Home Security Information for the Proactive Parent
May 3rd, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Pregnancy is a busy, learning time that should be enjoyed, but there is so much home security information regarding home safety that it should not be put off with everything else to the end of your nine months. You are hurrying around trying to make sure that the room is done, the car seat in installed right, the stroller unfolds, and that you have enough diapers to get you through the first week.
However, many people have so much to remember they forget about their child’s safety inside their homes. While it is true that people feel different about childproofing houses, everyone would agree that there are common things that can be done in order to make your home safer and more accessible to your growing baby.
Some people think that home security information in regards to childproofing a home is meaningless, and it will teach your child to be more careless than if they just learned the concept of no. Many people understand that you cannot childproof every environment that your child is in, and you cannot ask everyone you know to childproof their own homes because of your kid.
Other people feel like their youngsters should feel comfortable enough in their own homes to be able to explore it freely. They think that if their baby were at another person’s home, they would be more likely to keep a closer eye over them. However, there is a compromise between childproofing as an obsession, and leaving your children to fend for themselves. Home security information is a responsibility when you’re a parent.
Getting a Home Security System in Place
There are things that should be done for the safety of your child to prevent redundant accidents. First, you should never let your child be able to play with anything that is above their age limit. Many toys include small parts, and these parts can easily block your child’s windpipe, causing death and debilitating brain damage. Home security information is an issue when it comes to the purchase of electronics as well.
Make sure all of your cords and equipment is out of reach from small hands. If your house has stairs or any other places that a child could get stuck in, a safety gate might be your best option. You should cover your electrical outlets with covers because they attract small fingers, and even if it doesn’t fit with your décor, you should move all breakable items so that they are completely out of reach.
Sometimes it is easier to remove the coffee table altogether for a couple of years, but if this seems too drastic, there are tacky coverings for pointy edges that are available. Also, keeping emergency phone numbers handy is a good idea for the whole family - most cities will hand out a magnetized list of important phone numbers that you can place on your refrigerator. The magnets usually come with your phone book when it is placed on the doorstep once a year.
A Secure Home Which Includes Pets
Another thing that concerns your child, your home, and the safety of everyone in your home is to childproof your pets the best that you can for security purposes. Learn about home security information for pets. Before you bring your infant home, you should play with your dog’s ears, tail, and body while they eat. Many dogs can get protective over their food, and they have to learn to get used to hands in and around their food.
Make sure that you buy your dog or cat a bed and give it a designated spot in the house. When your child can understand, let them know that the spot is the dog’s peaceful place and they should not be bothered when they are in their place. Eventually, your pet will seek refuge in their personal place when they are tired, annoyed, or want to be left alone.
Lastly, you should bring your baby’s blanket home and give it to your dog after the first day in the hospital. Your dog will have a chance to get used to your baby’s smell, and he or she will not feel like an intruder has entered your home once you bring the new addition home from the hospital. Prepare your pet, so that you can make your home safe for you child initially, and you can relax later.
No one has all of the answers, nor can anyone gather and absorb all of the home security information that is available. The reason that no one knows everything is because all children are different, and their curiosities are not predictable. Some children are going to be completely obsessed with a socket, while others will care less.
Some children will find the dirtiest corner of your home and lick off the floor, while other children will want to wash their hands constantly. The easiest thing to do is to examine your child as an individual, and then determine which areas of your home need to be concentrated in home safety and security.
Technorati Tags: Home Security Information, home security system
Related Tags: No Tags
Some Things To Watch For With a Home Security Camera System
May 1st, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Selecting either a home security camera system, or a camera to be used for a commercial reason, can be frustrating if you don’t know what you are looking for in protection. For instance, do you want a real or fake home security camera system, meaning, do you need a system that will actually alert the police, or do you feel that the aesthetic of having a camera visible on the premises is good enough to ward off predators?
Are you interested in the way that a monitor is going to look? Do you want something that is obvious or discrete? Regardless of what your needs are, there is something that can come close to what you want. Cameras will come in three basic forms, hopefully learning the basics will help to cut down on some future decisions.
The first kind of home security camera is known as a dome camera. Obviously, this camera comes in the shape of a dome and it fits conveniently on the ceiling of your home or business. You will find the dome cameras often times in casinos where they are used to monitor the tables. You will also find home security at its most fashionable with the dome lens.
There are dome cameras that can be placed outside, however, you must use a special armor type in order to do this kind of mounting. Sony carries two different types of dome security cameras and they are a leader in the industry. You can choose from the Verifocal dome camera, which has the highest resolution (420 lines) and an adjustable lens.
You can also purchase Sony’s Infrared Armor dome camera, which acts as a hidden camera and is the most durable of all of the dome cameras. Dome cameras are the most popular security cameras because they are impossible to detect which angle they are viewing unless you are at close range. They come in black or white and they all have adjustable lenses.
The second type of home security camera is the bullet camera. The lens is long and resembles a rifle, which is where the camera finds its name. Bullet cameras are easily visible and can be mounted to a wall or a ceiling. They use a 12V DC voltage, and the power cable should be included when the camera is purchased.
Most of these cameras will film in color and then change their resolutions to black and white when the light levels are lower. The resolution during the day is much better with the bullet security systems, but if you have an alternate form of lighting, like a streetlight, people can sometimes be seen from up to 70 feet away. The most popular brand of bullet security cameras is the SPECO CVC-6805SX, which is color and has a fixed lens of 4mm.
