7 Tips for Maintaining Security Systems for Businesses and Homes on the Grand Strand
Keeping your home or business on the Grand Strand secure is no joke, but it doesn’t have to be a massive chore either.
Maintaining a home or commercial security system is a crucial task that should not be overlooked.
A security system is designed to keep your property and assets safe, and it can only do so if it is properly maintained. With the advancements in technology, security systems have become more complex and sophisticated, making it necessary for homeowners and business owners to have a good understanding of how they work and what is needed to keep them in top condition.
In this article, we will provide seven tips for maintaining your home or commercial security system, helping you to ensure that your property remains secure at all times.
7 Tips for maintaining your home or commercial security system
1 Regular System Checks
Conduct tests of your security system’s sensors, cameras, wiring, and batteries every month, to see if they’re all functioning properly. This will help you find any issues early on and avoid any breaches in security.
2 Keep Your Cameras Clean
Clean your cameras monthly as well to avoid dirt and dust blocking the camera’s view. This will ensure that you get clear images and videos when you need them.
3 Update Your Software and Firmware
Regularly update your security system’s software and firmware to keep it recent and functioning. This will also help make sure that your system is protected against any security threats.
4 Test Your Alarm System
‘Make sure to test your alarm system regularly to see if it’s functioning properly. This will help your security system work as intended if an emergency comes along.
5 Store Your Video Data Properly
If your security system records video, make sure to store it so you can access it if needed. You can use an external hard drive or cloud storage for added protection.
6 Train Family Members or Employees
Make sure that everyone using your security system knows how to use it properly. This means arming and disarming the system and getting in touch with the security company in the case of an emergency.
7 Choose a Reputable Security Company
When selecting a security company, look for one with a good reputation. This will help you feel secure that your security system is maintained and installed properly.
Protecting your Grand Strand property!
Maintaining your security system is incredibly important in ensuring that your property on the Grand Strand is protected.
Regular system checks, keeping your cameras clean, updating your software, testing your alarm system, storing your video data properly, training family members or employees, and choosing a reputable security company are essential steps in maintaining your security system. By following these seven tips, you can keep your property safe and secure and avoid any extra stress.
Need help or have questions? We at Strand Security are here for you!
Who Installs the Best Home Security Systems with Cameras in Myrtle Beach?
Do you already have a home security system with cameras? Do you live in the Myrtle Beach, Grand Strand area?
Then this might be an article you want to skip! 😉
We are going to talk about who installs the best home security systems with cameras in Myrtle Beach and while you might already guess the answer to be ‘Strand Security’, were are going to give you enough reasons to agree with us! Sound fair? Read on.
Why Choose Strand Security for your Home Security System?
We want to to feel good about choosing us as your service provider. We work closely with our clients so they can be sure to get what they want and need to protect their home, their assets and more importantly, their families.
Choose us because we use the same systems we install to protect our own loved ones. We only recommend brands and technology we have in our own homes! What is good enough for us, is good enough for our clients. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
Make the choice to go with us because we care about your safety and security. That is it.
Trust us with what is most dear to you and we will pull through.
Your security. Our business!
Why Choose Us for your Home Security System with Cameras?
We install not just home security system cameras, but all different type of cameras. While we provide services for homeowners on the Grand Strand, we also have a huge commercial division where we install security cameras of all sorts and types each and every day!
Chances are that whatever you think we need, we can provide along with advice and what we recommend you instal. We do keep up with the latest technology, the best brands and newest trends in our industry!
Why Choose Strand Security for Installation when you Live in Myrtle Beach?
We work where we live, we live where we work.
Locally owned and locally operated, we are your first choice of local home security systems providers. We’ve been on the Grand Strand for many years and provide excellent service. (don’t take our word for it, read the Google reviews!)
If you need us, we answer the phone.
If a problem arises, we will be there.
If you want to upgrade, we can do that!
What Makes Strand Security Your Best Choice for Home Security Systems Installation?
We have many years of home security systems experience.
We sell home security systems.
We install install home security cameras.
We maintain your home security system if you live within our area of work, anywhere in Horry County or Georgetown County South Carolina.
We offer the best service, at the most competitive pricing and we are a locally owned and locally operated small business. We live where we work!
For Home Security Systems with Cameras in Myrtle Beach, Connect With us!
We can’t wait to welcome you into the fold of Strand Security customers. It is as simple as picking up the phone. We are ready for your calls.
What Brands Give the Best Overall Value for a Home Security System?
The Best Brands for Home Security Systems
What do you value in a brand?
