Spytown

Winter safety is always a concern

Although winter seems to be having a slow start this year, we are starting to see that much of the country is somehow being affected by heavy doses of snow, sleet, and ice. On days like these, it can be nice to just hunker down inside your nice warm house while the snow piles up outside and the sleet cracks off your window panes. This is also a safe decision as icy roads can be very treacherous.

However, there are some people who still need to head out even when Old Man Winter chooses to make life difficult. A common misconception is that criminals most likely will also remain indoors during adverse weather. This is not always true, as thieves will take any opportunity that turns the odds in their favor.

Winter is one such opportunity. Some people like to leave their car doors unlocked so that they don’t get iced over. If you leave a GPS system, MP3 player, or other such device in an unlocked car, a criminal can easily make off with your device. In addition, when the temperature is extremely low, you may consider leaving your front door unlocked so that you don’t have to fiddle with your keys in the dark and cold. Leaving your front door unlocked is like an open invitation for a criminal.

Remember that just because the weather may be inclement by your standards doesn’t mean that a criminal may take the day off. At Spytown.com, we also do have these burglar alarms that you can utilize to prevent criminals from entering your home, or to scare thieves away when they trip the alarm. Keep your property safe this winter and all year round!

While you're cheering, will criminals be prowling?

This is the time of year when the NFL playoffs are in full swing and we are moving closer to discovering who will be proclaimed the Super Bowl Champion. This coming weekend will feature the divisional championship round, and will have the following match ups:

Saturday

@4:30 San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints

@8:00 New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos

Sunday

@1:00 Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans

@4:30 New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers

In a few weeks, two of these teams will be squaring off for the Super Bowl title. On the evening of the Super Bowl, many fans venture to a central to location to watch the big game with friends and family. For some people, a Super Bowl party is the most exciting and anticipated event of the year.

It is also a night when opportunistic criminals may try to capitalize on the fact that a lot of families will be away from their homes. This being the case, it is an excellent idea to keep your home monitored by a security system so that you can identify the people attempting to gain entry into your home.

If you don’t have the time to have a security system installed, you can still protect your home through the use of dummy cameras. Dummy security cameras are designed to deter potential criminals from targeting your residence. These cameras are merely the outer shell of the camera and don’t actually record, but they still have the same intimidating appearance of a fully functional unit.

We hope that if you plan on attending a Super Bowl party that your home remains safe. We also hope that your favorite team gets to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy!

Leave us a comment to let us know which two teams you think will end up in the Big Game!

Protect your home--day and night

Having a security system set up to observe your home or business is an excellent idea when it comes to keeping your loved ones, prized possessions, or sensitive documents protected. The footage that is recorded by security cameras can also help you to identify any potential intruder who tries to illegally gain access to your property.

Although most criminals attempt to make their move under the cover of night, there are some who will operate during the day. This is especially true if they have observed your movements and know when you are usually not at home. One of the potential problems that comes with daytime surveillance is that  footage can be obscured by the glare of the sun. Also, most cameras are constantly exposed to the elements. Should there be a driving rainstorm or a heavy snowfall, the camera may become damaged due to the water.

If you live in an area where both of these issues may be actual concerns, there is a new waterproof security camera available here at SpyTown that also can shield the glare of the sun from obscuring the recorded footage. This camera is the KT&C NSP301NU 600, and can now be found in our inventory. This camera is an excellent piece of equipment for getting a clean, crisp, and clear picture, should you ever need to attempt to determine the identity of an intruder.

It won’t take too long for us to encounter our first Friday the 13^th of 2012. That’s right: There is one in January. The second Friday of the brand new year will be laden with superstition and the threat of bad luck.

Here are the typical tell-tale signs that bad luck may be looming on the horizon:

-If you break a mirror

-If you step on a crack

-If a black cat crosses your path

-If you walk under an open ladder

-If you open an umbrella inside the house

-If you spill salt

-If a bat flies into your house

-If a rooster crows at night

Of course these are just superstitions, but we thought it would be interesting to have a little fun with this day that sometimes causes undue stress.

However, if you are someone who feels that the fates are unkind to you when the 13^th falls on a Friday, one step you can take to make it through the day without worry is take your mind off of some of those things that do cause you stress. One example can be with the security of your home. If you have a security system in place at your home or office, you will be able to rest a little more easy knowing that you have constant video surveillance protecting your property. In addition, should something occur, you’ll have the documented footage to help you resolve the issue as soon as possible.

They say that the only type of “real” bad luck out there is the kind that you make for yourself. Don’t leave yourself unprotected when it comes to your property. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that Friday the 13^th passes for all of us without incident.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the home,

Every security camera was recording, so no criminal could roam.

All of the presents were wrapped and placed under the tree,

And Papa went to bed knowing that the doors were locked securely.

He took one last look to make sure the milk and cookies were set,

Then pushed them to the center of the table where Fido couldn’t get,

All was perfect for a Christmas morning full of cheer,

When the children would awake to see if Santa had appeared.

Then he stowed to his bedroom and dressed for the night,

Excited as a child; all full of Christmas delight.

Just as he lay his head down to rest,

He felt a small hand tapping on his chest.

