Should Your Home Security System Use Biometrics?

If you're looking to beef up your home's security in order to increase your family's safety, protect your possessions, and even lower your homeowners insurance, then you are probably researching many of the alarm systems out there. All the options and features can be pretty daunting. Should consider a monitored system or not? Should you get a system that's hooked up to your computer and can be checked on over the Internet? Do you need video surveillance cameras? Do you need biometrics?

Wait a minute, what is biometrics anyway?

This article can't cover all the different features, options, and equipment related to burglar alarms and home security systems, but we can get you up to speed on biometrics.

First off, what is it?

Basically, biometrics is a way of controlling access to a system (whether your computer, your car, or your home) by comparing some physical aspect of a person (i.e. fingerprint or handprint or--in more expensive systems even eyeball retina scans) with information stored in an electronic file. When a match is made, access is granted.

In short, biometrics tests who you are instead of what you can remember (codes, passwords, etc.).

When it comes to home security systems, you're most likely to see fingerprint readers. For example, fingerprint activated door locks are becoming popular replacements to the typical lock and key systems. (A fingerprint door lock can be great even if you're not thinking about security and you just want to be able to get into your house when you've lost your key or have your arms full of grocery bags!)

How is biometrics used in home security?

As we've mentioned, fingerprint door locks are becoming more and more common. Other places in your home where you may use biometrics include safes, computers, and to access the panel of your security system.

If you're familiar with the systems that require you to enter a numeric code after stepping into the house (and if you don't remember the code in time, then you're in trouble), then imagine just pressing your finger or thumb to a reader instead of having to punch in a code. This can be particularly helpful for children who might have trouble figuring out codes. When you get the security system, you simply program the control panel to recognize the fingerprints of everyone in the family (or everyone you want to have access to your home), and arming and disarming the alarm system becomes a snap.

It's generally easy to change access too. If you want to give your nanny or house sitter access to your home while you're away, then you can just add their fingerprint to the file. When you don't want them to be able to arm or disarm the security system any more, it's a simple matter to remove their access.

What about advantages or disadvantages to biometrics?

We've already touched upon some of the advantages of this technology. With biometrics, you increase convenience, eliminate the annoyance of remembering PINs and passwords, get rid of the need for keys, and in many cases increase security since biometrics are extremely hard to forge (no more worrying about if some unscrupulous visitor might make a copy of your key).

Disadvantages of biometrics are relatively few, but expense may be considered one. For example, a fingerprint door lock will cost you at least a couple hundred dollars while you could pick up a new key-and-lock set at the home improvement store for $20.

As you can see, however, there are many reasons why you might incorporate biometrics into your home security plan. As long as you are going through the expense of installing a burglar alarm system, this might be something to consider.

Purchase the Interior Doors For Your Home Online

When you need new interior doors for your home, you can see all the different types you can choose from when you search online. You can also make your purchase online and have the doors delivered to your door. This is especially good for those living in rural areas and have to travel quite a distance to reach the nearest home improvement store. It is important for you to make the right choice in interior doors because the doors you choose add to the décor of your home.

When you search online, some of the door styles you can choose from include:

* Bifold doors

* Space saver doors

* Pocket doors

* Primed hollow doors

* Glass fitted doors

* Semi-solid doors

* Flush doors

* Veneered panel doors

* Double doors

* Room dividers

Of these the white primed hollow door is the most commonly used. This is because of their beauty and their reasonable price.

You can also choose doors in a wide range of wood, of which oak is the most popular. It is natural that you will get standard size doors when you order online, but you have the best chance of getting hard to find sizes.

When you order your doors online, you can also save yourself time and money by ordering the door frames to fit each of the interior doors. This way you don't have to measure the openings, purchase the wood and saw the board into the correct measurements. There are complete interior door sets available, but they do not include the threshold under the door. You may need to cut the legs of the frame, as well, because most of them are longer than necessary.

