When it comes to a smart technology, overwhelmingly the first thing that most consumers are interested in is home security. In a recent study by Icontrol, ninety percent of users said personal and family security was one of the main reasons they used their system. If you want to embrace the smart security movement in your Westlake, Texas home, you need to make sure your system offers these four features:

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Smart Locks

What’s the simplest thing you can do to protect your home? It all begins with locking your doors. So it should come as no surprise that smart locks are one of the first features adopted by smart home users. There are a variety of ways you can ‘smarten up’ your locks. Opening your doors through an app, creating key cards or using unique access codes.

Instead of having to leave a key under the mat, simply give guests or workers an access code. Each code is unique to the person using it, so from a touchpad or smartphone you can monitor who is coming in and out at all times. Want to revoke a person's access? Just erase their code from the system.

Surveillance System

There are two key components to a good surveillance system: having the right cameras and the right monitoring solution. We partner with IC Realtime for the best cameras in the industry. From its trademark Allie that covers 360 degrees (perfect for placing at the center of a room) to more traditional bullet cameras for outdoor use, IC Realtime has options for any environment. We let you know which cameras would work best and where to install them.

Research has shown that burglaries increase during and just before the holiday season. They’re more likely to occur when the home is unoccupied, making your house particularly vulnerable if you plan on traveling to visit family or just go on vacation. This holiday season, protect your Colleyville, TX home with the right home security system. Read on to discover the features and benefits of smart security.

See also: What Features Should Be Include in Your Home Security System 

Stay in the Loop

While a regular alarm system may sound off when someone enters the home, you may not actually get notified until minutes later, and won’t be able to see what’s going on.

A smart security system allows you to check in on video surveillance from your phone or iPad. You can even go in the app and check out footage from each room if you are expecting guests, but just want to keep an eye on your belongings.

The system is reliable in that it will instantly notify you if any unexpected activity occurs, and you can monitor your home in real-time whether you get an alert or you just want to do a random check-in.

Finding a good home security company in the Colleyville, Texas area can be a challenge. With so many options, how do you ensure that you’re choosing a company that will be able to meet all your needs? Below, we cover the characteristics that set DB Media Solutions above the rest for smart security and surveillance.

Diverse Supported Technology

Watch out for companies that only do one type of security, like surveillance cameras. If you truly want your home to be fully protected, it makes sense to choose a company that can offer a wide range of security products and services.

You may not be aware of how many different security technologies are available, but consider exploring some of the options listed below:

• Alarm systems: trigger audible alarms, silent notifications, etc.
• High-definition video surveillance: view real-time surveillance footage from anywhere.
• Smart entry systems: use fingerprints, personalized codes, geofencing, and more to give access to your property – no physical keys required.
• Central monitoring services: have 24x7 access to monitoring services that alert you or the authorities the moment there’s a problem.
• Smart sensors: track motion, water leaks, doors, windows, etc.
• Fire and life safety devices: stay on top of carbon monoxide, gas, smoke, and more.

SEE ALSO: What Features Should Be Included in Your Home Security System?

Completely Customized Solutions

You shouldn’t be shoehorned into a preset security package. The devices or services that make sense for one home might be a completely wrong fit for you. And often with this approach, you end up paying for products or services that you never intend to use.

While Southlake is one of the safest communities in Texas, the gorgeous homes in the area are the perfect mark for thieves hoping to score big. That’s why it’s essential that your home be adequately protected. So how do you know if your home security is up to par? Answer the questions below to find out for yourself. 

SEE ALSO: How to Choose the Right Home Surveillance System

Do you know whether all of the doors are locked?

We’re not talking about walking throughout your home every day, checking the doors one by one. A smart home security system can tell you at a glance which doors are locked and unlocked. Even better, you can lock all of the access points to your home with the push of a single button.

Can you see who is at the gate or front door?

Having surveillance cameras around your property is a great first step toward home security, but you also need to make sure they’re placed appropriately. You should definitely have the ability to see in real time who is ringing the doorbell or driving through the front gate.

Are you notified immediately about safety threats?

Smartphone integration is more than just a convenient feature for your home security system—it allows you to act quickly in the face of a threat. Receive alerts about attempted burglaries, electrical fires, water leaks, and more so that you can mitigate any damage immediately.

New home construction is a busy market in the Dallas, Texas area, especially for luxury properties. If you want to ensure that your construction firm is the one who gets the bid for these homes, you need something that puts you above the rest. That competitive edge could be integrated home security systems. To learn about the value that security technology can add to your company offerings as well as the quick and easy way to get started, read on.

Give Buyers What They Want

Smart technology (home security in particular) is rapidly growing more popular among home buyers. In a 2016 study by John Burns Real Estate Consulting, surveyed buyers stated that smart technology was a significant part of their evaluation of different housing options, and they would be willing to spend more money for smart home technology. Of the nearly 22,000 buyers surveyed, more than half said they would pay extra for security cameras, doorbells with text alerts, and other smart devices.

Given these statistics, when buyers are faced with an average house model and one with all the bells and whistles of smart technology, it’s clear which option they’ll choose. However, it’s worth noting that full smart home automation systems are often completely customized to the buyer’s preferences, which makes it hard to go beyond simply adding prewiring into your building plans. Home security, on the other hand, offers far more opportunity for a standard package included with particular home design models.

SEE ALSO: Make Homes Smart from the Start

How to Get Started with Home Security

The struggle with many construction firms is that they’re builders and architects, not security experts. And that’s okay. The quick and easy solution to this problem is to leave the security and smart home technology to a trusted third party. Let the security specialist partner with you on the homes, then reap the benefits of having more attractive options for buyers in the Dallas market.

We know we should have some type of security system in our homes.  You need to have detection for smoke and fire of course.  You want to make sure intruders are deterred, and if one is detected that you and the proper authorities are alerted.  There may be other things you want to protect against so that small incidents don’t become expensive or catastrophic ones, like water intrusion or leaks.

While there are many home security system options now including DIY consumer products, there are some critical questions you should ask in evaluating what’s right for your home in the DFW area.

With that in mind, let’s dive into some key aspects to keep top-of-mind.

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