Learn where to find this template or code
When moving to a new town or state or when you purchase a new home, it might be time to find a home security company to help you navigate the security and safety concerns of your new home.
How do you go about vetting the many choices of home security companies to find the one that is right for you?
This article will give you a few tips to get you moving in the right direction. Ultimately, it’s up to you to find and connect with the best fit and the best company to protect your home and family!
When it’s time to choose a home security company to install and maintain your security system, understand you should always focus more attention on customers service and brand quality, than on price.
Ultimately, just about anyone with a screwdriver can hang a security camera – but it’s the knowledge and years of experience that will tell a professional where to hang that camera and to what system to connect it, as well as diagnose system failures or service interruptions.
Connecting with the right security company means connecting with a company that is interested and invested in your community and will serve your community for years to come.
Here is how we would start a search to connect with the right home security company.
Before leaving your home, and don’t we all want to avoid that these days, start your research online. Google ‘local home security company’ and add your location if needed.
Look for websites, Google reviews, social media presence, online reviews and images.
Create a list of several local home security companies.
Next, ask your friends and neighbors for referrals. Don’t just ask ‘Who do you use?’ but ask them questions about WHY they picked that local business and what they love about working with them. Ask them what services they’ve contracted for and how responsive that company is when an emergency arises!
Last but not least, keep an eye out for service vehicles in your neighborhood. When you take your dog for a walk, try to find signs. When you take a bike ride with your family, look for those service vehicles. take note of which ones are helping your neighbors with their home security needs!
Now that you have developed a list of potential local home security companies you want to give your business to, pick up the phone and call! There is no substitute for a phone call inquiring about services!
You will know pretty quickly if you are getting what is ‘advertised’ so to speak!
Does a human answer the phone? If you got the answering service or a machine, how quickly, if at all, was your call returned? Did you get answers to your questions and a friendly human on the line? Move this company to the top of your list!
Once you have a top 3 of local home security companies you potentially want to work with, make a list of services you need now, and additional services they offer that you are interested in for a future project.
That could includes additional services like
One more point to drive home. We highly recommend asking each potential business if they are locally owned and locally operated. Supporting your local businesses in 2021 is more important than ever.
If you are in the Myrtle Beach area, in Horry County or in Georgetown County, we invite your to give us a call!
Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year…holiday seasons 2020 is upon us!
What holiday are you most excited about?
No matter what holidays you may celebrate, we understand you might worry about safety, security and, in this pandemic, your health. Technology can help.
Today we will give you three smarthome security tips for a worry-free, and tech-savvy holiday season.
Ring cameras are a great way to keep an eye on your home, from wherever you are; at home in your home office, homeschooling kids, or running errands.
Ring cameras also
If you need a worry-free holiday season, start by calling Strand Security to talk to us about Ring Cameras and installation! Win – win!
We know that the holidays can create extra stress, additional work and more worries; about money, safety and security.
While you are out shopping, or at home wrapping gifts, Alarm.com will keep an eye on your home, your family and your assets. All you need to do is arm the system. When an emergency arises, help will be on their way.
Alarm.com offers the latest technology and a great smarthome system.
Last but not least – how about a germ-free, voice activated system to keep your loved ones safe and secure?
At Strand Security, we trust URC to do the job for us. URC is fully-integrated and gives your whole house automation and control!
URC can
and so much more, all without touching a button!
The holidays’ aren’t complete without shopping and gift-giving.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention a few cool gift ideas for the 2020 Holiday season.
This is the 7th article in a series of 12 articles. 2020 is the year we at Strand Security celebrate our 10th anniversary by giving you 10 reasons to love the things we love as well:
In previous articles in 2020, we gave you 10 reason to love….our community, the Grand Strand, Smarthomes, Home Theater, Living in South Carolina, security cameras and now we will give you 10 reasons to love quality speakers!
There are, of course, some recognizable brands of speakers.
Sonos is a big one and we’ve blogged about Sonos before as that’s a brand we’ve loved for a long while!
Another ‘famous’ or better worded ‘recognizable’ brand is Klipsch! And yes, we carry and install that brand of speakers as well.
What really makes a great speaker though?
Let’s count the (10) ways we love quality speakers!
We love quality speakers because they bring sound to your home or business as authentic as possible.
Advanced technology and engineering techniques allow us to hear and pick up incredible low, high, soft and loud sounds through speakers. Gone are the days of low-quality squeaky speakers, and gone are those that sounded hollow, or worse, scratchy! Long live clear audio.
Speakers can be beautiful. There, we said it! Gone are the days of over-sized larger-than-life square boxes hanging on your wall. Today’s speakers are streamlined, compact, and aesthetics play a much more important role in overall customer satisfactory than years ago.
Customers are asking and buying aesthetically pleasing products to fit into their home decor.
