It’s a brave new world out there when it comes to technology. Sometimes things change so quickly that it can be hard to keep up. It might feel like just yesterday that you held a new smartphone in your hand for the first time and marveled at the idea that “there’s an app for that.” Today that promise is coming true. It’s possible to use your phone as a command center for just about everything — including your house.

Home automation relies on the Internet of Things, or IoT technology. This is a fancy way of describing appliances and devices that have been computerized so that they can “talk” to your computer, tablet, or phone. Everything from a light bulb to your refrigerator can carry computer chips and wireless technology that allow them to wirelessly connect to your smartphone.

This has amazing benefits when it comes to home security systems. When your motion detectors, alarms, and security cameras can talk to each other, you get the benefit of the very latest in modern convenience to keep your property safe. Here are the top five ways an automated security system can improve your life.

• Ease of Installation: Automated security systems are generally wireless. This makes them easier to install. You can do it yourself without having to worry about complicated wiring and placement — or you can have a professional quickly take care of it.
• Continuous Service: Wireless security system installation also offers extra convenience when you lose power. They operate on cell phone frequencies and have long-lasting batteries that only need to be changed every three to five years. That means you can set it and forget it until you get a phone alert reminding you to replace the batteries.
• Direct Notifications: When your security system is automated, you can receive instant alerts anytime someone tries to enter your home. This allows you to jump into action to save valuable time — and your belongings.
• Remote Control: Automated security systems turn your smartphone into a portable command center for your alarm. You can turn the system on or off from anywhere. This allows you to let the babysitter in or check to see who’s ringing the doorbell — no matter where you are.
• Full Connection: Many home automation systems allow you to control home security and other systems from one easy app. Imagine having fire alarms, security cameras, thermostats, and lighting all linked into one easy interface for the simplest possible functioning.

Do you like the idea of having your home be smart enough to keep out intruders and tell you all about it on your cell phone? You can make that happen! Call Maximum Security Services at (716) 628-5111 to find out more about all of your options. As one of Western New York’s most comprehensive home security companies, Maximum Security Services has everything you need to bring your home into the twenty-first century. Sign up for a free consultation to see how home automation can make your life more convenient.

When it comes to keeping your home or business secure, there’s nothing more effective than a monitored security system. Studies show that the mere presence of security equipment — visible cameras, alarms, lights, and even a sticker showing that a security system is on the property — reduces the odds that criminals will target your property in the first place. What’s more, monitored systems ensure that someone always has an eye on your home so they can immediately send help.

When it comes to security system installation, there are two different options you can choose from. Purchase the components you need and install them on your own, or hire a professional to take care of hooking everything up for you. Both methods can get great results, but which is right for you?

The Benefits of Professional Installation

Having a professional come to your home to install a comprehensive security system has several advantages, the biggest of which is expertise. A qualified contractor knows exactly where to install motion sensors, cameras, and other pieces of important equipment so that you can get the most out of them. If you’ve never worked with these components before, it can be difficult to know where you should place them for optimal effectiveness.

Professionally installed systems also guarantee that your wiring is correct. If you aren’t experienced in this area of DIY work, it can be time-consuming to get up to speed. Not only that but working with electrical wires can get dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. A pro can be counted on to always do everything neatly. That way you won’t notice patched holes in the wall, loose wires, or any other shortcuts that you may be tempted to make to finish the work more quickly on your own.

Hardwired alarm systems also offer secure connections to the central monitoring location. This keeps you from having to worry about a wireless signal dropping out — or worse, someone hacking your signal. If you lose power, batteries provide backup until you restore your electricity.

Reasons to Consider DIY Security Systems

The main benefit of choosing a DIY security system for your home is the price. When you’re not paying someone for their expertise and doing the work yourself, you’ll bring down the cost of your security system significantly.

Price isn’t the only benefit, though. DIY security is also convenient when it allows you take advantage of your smartphone as your info hub. Your smartphone can let you get updates on your home, see what the security camera sees, and turn alarms on and off for guests. Since it is still connected to a central station for monitoring, the proper authorities will be notified in addition to the notification you’ll recieve on your phone.

When DIY security uses wireless technology, it’s often easy to install. This is because you don’t have to worry about the wiring. All you need is a power source. If you’re considering this type of system, look for one that includes quality equipment and allows you to connect to remote monitoring services.

Work With a Consultant

Before you decide which security system to choose, look for home security companies that offer in-home consultations to get advice about what component you need and where you should place them in your home. To learn more about home security in the Western New York area, call Maximum Security Services at (716) 628-5111, or sign up for a free consultation online.

The United States have seen a number of tragedies occur due to someone being granted unregulated entry into an academic institution. The deranged individuals who committed the atrocities of mass shootings didn’t have any system to check their identity at the door or to restrict their entry.

Unfortunately, we’re living in a time where incidents like these still put schools at risk. Thankfully, there are plenty of solutions at hand. In tandem with increasing the presence of security personnel at school, installing an access control system can further safeguard academic institutions.

What Does An Access Control System Do?

An access control system grants entry only to approved persons at all times. They also determine who can enter or exit the building and who has special permission through key cards. This system keeps traffic in an out of the school tight and regulates unauthorized entries. It can also monitor activity within the school and lock down individual doors in the case of an emergency.

What Are The Benefits?

While the idea of an access control system for your school might sound great in theory, you might be wondering about the concrete benefits. Maximum Security Services put together this list of some of the biggest ways that your school can benefit from better access control.

Track and Manage Who Comes and Goes

When you get an access control system, you can keep certain doors locked at specific times. Only authorized personnel can use key cards to enter locked doors and strangers can’t get in at all.