Panic Bars Offer Safety and Security

In the early 1900s, the panic bar was invented to prevent people from being trapped inside a building during a fire. Panic bars are now a required safety feature in all commercial buildings. Modern panic bars can be used on fire doors, time-delayed doors, and delayed exit systems. Mechanical and electric exit devices offer superb security and safety.

A basic, mechanical panic bar can be installed on fire exit doors or any door that needs the security of being locked on the outside but able to open from the inside. For example, back doors of offices, warehouses and retail business may opt for this type of locking mechanism. The best panic bars meet ANSI A156.3 - 2001 Grade 1 criteria. For the greatest security, choose panic bars that offer more than 2,000 pounds of static load force resistance. This prevents intruders from pulling or prying the door open from the outside.

Electric panic bars can be tied into a fire alarm system to automatically unlock when the alarm is tripped. In addition, some models can be programmed to trip the alarm system when they are pushed open from the inside. Typically, these types of panic bars are used on buildings with high occupancy levels that utilize a fully featured fire and security alarm system. Another function of electric panic bars is to control exit through a delayed exit system. These mechanisms allow security personnel to monitor access to and from the facility.

On new construction, door frames can be designed to accommodate the installation of the newest panic bar designs that include a more secure double latch mechanism and technology that makes bar operation quieter and smoother. When retro-fitting existing doors, look for panic bars that easily install in the existing panic bar footprint without having to do expensive door preparation.

The final consideration in selecting and installing panic bars is what type of trim to use on the exterior of the door. If the door is not intended as an entrance, then no trim is necessary or you may choose to install a night latch that includes a key lock with or without a handle. Other options include a dummy handle, a handle with a thumb latch and key lock, or a lever handle with a key lock. Panic bars can be designed to lock on the inside either with a hex key or a cylinder lock. Electric models often do not include an interior mechanical locking option and can only be locked and unlocked through the security system. Expect to pay $600 and up for quality panic bars; electric options raise the cost to $1000 and up.

Jay & the Americans - Let's Lock the Door - 45 rpm

12-26-64- reissue label

Auto Lock Picks

Have you ever locked yourself out of your car and had no spare key? In such a case you have the choice of calling a locksmith or busting out a window or you can get yourself a set of auto door opening tools. Sure lots of folks take a clothes hanger if you can find one of the metal ones, but these days most clothes hangars are being made of plastic and the ones you can bend in the form of a loop or hook are becoming harder to find, not to mention that most cars today aren't built with windows like they were 20 years ago. Its so easy to shut off your car and jump out while locking your door only to look back and see your keys still dangling in the ignition.

I'm one of those people who can never remember to get myself a spare key for my car, so years ago I bought myself a set of professional auto door opening tools and it has proved to be one of the best investments I ever made. I can't count the number of times I have locked myself out while being preoccupied thinking about something else, I even did it one time while the car was still running, and if you have ever done it you know the feeling of pain in your wallet as 40 bucks just flew out, not to mention your embarrassment as your local locksmith cheerfully greets you with a "lock yourself out eh?"

Auto door opening tools today are a bit different from the old slim jim that used to be the mainstay of car door openers. Nowadays a lot of cars use electronic locks and for that you will have to have a tool that looks sort of like the letter "h" with a bent prong on the end of it. You slide the big part down beside the window till it clears the bottom of the glass, then pull it back up inside the car and push it down to the lock button and press it with the tool. Most of the better auto door opening kits come with at least a couple of these types of lock picks.

Prices for auto door opening kits range from 50 dollars for a set of slim jims to over 400 bucks for a complete kit with all the bells and whistles, but from my experience the average person only needs a slim jim and a couple of the h tools mentioned above. Its also a great way to make some extra income from family and friends who just like you tend to be forgetfully sometimes.

Alesana - Artists

Demo: Application of the Control4 home automation store

Control4 home automation 4Store walk the application stores: Netflix Inc., game, Flickr, the automatic door locks ... was also the first aid applications to show you how to save lives