The reach of wireless speakers is phenomenal. No matter where your system is located in your home or business, through wireless connections, speakers can be part of a large system and reach even the furtherest corners of your home, building and property.
Functionality is key!
Speakers like Alexa connected to a home security system allow us to use voice-commands to create our very own smarthome! Not only are voice-activated systems convenient, in the days of Covid-19 this is also high desirable as there are now no germs to worry about or lingering on touch pads!
Speakers can be integrated with existing systems in your home. Home theater systems, security systems, smarthome systems – the possibilities are endless. To upgrade your systems, or make changes, changing out existing speaker can make a world of difference.
Only by the time we got to #6 am we giving you ‘music‘ as a reason to love speakers! That’s pretty funny. Of course, music plays a huge role in speaker selection. However, by moving it to the middle of this article, we are demonstrating the many ways speakers can be utilized in your home.
Theaters are well-loved not only for showing the movies on ‘the big screen’ but movie buffs love hearing the sounds and audio of the movies in that same larger-room setting. Getting the right speakers and installing them in your home theater, you can recreate that same sound and feeling, that same experience you’d have when watching a move in a real theater.
Have you ever played back home movies? Listening to grandpa’s voice when he was young, hearing the teenager speak as a child, listening to grandma read a book – she who’s just passed away. Speakers can bring back the sounds of memories. How powerful is that?
If you love to listen to stories, audiobooks, podcasts and yes, the news, having the right type of speaker will help you enjoy these daily habits even more! When selecting speakers, be sure to note the reason and use of your speakers to your trusted dealer so they can help you select the right speakers for the right type of use.
Last but not least, when watching TV shows on the big screen – your home theater screen, or your large smart TV – sound is most important to make that experience a memorable one. Bring characters to life by having the best speakers to broadcast your favorite shows.
We are a locally owned and operated small business. We have three children and we love home movies, music, TV shows and more. We also have an integrated security system and understand the value of good speakers. Come talk to us and we will share our experience with you! Our showroom in Murrells Inlet is open we will be more than happy to have you listen to some of your favorite tunes on our favorite speakers!
As we write and publish this, South Carolina’s Governor McMaster has extended a state of emergency declaration and lockdown order until April 27, 2020.
South Carolinians are expected to stay home, quarantined, and only leave their homes to go out for essential services.
While this order is in effect in South Carolina, 97% of the USA in under the same or similar order, essentially keeping 80+ million kids at home instead of in school.
Home is where we are quarantined. How are you staying entertained?
We just saw a scary meme on Facebook!
While this is sort of funny, aren’t you at least glad it 2020 and we have home computers, smartphones, unlimited data plans, the internet and streaming services, right?!
While this article is the 4th in a series of 12 articles*, this title struck a cord this month, as we are reliant on home entertainment as we are ‘stuck’ at home.
Don’t you wish you had a home theater already?
Here are…
Old home movies will provide hours of entertainment. Why watch them on a small tv, or worse, on your hand-held devices? Instead, watch them on the big screen, with your family! Project them, use a smartTV or HTMI cable to watch your old movies in your own home theater!
Sights and sounds; we Americans like everything big! Movie theaters are well-loved in this country and those who can, love to watch streaming services on the big screen as well. A home theater allows you to do just that; it’s an excellent way to show tv shows and movies on the big screen, with surround sound!
Did you know that YouTube is the second largest search engine? YouTube videos are watched my millions of people per hour; watching YouTube videos on a big screen is an amazing experience. What is your favorite channel?
Classic movies like Mary Poppins, the Lion King or The Princes Bride; they are bigger, better and offer more family fun when watched in a home theater! Invite the cousins (after the lockdown is over, of course), friends or host a sleepover birthday party in your own home theater.
Not all parents with babies or small children want to hire babysitters for a date night. If you have your own home theater, you can stay in while going on a date, any time the mood strikes! BYOPopcorn and have that glass of wine or a beer; no need to drive home.
Wii, PS4, Xbox – no matter your choice of gaming system, a home theater makes the gaming experience more real and life-like. A home theater also affords you more room to spread out and play – and offers a dedicated space for gaming where you could keep an eye on the kids!
Challenge your kids to a Karaoke sing off! It’s a great way to expend some energy for the whole family and you’ll likely be surprised by the song choices your family member make. A home theater will make everyone sound better!
While there are no live sporting events to watch during this pandemic, rewatching some classic games, some of the best finals, races and events can be a fun way to spend an evening. Once sports are back... you’ll be glad for that home theater! Trust us when we ay that with the right speakers, it will sound like the sports commentator is sitting next to you!
If you love concerts; whether it is pop concerts, country music or The Boston Pops, concerts sound and look better with surround sound on a big screen. Bonus; you can belt out the songs as loud as you want, without bothering anyone.
