The Right Security For My Family

I spent seven years working for an internet company. The owners/partners of the company were all about security. I learned quite a bit from those guys about keeping a network secure.

I’m not sure why but those lessons never really transferred over to my real life. Perhaps growing up in Small Town, USA I just never thought much about keeping my home secure. We’ve always had a low crime rate around here and neighbors still watch out for each other. Yet, times are changing and I don’t necessarily like those changes.

Over the past 15 years our garage/shop has been broken into 3 times. This is supposed to be a safe neighborhood but it seems even safe places aren’t so safe these days. So far, we’ve lost a few hundred dollars worth of tools but I’m not comfortable waiting around until something worse happens.

In fact, I can’t help wondering what will happen if someone gets the courage to break into our home. And what if that happens when we’re all there, asleep perhaps? What about my kids who sometimes fall asleep in front of the TV on weekends?

Yes, we do have a dog and she can be quite intimidating when she greets visitors with her bark. She’s a Pit Bull and they do have quite the reputation. The truth is, though, Belle is a very typical Pit Bull, meaning she’s friendly and affectionate. She just loves people and it wouldn’t be difficult for someone to calm Belle and turn her into a friend in a matter of seconds. Her bark may alert us to a visitor but a watch dog, she isn’t.

For the record, most family dogs are useless for protecting the home. A skilled thief can get around most any dog other than those trained solely for the purpose of guard dog. Yes, a dog may protect its master and I’m sure Belle would risk her life to protect my kids, but at the end of the day, she’s just a lovable dog whose strong suit is scaring off inept amateurs.

So, what to do? I’ve been looking into home security systems and I’m just amazed at the wide array of services. Not only can ADT Security monitor your home for break-ins but also for fire, flood, carbon monoxide and medical emergencies. Now, we’re not at risk for flood here on this hill but with our wood burner this winter, fire is a frightening possibility. I just never realized that one monitoring service would handle so many different situations.

I’m not sure if we can use one system to handle our house as well as our garage, since they’re not attached. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be a problem. I know I still have more research before I make a decision but so far, I really like the system and service that ADT offers like the 24 hour monitoring at five centers across the USA.

So, do any of you have a home security system? If so, has it calmed your fears of safety for your family? If not, have you considered one? Do you like what ADT has to offer? Take a minute to let me know what you think about home security in general.