Is it
- longevity
- durability
- customer service
- innovation
- integration
When it comes to home security, we at Strand Security believe that ALL of these are important! When it comes to our own family, and our customers, we want the best systems for the best pricing. We want you to have access to the latest technology and we want it to be affordable.
Here are 3 Home Security Brands that Provide Excellent Overall Value!
1 Honeywell Total Connect
We love Honeywell Total Connect! Many of our customers have a home security system that allows them operated their smarthome and to check in from afar using the Honeywell Total Connect app.
As we live in a hurricane prone zone – the coast of South Carolina – having a remote app to check in on our home when we can’t be there provides peace of mind during a stressful time like a mandatory evacuation during a hurricane.
Honeywell is a reliable brand, integrates well with other products and has been around for a long, long time.
We stand by these products.
2 Alarm.com
Newer to our Strand Security family is the brand Alarm.com.
Much like us here at Strand security, the folks at Alarm.com protect and trust their own family with the brand Alarm.com.
We think differently at Alarm.com. For more than 20 years, we’ve been pioneering smarter solutions that deliver total protection for millions of homes, businesses, and families – including our own. What’s the difference? Get to know us and some of our customers here.
Whether you need to secure your family, your home, your business, your assets like boats, commercial real estate or motorcycles, trust Alarm.com to be there when you need them!
3 URC Smarthome Automation
What’s NOT to love about URC Smarthome automation?
The URC company is on the cutting edge of technology, adding more and more of the latest and great tech innovation to their products. They have become a trusted brand for us at Strand Security, not just on the Home Security side, but on the Commercial Security side as well. Check out this story of a commercial install in North Myrtle Beach, using URC!
For your home, URC will change automation once and forever.
Do you think that voice commands to change the setting on your thermostat is exciting?
Wait until you learn more about window shade automation! If you dream it, you can automate it.
Local Security Company + Premium Brands = Perfect match Up
No matter what your home or business needs, trust Strand Security to help guide you to the right system and the right brand for your budget and needs!
Give us a call to get started.
Are Home Security Systems Worth Investing In?
☆ Are you on the fence about purchasing a home security system?
☆ Are you not 100% convinced your home needs a security system?
☆ Are you afraid of the cost associated with a home security system?
If you are, you are not alone.
Cost is one of the deciding factors for many homeowners as to whether they go with or without a home security system.
Don’t wait for until you need us because then you are too late! Quite a few new customers come to us with recent trauma of being victimized in their own home.
Today we will answer the question whether a home security system is worth investing in!
Investing in a Home Security System. What is it Worth to You?
Peace of mind goes a long way, and until you’ve lost peace of mind, until you’ve lost that feeling of being safe and secure in your own home, you don’t know and can’t understand what it’s like to be a victim of a home invasion or burglary.
Victim report feeling scared, upset, victimized and are afraid to be in the one place that should make them feel safe.
Why would you want to wait to find out what that feels like?
We bet you have
- health insurance
- homeowners insurance
- life insurance
all because you are thinking ahead!
Having a home security system is like having insurance for your personal and mental well-being!
What Does It Cost to Get a Home Security System?
No matter where you live, right here in South Carolina like we do, or elsewhere, home security systems are affordable for almost all homeowners.
Systems come in all shapes and sizes and monitoring can start for a little as $30-$50/month.
The total cost of the system installation depends on several factors like
- current equipment
- size of the home
- brand
- integration with other home systems
The simplest of simple home security system is better than not having one at all, since having an activated system will deter potential criminals from coming into your home!
If a Home Security System Is An Investment, What Do You Get Out of It?
There are several GREAT things you get out of investing in a home security system.
- The first thing you get is peace of mind for all parties. Parents, babysitters, teenagers etc.
- Next, you should talk to your insurance company and submit a request for a reduced home insurance rate
- When you do have a system in place and an incident occurs – fire, medical emergency or breakin, help is on the way quickly, without delay!
- Last but not least, when circumstances do changes i.e. you have a new baby, hire a sitter, are ready to leave your child home alone after school, or have an elderly parent move in, you are ready to adjust your system to your new circumstance.
Integrating Your Home Security System with Your Other Systems
Did you know what your home systems can all work together? We at Strand Security would love to help you make the most of your current system. Maybe you need new cameras? We can help!
Strand Security is a locally owned and locally operated security business. We live where we work, just like you.
And the answer to whether a home security system is worth investing in… is yes! If you need one more reason, consider this: if you are interested in selling your house at some point, having a fully wired and ready-to-go security system installed is a selling point!
Give us a call soon.
