your yard signs)

Political yard signs can trigger emotional reactions in heated elections. Stories abound of yard signs "walking" away. So what can you to to secure them? I saw a story last week about few people who have taken to video surveillance to monitor their their yard sign and maybe nab a disgruntled activist gone thief. Video is great as it shows you who took it and gives some excellent You Tube fodder. But it is not the most cost effective solution. So we at Urban Alarm have taken a lower cost approach to protecting our political voices in the week leading up to election day. Wireless alarm systems offer tremendous flexibility as the sensors can go just about anywhere. We can use a simple wireless contact sensor, wrapped in a plastic zip lock to protect it from moisture, and bury it in the ground taped to the yard sign and corresponding magnet. The solution is simple but effective if you want to run out and nab the thief in the process. However, you may not want the who house alarm going off, and the police being dispatched (or maybe you do) when the sign is pulled. And, you want to know about it even if the alarm system is disarmed. This can be addressed in the alarm system by using a special sensors group. The GE alarm systems we install have special sensor groups just for "chime" or "enunciate" sensors. These are sensors that do not trigger an alarm but simply announce "Garage Door" or other meaning full report. It is similar to how a sensor would behave when you turn on the "chime" mode but it acts this way at all times (e.g., without chime turned on and even when the alarm is armed) and does not trigger a full reported alarm. Of course, there are many other applications for wireless sensors and these special sensor groups which is why we take the time to understand our customers concerns and come up with solutions that address them. For example, we recently installed this sort of special sensor on a pool gate so that adults are notified when the smaller kids enter the pool area. Give us a call and we can discuss your specific concerns and how security technology might be used to address them.