(NAPSA)—For many young students, this year’s back-toschool season will deliver the first stepping stones to independence. A new school year brings a new routine, new friends and new responsibilities, including traveling a new route and maybearriving homealonefor the first time. For teens, it’s an exciting time. For working parents, it can be an anxious few weeks. For a growing numberof fami- lies, however, technology will make thetransition easier. Smart home security—a term for intelligent home security systems that integrate devices connected and controlled through the Internet— is giving parents new ways to stay connected to their kids at home and ensuretheir safety from afar. “Smart Home Security provides peace of mind that all is well and protection in case of an emergency, and it’s for every member of the family,” said Jay Kenny, Alarm.com’s Senior Vice President of Marketing. “There’s a perception that the smart home is just for tech-savvy people, but with professional installation and support options, it’s something that any family can get real value from.” Security First One of the great things about the smart home is that it can automatically take action to keep you, your family and your property safe. If there’s a problem at your home such as a break-in or fire, the smart homewill automatically contact emergency services. It will also alert you, your neighbor or whoever else you choose to get an alert. This is unmatched peace of mind, particularly if you have teenagers at home by themselves after school. Security also means keeping your home well lit and doors locked, and the smart home can Video Allows For A Watchful Eye Wait...who else is home? New friends accompanying a child home can be a cause for concern in an unsupervised house, making smart video monitoring an attrac- Smart house technology means parents can enjoy peace of mind even whenkids are home alone after school. automatically help. Lights can turn on at sunset every day anda working mom or dad can receive an automatic text notification if a door is left unlocked so they can be sure that when their teen is at homealone, things are secure. Children Check In Automatically Some parents insist on a text message when children arrive home; others will call to check-in. Smart home security users can get an automated smartphone alert the moment their child disarms the security system with their user code. Everyone in the family can have his or her own code so it’s easy to know exactly who’s coming andgoing. You can also be alerted even when the security system is disarmed. Unique codes for the door lock will tell you who’s coming and going, and you can receive alerts when a door opens or closes at home. It’s easily customized so you can get an alert when a specific door opens during a certain part of the day. If things don’t go according to plan, a parent can bethefirst to know, too. A smart home security system can be programmed to deliver “no-showalerts” if a user’s code hasn’t been used by a certain time, prompting the parent to check in or take action. tive option. This technology can use the security system’s sensors to detect when the door is opened, record a quick clip of who’s there, and deliver the footage to a parent’s smartphone almost instantaneously. Presto: visual confirmation that the rules are being followed—ornot! An End To Lost Keys? Issuing a child with their very own door key does not guarantee secure andreliable access to your home. Keys are easy to lose and hiding spares under planters makes the home vulnerable. No wonder that smart locks are one of the most popular smart home security devices. Wirelessly integrated with the security system, a smart lock allows a child to open the front door with an easily memorized user code. It can also be locked and unlocked remotely via smartphone in case of forgetfulness, eliminating the need for that hidden spare. Tips For Choosing A System If you’re looking for a smart home system, Jay Kenny of Alarm.com explained that one of the key differences between security systems today is how they communicate into and out of the home. “Cellular technology is more secure becauseit’s completely wireless,” he explained. “It can’t be cut from the outside, which is a com- mon vulnerability of a lot of systems, andit’s morereliable, too.” Want to get Smart Home Security for your family? Visit www.Alarm.com to learn how its leading technology can make your homesafer, smarter and moreeffi- cient this back-to-school season and all year round.