How To Get Ready for 2022 With Our Best Home Security Tips
2022 Is Almost Here! How Will You Protect and Secure Those You Love?
In just a few weeks, the calendar will turn to 2022.
Are you ready?
Protecting the ones you love should be your number one priority, followed by protecting your hard-earned possession. Strand Security partners with individuals, families and businesses to do just that!
Your security is our business!
As we close out 2021 with Strand Strand Security’ s last blog article in 2021, let’s look ahead to how you can get ready for the most amazing year (2022!) with our Best Home Security Tips!
Activate Your Alarm System – When You Leave and When You Arrive!
Why not use it if you got it?
We continue to be surprised to find that the majority of home security system owners only activate their alarms when they are not home! Right, we mean that people will arm the system and set it to ‘away’ when they leave, but fail to arm the system when they are home.
Wait?! Yep!
TIP: You should use the system when you are home! Really!!! Protect yourself and those you love against a home invasion, possible burglary or worse.
You got? Use it!
Keep Your Yard Trimmed and Cleaned Up
You want to tell the world you care about your property. Tell them you care enough to landscape, trim hedges and bushes and you are aware of changes happening in your yard.
This signals to a potential burglar on a stakeout to skip your home! They do not want to meet a homeowner – burglars want to enter your home undetected and want to leave before anyone notices they are there. Install Motion-Detecting Flood Lights Around Your Home and Office
Lights deter. But leaving lights on all night is not a great option. While you could use timers to turn lights on and off, why not use motion-detecting lights to flood the doorways, windows and parking lots when people approach your building!
Crime can happen during the day. However, the cover of darkness makes sneaking in and out of a building much easier. Don’t make it easy for a criminal. use light to deter them.
Test your System Periodically
We at Strand Security help our customers test their systems. We want to make sure that during an emergency situation – home fire, carbon monoxide, medical emergency, hurricane, flood etc – your system will alert the proper authorities!
Testing should be part of your standard maintenance list done on your home!
Upgrade Your Security Cameras
The newest, latest security camera technology is amazing. No more grainy pictures, no more guessing who is trying to break in. Clear images and wireless options, wired or wireless, there are many options and each year they get better and better with advanced technology. If you’ve not updated your cameras in a long time, come talk to us.
We’d be happy to give you a quote to upgrade your current system!
Keep an Eye On Crime Stats in Your Neighborhood
Last but not least, keep an eye on the crime stats for your neighborhood, your town, your county. Not all crimes make the paper or the news, but there are places you ca find real data on crime.
We don’t recommend you get obsessed with numbers, but a forewarned person can action to prevent certain crimes from happening. Why not be prepared?
If crime in your area is in on the rise, read this.
Strand Security: Serving Horry County and Georgetown County
We are here when you need us, but we prefer to help you before you really need us aka you’ve been a victim of crime! 😉
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from all of us at Strand Security. May your 2022 be filled with joy, happiness and and may you always feel safe and protected!
What if a Panic Button Could Save Your Life or That of a Loved One?
Panic Buttons Are Not Just for Seniors!
Who doesn’t remember the “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” commercial? Did you know these LifeCall commercials started running on TV in 1987?
Be honest, when we say ‘panic button’ is that the image you have? This ‘panic button’ for LIfeCall was for a medical alert system.
This same concept of ‘instant alert’ is now affordable and available to anyone, anywhere and anytime, for both personal and commercial use. Let’s look at some user stories of panic buttons and how they are NOT just for senior citizens!
Hospital Staff and Panic Buttons!
After a rise in aggressive patient behavior during the Covid pandemic, a Missouri hospital took seemingly drastic steps to keep their staff safe and secure by providing panic buttons!
From the video:
After an increasing number of patients became violent at Cox Medical Center in Missouri staff members were given personal panic buttons. The buttons use a GPS tracking system so security can locate employees when they are in trouble.
Banks and Panic Buttons!
You’ve seen this in movies, for sure, but did you know panic buttons at banks are standard?
This is how panic buttons at banks work:
Banks can hide a silent-alarm button on the side of a desk, under the teller counter or inside a safe. Some companies offer emergency buttons disguised as a key fob or a pendant. As soon as an employee flips the switch, it triggers the control panel at the alarm company. Some companies let the bank designate special buttons for particular emergencies. One button can be set to tell the company to send for paramedics rather than police, for example.
Gas Station and Panic Buttons!
In this article about gas station safety, panic buttons are mentioned as a ‘must-have’ safety net. Often, gas station attendants work alone. Personal safety is important when a co-worker is not available as a back up.