Seeing grandma or Uncle Harry on the big screen is the next best thing to hugging them in real life! Instead of facetiming on your small device, bring them into your home theater!
While this is a completely new phenomenon, we did want to mention it here as were are on a continued lockdown and stay home order! Almost all churches have gone virtual with their church services. Why not watch church in your home theater! What a beautiful experience that might turn out to be.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Serious Side Note:
We are well aware that some people do have to work during this time! Strand Security is in fact, deemed an essential business, we are here, ready to serve our customers! We also want to thank medical staff, support staff and all other essential workers for their sacrifice to keeping our country running.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
* Other articles in this 12-Part Year-Long Anniversary series include
10 Reasons to Love the Grand Strand
10 Reasons to Love Smarthomes
10 Reasons to Love our Community
No matter where you live or work, chances are that you’ve been affected by COVID-19. “In times like these” isn’t a phrase we can use because none of us have ever seen a time like this before. We are in this together, whether we like it, or not.
As South Carolinians, we have dealt with floods, hurricanes and lengthy school closures, but nothing of this magnitude.
Whether you are practicing social distancing, self-quarantining or have been asked to shelter in place, please know we feel anxiety, stress and worries just like you are.
Now that everyone in your household, and perhaps with an extra family member, college student or elderly parents who moved (back) in, is home – how can you keep everyone safe?
Unless you’ve opened your pool early this year, or you are using power tools, staying safe at home during this Pandemic means practicing and adhering to safety protocols as usual.
Test and change your smoke alarm batteries, tend to fires, and be sure to alarm you home when you are in it!
Watch your kids as you normally would – and remove known safety hazards.
This is a bit trickier. Your mental health is important to be able to function at home for the long haul of being quarantined. Make sure to use technology to connect with loved ones, pick up new hobbies and above all, eat healthily and exercise! If you have a pet, taking care of your pet’s needs or walking your dog also helps relieve stress.
It’s easy to fall into bad habits; while we can’t go out and eat, this is a great time to cook, bake and enjoy some home-made recipes. Do go to the store once per week if possible to buy fresh produce; it’s more important than ever to take in as many vitamins and minerals as possible to boost your immune system!
As far as occupying your time and entertainment goes, we have some ideas to share.
Hold family dance parties, create TikTok videos and just move! Use your Sonos sound system to wake up the house and sing!
Pull out old family movies, watch long-forgotten classics or stream the latest Hulu, NetFlix, Disney or Amazon Prime shows and movies. Home theaters at a time like this can offer great relief at the end of yet another quarantined day!
As far as technology goes, the sky is the limit. Imagine it and you can do it!
We’ve seen the gamut and encourage you to ‘think outside the box’ to stay connected while distancing.
After all, we really should call it physical distancing, not social distancing!
Stay safe, healthy and connected and give us a call if you need anything.
As 2020 draws near, we at Strand Security are excited to introduce you to the next generation of Smart Homes!
Before we do, let’s talk a bit more about Smart Homes and what they can do.
Any home can be a Smart Home, whether it’s a studio, a condo, a townhome, or a mansion. It’s the powerful connections that make it smart!
The powerful connections being internal connections within the home to automate daily tasks like
At Strand Security, we strive to always offer the latest technology, the most sought-after brands, and the best value! In our search for the best we can offer our customers, we landed on URC.
URC stands for Universal remote Control.
URC is the ultimate smart automation & control system for you to experience premium control & automation for your home or business
It’s amazing how smart your home can get with URC.
We have been amazed by the integration possibilities!
Take a look at this list of partners!
Do you already own products by
just to name SOME of the integration possibilities!
Imagine it…
Peace of mind for parents!
For those who like to be in control of everything!
For those with nosy neighbors!
For those who own a business!
If you are as excited about the possibilities as we are, give us a call!
We’d love to hear
and together with URC technology, we will make a plan of action to take you into 2020!
Did you know that as many as 1400 people per month are now flocking to the Grand Strand area (in 2019)? We are experiencing growth like few other cities and areas in the USA.
With growth comes growing pains.
Growing pains like these:
You might be looking for a home with a home cinema.
If you can’t find what you are looking for along with all the other new residents to Horry and Georgetown County, maybe you should consider building the perfect home cinema.
What you need to know is that you need to find the most skilled person to design your home cinema, before you hire any contractor to do the work!
As you think and start working with an expert in your home cinema design, the FIRST thing you will need to decide is who you will be invited to enjoy this home cinema with!
Before settling on a home cinema design you will need to know
Hold off on the invites until your home cinema is done..;)
You know you have home cinema design and installation choices if you live on the Grand Strand.
We encourage you to do a few things before settling on whom to hire to install your home cinema.
In other words, do your due diligence so you don’t get taken advantage of.
