As we enter the summer months and look forward to lots of outdoor activities and entertaining, don’t forget to equip your porch, patio, or pool area with the latest state of the art media and outdoor speaker equipment. Let Connect One Security and Media, Light and Sound be your resource for outfitting your home with the kind of water-resistant components that will liven up your pool parties and add to the fun of summer!

Connect One believes that you deserve only the best in technology for your Houston home sound systems, which is why we use only award winning companies in audio and video when we are designing your home audio system or the theater of your dreams. Everything we offer is fully customizable for what you need. One of our trained consultants will work with you every step of the way to best determine what those needs are.

Contact Connect One Security at 713-574-1539 to schedule your free in-home consultation so one of our professional sound technicians can help you determine what would best meet your outdoor media needs.

While you’re at it, why not update your home theater system? Our techs can look at your system and make recommendations to update what you have by switching out one or two components putting you on the cutting edge of current technology.

It’s the Fourth of July time of year again, and there are some things that Connect One Security would like to recommend to help keep your family safe this season. In the midst of all of your family fun and festivities, be sure to warn children specifically about the dangers of fireworks. Probably the best way to stay safe is to go to an organized fireworks show where professionals are responsible for the show. If this is not a possibility, keep the following things in mind as you create your own fireworks show:

1) Keep an eye on children at ALL times. It is easy to get sidetracked in all the fun and socializing and have a little one slip off to the box of fireworks with a lit sparkler. The dangers of what would follow this type of incident are extreme.
2) Another tip: If you shoot off fireworks from a cardboard pipe style contraption, be aware that they are flimsy and can cause a potential hazard if the pipe blows over and detaches from the platform. The firework is still going to go off, but right in front of you instead of up in the sky. Be sure to check the integrity of the pipe and platform it’s attached to between shooting fireworks.
3) Sparklers can reach extreme temperatures that are capable of melting gold, so be sure and instruct children to keep them away from face, clothing, hair, and anything else flammable that may be near them.
4) Never light a firework while it is still in your hand and be sure that no part of your body is over them while lighting.
5) Don’t carry fireworks in your pocket. There is a danger that the friction of them rubbing together could set them off.
6) NEVER relight a dud!!
7) Keep a water hose close as well as a bucket of water that can be used to put out fires in the case of an emergency.
Don’t allow children to pick up fireworks pieces after your show. Some could still ignite and blow up in their hands.
9) Don’t forget about your pets! Animals have very sensitive ears and may become extremely fearful or stressed while fireworks are going off. It’s best to keep them indoors or away from this situation.
10) Purchase only legal fireworks. The illegal ones will not be labeled. The legal ones will be labeled with manufacturer instructions and name. Steer clear of any fireworks called a M-80, M100, quarter-pounder, or blockbuster. These types of fireworks account for many injuries and accidents, and were banned back in 1966.

Be sure to take any and all safety precautions when using explosives (fireworks), and then enjoy the show, knowing that you and your family are safe!

Connect One Security is interested in our customers’ safety across the board. We will always try to point out ways that you can protect your family and property during every day activities as well as special events such as Fourth of July. We wish you all a very happy and safe Independence Day! You can contact us to let us know if there is anything we can do to better serve you!

Yes, it’s true. There was recently a man in the Dallas who posed as a possible home buyer to gain entrance into some of the finer homes in the area so that he can have access to their valuables.

Police already have a suspect, but this case poses a great opportunity to make a point about home security and the importance of awareness for would-be burglars. If you are trying to sell your home, be sure to use a trusted Realtor, and never let a potential home buyer have access to your home alone.

While it should go without saying that a Realtor should always be present, at times we are too easy to trust people who appear to be honest and sincere. At one of the Dallas burglaries the suspect was believed to have stolen over $20,000 in jewelry. Don’t let this type of needless crime happen to you. This could have easily been prevented had the burglar not been left alone. Fortunately, people with their homes for sale in this area have been put on alert, and by simply being more aware of the problem, it should decline.

It is also important to emphasize; however, that Realtors should always walk the homes with their clients and not allow them to wander through the home without supervision. In the past it has been customary to let potential home buyers have some time in the home to look for themselves and evaluate whether or not the home would work for them. However, with these sorts of crimes on the rise, we can no longer afford strangers the ability to roam through our homes alone.

Be proactive instead of reactive in potential crime circumstances such as this. Don’t allow yourself to be vulnerable, and be sure to let your realtor know what you expect when they are showing your home so that you don’t become yet another crime statistic. Contact us today at Connect One Security with questions or for a free consultation. Let us show you how home monitoring can keep your family and home secure.

So you thought your family’s guard dog would protect your home and property? Check out this video of a burglary in progress… 

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0409092boynton1.html

Contact Connect One Security at 713-574-1539 so one of our consultants can better inform you on more high tech ways to protect your home and family.