While traditional locks have limitations, key card technology makes it difficult for others to copy keys or falsify identities to enter your school. You can also have a record of which personnel entered your school and when. This helps with a variety of security situations.

Watch the Whole School from One Place

A complete access control system will have cameras installed in strategic locations. This enables a security guard to monitor the whole school from one monitoring room. When sensors are triggered, you can easily spot potential security breaches and quickly react. You can also respond to any triggered alarms to see if it was just a false alarm. Even if someone accidentally left a door propped open, you’ll be notified.

Control Every Point of Entry

You can lock down your entire school in case of an emergency. This means that during an emergency you can secure all the doors and contain a situation to protect everyone inside.

A perpetrator having freedom of movement is what makes a security breach dangerous. With a sophisticated access control system, it takes just seconds to lock down the entire school. If your school is threatened in any way, unauthorized people will not be able to enter locked rooms or offices. This protective measure can save lives!

Arm Your School With Sophisticated Security Today

Maximum Security Services believes that you should protect what you value most. We’ve been serving countless homeowners and businesses in the Western New York area and are committed to keeping our clients safe. You deserve to feel secure at your school. That’s why we want to bring the outstanding technology of an access control system to you. Please contact us if you have any questions about how to have an access control system installed in your school today.

If you think that only jewelry shops, art galleries, and banks need a surveillance system with cameras to deter high-end heists, you could be selling yourself — and your business — short. A security system is an excellent tool to thwart criminals and keep both your inventory and employees safe from harm. Here’s what you should know about the benefits of a quality surveillance system.

Security Camera Systems Reduce Crime

The mere presence of a security camera can be powerful. For example, when the city of Baltimore installed cameras throughout the area and had retired police officers monitor the footage, they found that crime rates steadily went down in those areas, dropping by about 17 percent overall. Cameras aren’t just useful for linking your property to law enforcement. They also provide a major deterrent, since most thieves are looking for the easiest, least risky jobs. When you have a camera, it lets potential perps know that they should move on, decreasing the odds of them stealing from you.

Cameras Help Keep Employees Safe

Because security cameras tend to send a strong signal to criminals to move on, having them in your parking lot or around the perimeter of your building is also a great way to protect your employees. The extra security provided by a video surveillance system can help reduce the odds of muggings and car break-ins to make your workplace safer for everyone.

Security Cameras Help Solve Crimes

Unfortunately, police personnel are only able to solve about 13 percent of burglary cases, which means business will struggle to recover lost property and instead be faced with rising insurance rates and other hassles. A video surveillance system is likely to record footage of a thief in action. This can provide crucial clues about their appearance and methods to help detectives track them down.

Video Surveillance Systems Keep Everyone Honest

No one wants to think that their own staff is filching money from the cash register or making off with merchandise, but it happens more often than you might think. It’s been estimated that perhaps as much as 20 percent of a given company’s income is lost to employee theft. A robust security system acts as a second manager when you can’t be everywhere and helps minimize your employee’s temptation to do the wrong thing.

Stopping losses and preventing crime around your business is a crucial part of taking care of your assets. You’ve worked hard to get your company where it is today, so protect it by calling Maximum Security Services at (716) 628-5111 or completing their online form to explain your needs. Maximum Security Services has the expertise you need to keep your Western New York business and your employees as safe as possible, no matter what your line of work is. Schedule your security consultation today.

Maximum Security is proud to offer a wide range of products to keep your home and business safe and secure. One of our most important products, sometimes overlooked, is the medical alert system.

These medical alarm devices can be worn as a bracelet or pendent and are perfect for seniors who live alone and need extra assurance and protection in the event of fall or medical emergency.

At the push of a button, your loved ones can alert and communicate with trained professionals at our local central monitoring station who will contact caregivers and dispatch help in the event of a medical emergency.

One of our customers in Amherst, N.Y., 84-year old Mary, wanted to live independently in her home, but her daughter was concerned about her safety. What would happen if she fell and couldn’t call for help?

When Mary received her medical alert pendant, she and her daughter were able to breathe a sigh of relief and she remains active and happy in her home.

Medical alarms and medical alert systems from Maximum Security Services are the perfect way to connect your love ones to emergency assistance 24/7 while enabling them to maintain their independent lifestyle.

Recently, one of our clients in Cheektowaga, N.Y., found himself responsible for an elderly relative’s vacant property after a move to an assisted living facility. He was very concerned about the property being vandalized.

After meeting with him and learning more about the situation, our Maximum Security team installed a home security system which provided 24-hour local monitoring.

For several months when the family was preparing the house for sale and showing the home to potential buyers, the alarm system gave them peace of mind and prevented a burglary.

A monitored home security system is the best protection against burglaries when a house is vacant for an extended period of time.

The busy holiday season is upon on, complete with family gatherings, gift giving and holiday parties. Home burglaries tend to increase during December, so keep your home and family safe with the following tips:

– Keep your valuables out of sight and keep curtains and blinds closed. Your home could become a target if burglars can view computers, televisions and other expensive electronics from the street. Lock your doors and windows, even when you are at home. Don’t answer the door to someone you don’t know, thieves could be scoping out your belongings!

– Install timers to turn on indoor and outdoor lights when you are out for the evening or traveling. You can also make your home look lived in with motion detector lights and timers to activate TVs and radios inside your home.

– The best protection against home break ins is a monitored home security system. Homes with a security system are three times less likely to be burglarized. The investment will keep your home and family safe and provide peace of mind.