You will want to work with a professional company who is insured, licensed and bonded, has years of experience, and puts its customers first.
No matter who you pick to be your home cinema designer and installer; be sure to know s/he designs something you love!
Communication is important for all aspects of this process.
If you’d like to talk with Chuck, please give him a call. We would love to be considered for your next home cinema project!
Are you contemplating adding a home theater to your existing home, or are you building a home and want to have a home theater?
The first thing to do when looking for ideas is to do some in-person and online research.
We recommend sites like Pinterest and Houzz to get some ideas.
Before you can do your research though, about what is available, you need to know two things.
The first thing you need to do is set a budget.
Next…
If you are contemplating adding a home theater to an existing home, you might need to get a contractor in to help you decide what is possible, especially if you are repurposing a previously unused space like a garage or unfinished attic.
However, if you are building a home, it is much easier to work with the current builder to get a room marked for home theater use – and add all the wiring during the building process!
This will save you money, for sure.
We at Strand Security help homeowners and builders with this often!
Feel free to reach out to us today!
Of course, it is important to know what functionality your home theater has to have!
?Are you looking to entertain with music, maybe watch rock concerts and movies? You need the best audio system to enhance your viewing pleasure.
?Do you want to record your own music?
?Will you want to prepare and serve food and beverages in the home theater?
?How many people do you want to invite into your home theater? Will it be a small theater room or does it need to be large enough for a big crowd?
♟Do you need tables for board games, a jukebox, or room for darts?
You might already have an audio system, like our popular Sonos speakers.
If you have furniture that can be repurposed, that’s a great start.
Do you have a large TV that you want to relocate to the home theater? That will shave off some money of your overall ideal home theater price!
You will need to take a look at seating possibilities, table space, wall space and more.
There is really no ‘average’ price!
You could get a room set up for as little as $500 if you have some of the components and equipment already.
Some people spend $10,000 or even $30,000 for a home theater. They might have a large, expensive home (read: mansion) and spending that much would make no sense for a cheaper home. While adding a home theater adds resale value to a home, you should by no means over-spend!
We can’t look in your wallet, so it is important for you to decide what you want to spend.
What do you think a fair home theater price is for your home?
Who doesn’t love music, right?
A home audio system will enhance your listening enjoyment as you will be able to customize to your personal wishes.
Whatever your wish may be, Strand Security can help you find the best home audio system!
What happens when you get a home audio system installed in your home?
All the feels!
✅ JOY
✅ CALMNESS
✅ LOVE
✅ SERENITY
✅ DELIGHTFULNESS
✅ ELATION
✅ LIVELINESS
✅ REMINISCE
and so much more!
You will be able to turn on music, news, broadcasts, podcasts, radio stations etc with the click of a button or the sound of your voice, no matter where in (or outside) your home you are.
Are you ready to sing, dance, tap, clap and be entertained?
That depends on many factors and the best way to get a good answer is to come to speak with us at Strand Security.
You are welcome to come to our showroom in Murrells Inlet for demos, or we can come to you.
Either way, get an expert at audio systems to recommend a few options.
Strand Security is proud to install only the best of the best.
Here are the home audio brands we love and install in homes in Georgetown County and Horry County!
Check out their product line here.
Includes outdoor speaker product line
This is the easy part.
Once you’ve decided what you want and when you want your system, one phone call to Strand Security is all it takes to get scheduled for installation.
Are you in the market for a new home theater? Do you want the best theater room money can buy? Look no further. We have the answers you need, want and have been looking for!
Strand Security in the Myrtle Beach area services both Horry County and Georgetown County and we specialize in customized home theater rooms. Before you give Chuck a call at 843-318-6392 to set up a consult about your needs and wants, you need to know several things!
Here are the 5 steps you need to take to get the best home theater room money can buy!
Before you call us, or anyone, you need to have some ideas of the possibilities!
Ask your friends, go online, visit Houzz and Pinterest and use Google to find some neat ideas.
Next, do your brand research.
What brands do you trust, what do you like, what does each brand offer.
A good way to go about that is to check brand warranties and online reviews!
What do you already own in your home, that you will want in your home theater?
Is it seating, speakers, a large TV or surround sound system, or are you starting from scratch?
If you have your room ready to go, this is the right time take careful measurements. The size of the room will dictate the type of sound system you will need, the size and placement of your furniture and more. Make sure to note everything on paper, including the number of outlets, windows etc.
It’s important to set a budget for your home theater room. You’d be wasting a lot of time looking at brands and equipment if your budget is too small to afford it. If you don’t know what type of budget you need, make that your top priority question when you call a home theater expert!
Best to get that out of the way to make things clear – your budget should include line items for furniture, technical equipment, and installation fees.
Now that you’ve got your 5 steps taken care off, it is time to call your local home theater expert!