Many businesses rely on home security cameras at night. However, it can be hard to see the footage when there is no light. The infrared camera has built in lights around the lens so you are able to view your taped footage with ease. However, the infrared lighting can cause a problem when it is used at a home due to the glare that is created from the windows.
Some people will think that an infrared camera is the same as a night vision camera, although the night vision camera does not have built in lighting around their lens. Prices can vary on the infrared cameras, but the most affordable home security model is the QSVC422 CCD color outdoor camera made by Digital Peripheral Solutions.
Security cameras can provide a cushion of comfort for a secure home, especially when you have an investment that you want to protect. A home security camera can scare an obvious thief, and also catch an unsuspecting one if it is a strategically hidden camera.
Home security cameras have become more popular with people who own second and third homes, and feel like they need an insurance policy for their property, so to speak while the business owner has been protecting his own with security cameras since the advent of the entrepreneur. Just remember that it can never hurt to be proactive about your safety.
Technorati Tags: Home Security Alarm, Home Security Camera System, Home Security Surveillance System, Home Security System Components, QSVC422 CCD color outdoor camera, SPECO CVC 6805SX
Related Tags: No Tags
Home Computer Security
May 16th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
10-18-05
This is a paper about securing your home computers and networks.
The goal of computer security is to keep unauthorized users from using your resources. This can be anything from your computer to your printer or even your web camera. Detection is another important aspect that should be monitored as well.
I often get asked “Why should I worry?”
Maybe you shouldn’t. If you are concerned about any of your files or the possibility of losing them you should care. There is also online banking that many people use to watch their accounts. Malicious users can also use your computer to launch attacks against other networks, or put files on your computer as a means of storage. Even if you have the computer just to send email to Grandma don’t think that you are not at risk. Attackers like to hide there tracks by jumping thru multiple locations such as your computer. Malicious users can take over your webcam and watch and even listen to you!
Attackers like to use multiple systems to launch denial of service attacks-sending tons of packets to bring a network to its knees.
Identity theft is huge right now. Your credit report should be reviewed frequently. Identity thieves can gain allot of information from your home computers. FTC said there are approximately over 10 million victims a year. If your ID is stolen or think it is visit www.consumer.gov/idetheft. Never send out your personal information in email it is not secured.
The risk is getting greater daily as more people connect to the Internet. Script Kiddies download tools that make breaking into computers as easy as pressing a button. Security patches are offered thru vendors but most people do not bother to patch there systems or have the time.
Do people in your household use file sharing programs? I cannot believe the amount of Spy ware and viruses that are hidden in some of those files. I removed over 600 different Malwares from a home computer who thought they were just downloading music. The system was always freezing and changing homepages in Internet Explorer. Not to mention these file sharing programs can be sharing your financial data, medical records, secret recipes or your last tax return.
Key loggers can be on your system recording every keystroke and emailing it to an attacker, enemy or even your spouse. This includes IM’s, Emails, and passwords anything.
There are Anti-Virus software that will detect most of these programs.Anti-Spyware can also detect allot of MalWare or malicious code.
Use strong passwords that are alphanumeric or use a password strength tool. I would not use anything in a dictionary American or Foreign as those can be cracked easily thru Brute Force.
Don’t use the same password for every account. Change your passwords regularly, and don’t write them down.
I recommend making regular backups of at a minimum your critical system files. Back up to a CDR to ensure that your data cannot be overwritten.
Please monitor your children’s surfing habits and teach them about the dangers of the Internet. I recommend installing filtering software to keep their curious minds out of the wrong sites.
Staying abreast of Anti-Virus updates.
Don’t upon email attachments that can contain viruses or other malware.
Don’t run programs if you don’t know where they came from than can have Trojan horses. Trojan Horse is a program that appears to be a regular program such as Solitaire buts its actually sending your bank account information to an email address. Attackers can also take over your computer have .mp3 file ran at 3AM in the morning to scare you, even open and close your CD-DRIVE door.
Disable JAVA, JavaScript and Active X
Keep up to date on patching your operating systems and applications. In Windows you can set up automatic updates. You can also visit the Windows Update site.
Microsoft releases patches even second Tuesday of the month this is known in IT as black Tuesday, there is always allot of patches. Upgrade to Service Pack 2.
Internet Explorer always has security issues. There are Open Source browsers like Firefox www.firefox.org which is a great browser and has more security feautures. Firefox has allot of great add ons as well that can make researching more effective amongst other utilities
Disable scripting in email
Enable NAT Network Address Translation on your router. This will hide your private IP address from the Internet. While still allowing computers to access the Internet. Most network firewalls have IP NAT masquerading where multiple device on the Internet appear as one IP address.
Make sure you are not enabling shares on your computer for any of your drives. This will look like a hand holding a drive in Microsoft Windows.
Be aware of Phishing these are Internet Con-Artist looking to catch a some fish. Emails are sent that look like Bank Emails, Amazon and PayPal, it amazes me how many people I work with think its the real thing.
If your considered about security consider encryption. For Home users look into PGP or Pretty Good Privacy to secure your email, you can even encrypt your hard drive.
When you think you have deleted your files they are still retrievable consider a file wiping utility.
Use a Surge Protector.
No firewall can stop all attacks.
Benjamin Hargis CEO
Phuture Networks
http://www.phuturenetworks.com
No TagsTechnorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