- Make sure the panic button is within reach. There should be a panic button installed at the clerk counter in case of an emergency, such as theft or gunfire. Make sure that you know exactly where it is and that you can access it easily.
Heather’s Armed Robbery Story
Heather of Strand Security knew the importance of panic buttons. Her husband had his own security company and she’s begged her boss (at a retail store) to install panic buttons.
He did not.
Read Heather’s story of survival when she was robbed at gunpoint. She credits a high school self-defense class as helping her survive. She also knows that if she’d had a panic button to push, she might not have had to fight for her life!
Panic Buttons at Home. They Can Save Your Life or That of a Loved One
If you have already have a security system in place, and have 24/7 monitoring of your system, adding panic buttons is an easy way to add another layer of security!
Place the panic button in your bathroom or bedroom, basement or any place you want. Ask us and we ca help you chose the best spots!
We can also supply you with a portable, wearable panic button. NOTE: These will only work when your system is enabled, of course. Another reason to always arm your system!
Call us to start a conversation about panic buttons!
Control your Home Security with this Updated App | Honeywell
Summer Vacation, Here We Go!
As we write this article, springtime is quickly taken over by summer weather, and summer activities are here to stay for the next few months in South Carolina. Myrtle Beach is a great place to work and live and even if you don’t travel far to take a break, there are plenty of gorgeous places to visit on the Grand Strand.
Last year, during our 10th business anniversary, we highlighted South Carolina and the Grand Strand on grand scale! We love this community : we live and work right here alongside you, our customers.
Summer is one of the best times to ‘play’ and be out and about. But before you do, make a safety and security plan. There is no sense in going out to play only to come back to a home that’s been burglarized or vandalized!
Keeping an Eye On Your Home While On Vacation
In this recent blog article on the Strand Security blog, we gave our readers and customers 5 ways to prevent a break in while away on vacation. Preventing a crime is always better than a clean up afterwards.
A home invasion, or a burglary will bring forth all sorts of headache, least of all the feeling of your home and privacy being violated by criminals.
Take these 5 actionable tips before going away this summer!
Monitor a Home While On Vacation with a Mobile App
When you do go away this summer, due to a vacation (or an unexpected hurricane!), monitoring your home from any location will give you peace of mind.
In order to monitor your home, you will need security cameras installed – Strand Security is happy to consult with you on what type of cameras are best for your home, or business.
Wouldn’t you love to know what’s happening in-real-time in and around your home?
You can!
Get the New and Updated Honeywell Total Connect App
Isn’t it time to check out all you can do with the Honeywell Total Connect 2.0 App? Download it today to control and remotely manage your garage doors, thermostats, lights, locks, video doorbell, cameras, and more.
Do you have questions about Honeywell, smarthome technology or any other integration? Our doors are always open. We will be happy to help you monitor your home from afar, or we will monitor it for you!
The Latest Security Technology to Be Thankful For!
Happy Thanksgiving Week!
We want to wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving. No matter how different this year’s celebration looks due to the pandemic, if you are with family and healthy, you are lucky and blessed!
We are thankful for so many people in our business.
We are thankful for our staff and our suppliers, and we are thankful for you, our customer! As we come to the end of a year-long celebration of our 10th anniversary, we are so very grateful for the ability to continue to serve the Grand Strand community of South Carolina and keep residents in Horry County and Georgetown County safe and secure!
Today, let’s look at some of the latest security technology we are grateful for during this crazy 2020 year.
Smarthome Technology
We love our URC smarthome technology. We have installed numerous systems like this during this past year in the Myrtle Beach area, on the Grand Strand in both homes as well as commercial locations.
The possibilities are endless with URC technology and we are grateful to be able to help solve problems for our clients with this amazing system and related products.
Learn more about URC here.
Remote Access To Your Home Security System
If nothing else, we’ve all learned to “let go” this year! Many of us have had to go to work and leave teenagers and kids at home for remote schooling whether they we ready for this, or not. Some of us have elderly relatives who are at home in self-imposed isolation to stay safe from COVID-19 and because of all this, how thankful we are for remote access to our home security cameras and systems!
No matter where you need to be, the ones that are left at home can be reached in an instant with remote access to your home security system, how comforting is that as a parent or caregiver?
Voice Activation
Last but not least, now that we know through science how germs are spread, using voice activation to control your home, your smarthome, gives you an added buffer of security and safety against an invisible enemy, COVID-19.
No more touching and retouching light switches, curtains, temperature controls, garage door openers, windows, locks, sound systems, home theater controls… With URC smarthome technology everything can be controlled by voice and thus by default becomes touch-free and germ-free!
We are thankful to be able to offer this to our Strand Security customers, both homeowners and families, as well as our commercial customers like restaurants and Grand Strand business owners who need a new way to keep customers and staff safe!
We Are Thankful For Our Grand Strand Community
We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here! We don’t just work on the Grand Strand , we live here, too. We are thankful to be surrounded by businesses who, like us, care about their customers’ safety and security, and we are glad to be working on several URC integration projects right now to give those businesses that added buffer of safety.
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Strand Security to you and yours!
You Can Thank Your Lucky Stars Or Hire The Best Security Company
How Lucky Do You Feel?
Accidents and attacks happen in mere seconds. People get mugged, attacked, and robbed daily. Businesses get vandalized and their employees robbed and you might never have known about it unless it made the news.
Within precious seconds, or even in the blink of an eye, something can happen to you or a loved one that will alter the rest of your life.
How well you are prepared often dictates the outcome!
The more prepared you are for the potential of a natural disaster, personal attack, accident, home invasion, fire or another emergency, the better off you are.
Leaving it all “to chance” is one sure way to set yourself and your loved ones up for failure and a negative outcome.
Do You Want Your Security To Be ‘Lucky’ or Scientific?
If you’ve never been
- attacked
- robbed
- vandalized
- in a fire
- under attack
- in an accident
count your lucky stars!
Each year, millions of Americans deal with the aftermath of personal disasters like accidents, home invasions, fires, attacks, vandalism and more.
Let us look at some statistics and scientific data next, to find if preparation for an emergency can make a difference.
Facts and Data Don’t Lie!
We contract with C.O.P.S Monitoring Services and this is why!
This means that when you do have a home or business emergency, help is on the way instantly, even if you are incapacitated due to injury, smoke inhalation, an attack or another emergency!
Safewise states: “Based on a report by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, about 60% of convicted burglars stated the presence of a security system influenced their decision to target another home.”
How is this for a statistic: “Almost 30% of burglars enter a home through an unlocked door or window.” It’s easy to prepare and to make sure to lock up every night to prevent burglaries.
Don’t Leave It To Luck. Hire The Best Security Company Now!
We are on standby to help you and yours.
Your security is our business here at Strand Security and we take it very seriously.
We are a locally owned and locally operated business and we want nothing more than help to protect those whom you love and that what you’ve worked so hard for!
Come to talk to us and learn the difference.
We Are Thankful For Our Customers!
We wouldn’t be where we are today without our loyal customers.
To our current customers, we’d like to say “We enjoy doing business with you and thank you for your patronage.” For those who are not customers yet; “What are you waiting for?” Pick up the phone and give us a call!
9 Questions to Ask Your Home Security Provider
Are You Looking For A New Home Security System?
You might be in the market for a new home security system if you
- recently moved to the Grand Strand
- just bought a new home
- currently are in the process of building a new home
- are the victim of a recent crime
- found your home burglarized
- have watched the crime rate in your neighborhood explode
- not long ago had a baby
- changed jobs
Changes in lifestyle, location or family life all contribute to a search for added security.
You’ve Got Home Security Questions, We’ve Got Answers
Who should you go to when you have questions about an existing system, or if you are interested in purchasing a home security system for the first time?
A local, locally owned and locally operated home security system provider has all the answers to any of your pressing questions, of course!
In the Myrtle Beach and Grand Strand area, Strand Security is the company that fits that bill. We serve customers in both Georgetown County and Horry County.
We have an active Facebook Page where we can answer questions, but better yet, we are available by phone or service email anytime!
Frequently Asked Questions About Home Security
Here are some questions we get frequently.
- Is wireless security better than wired security?
- Do I need security cameras?
- Will I be able to have remote access to my new system?
- How secure will my home be while I am away?
- I don’t have a lot of money; can I still afford a system?
- Can you help make my home into a Smarthome?
Read these answers and many more on our Strand Security blog. We are glad you are here already; did you know we have nearly four years of articles and information available for you to research?
9 Questions to Ask Your Home Security Provider
If you are ready to go ahead and purchase a home security system, here are 9 questions to ask your home security provider.
We’d be happy to help you keep your home safe and secure for those you love!
- How long have you been in business?
- Are you licensed?
- What equipment (brands) do you use?
- Who monitors your systems?
- What is the average response time to emergencies?
- How much is the install?
- What is my overall cost?
- Will I get a yard sign and window decals?
- Does your system help me qualify for a home insurance discount?
Home Security = Peace of Mind
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