His eyes shot open, full of alarm,

And saw his two children tugging on his arm.

The looks on their faces expressed much concern,

He sat up an listened while he tried to discern.

“Daddy, did you set the alarm for tonight?”

“Of course I did, everything is alright.”

“But if the alarm goes off, won’t it scare people away?”

“Yes it will, which I why I set it every single day.”

Then he saw the eyes of his children begin to tear,

which is something that makes every Father fear.

He placed his arm around his daughter and son,

“I don’t understand, please tell me what’s wrong.”

Their sad little eyes look up as they replied,

“If the alarm scares Santa, he won’t come inside.”

He let out a chuckle as his fears melted away,

“You don’t have to worry, Santa knows another way.

The alarm won’t scare Santa, of this I have proof,

Because he lands his sleigh up on top of the roof.”

Their faces became bright as they listened to him speak,

And now they both secretly had planned to go peek.

“Santa knows to use the chimney tonight,

That way the alarms won’t cause fright.

So now off to bed and close your little eyes,

And there will be many presents when you rise.”

They happily ran back into their rooms,

Praying that the morning would come soon.

Merry Christmas!

Presents under the tree? Keep them there.

This is the time of year where families are pulling out all the stops in order to get things ready for Christmas. A lot of people already have their Christmas trees on full display, and the outdoor colored lights all ready to go. Santa Claus has already visited many malls so that he can start hearing the wishes of every little boy and girl. The holiday season is truly here!

In some cases, especially now that Black Friday has come and gone, there are already presents being placed under the tree. Although this is a wonderful sign of holiday cheer, it can also unfortunately be exactly the kind of sign a thief may be looking for when he is considering breaking into a home. Christmas gifts can be very tempting for a criminal.

Therefore, in order to keep your presents under the tree, you may want to consider equipping your home with some form of burglar alarms to help deter or scare off criminals. These glass break detectors, for example, emit a recorded warning message or loud warning that will draw unwanted attention to the area and could cause the would-be thief to flee the area.

Don’t let Christmas morning be ruined by a greedy criminal. Keep yourself, your family, your home, and your presents protected!

The winter's harsh weather is on its way. Protect yourself.

For many parts of the country, the colder temperatures are starting to make themselves known. This means the wind, snow, sleet, and ice of winter won’t be far behind. In some places, the first snowfall of the year has already arrived (We’re thinking of that fluke Northeast snowstorm back in October, sometimes referred to as “Snowtober.”)

Since the winter weather can be on the harsher side, it is important to take some time now to do some pre-winter maintenance on your home or office security systems. For example: If you double check all of the cameras, motion detectors, and cables now, you can see if there are any potential damages. Fixing or replacing a component of your system now will be a much simpler task than if you wait until they are buried under a few inches of snow.  Exposed wires can also be susceptible to the rain and snow that may cause a short in your system.

If you are considering your first security system now, and you live in an area that is prone to harder winter weather, you may want to utilize vandal resistant cameras. These cameras are made with a protective dome that are designed to prevent intruders from damaging the cameras. This extra layer of protection can also be helpful during the winter.

Can someone easily access your information?

Here at Spytown.com, we pride ourselves on being able to provide you with the most up-to-date security cameras, burglar alarms, and other security equipment. We want you to rest assured that your home or business is secure from any threat, and that you can continue to operate on an efficient basis.

However, there is one area of security that you sometimes need to take into your own hands: Internet security. Internet criminals can be very savvy when it comes to getting around cyber security measures. This can put your finances and sensitive business data in jeopardy. The best way to keep yourself protected is to have a complicated password that is not easy to guess, nor does it follow typical naming conventions.  Forbes has recently put out the follow tips on what you should do in order to have a secure password.

1)      Passwords should be comprised of at least 8 characters

2)      Passwords should contain at least one of each of these: Capital letter, lower case letter, number, and special characters (*&@!#$%.) If you only have one of these in your password, don’t make it the first or last character.

3)      Do not use any phrases that are easy to guess like your name, relative’s name, favorite hobby, favorite sports team, etc. It is also best to not use any word that actually exists within a dictionary.

Here is a list of the top passwords that people repeatedly use, and are so common, that they are easily decoded by hackers. If your password is on the list below, it is advised that you change it immediately:

-password

-123456

-12345678

-qwerty

-abc123

-monkey

-1234567

-letmein

-trustno1

-dragon

Now that we have passed into Daylight Savings Time, and Autumn has set in, we have all experienced the shortening of days. For college students, this means that it will be darker earlier in the day as they move around campus. For larger campuses or schools in an urban setting, this can pose certain dangers, as many criminals like to use the cover of darkness.  Below are some tips to keep in mind when you walk so that you can keep yourself safe during this darker time of year.

Never Walk Alone: Whenever possible try to coordinate your travel paths with someone else. This way you can both keep an eye on each other, and it is less likely that someone will target you if you’re moving in larger numbers.

Let Someone Know When You Arrive: If you have to go somewhere, make sure that someone else knows where you are going and what route you plan on taking. Once you arrive, call or text your friend so that they know nothing is out of the ordinary. If something were to happen, your friend would be able to know where to look for you.

Travel in groups for optimum safety

Stick To The Lights: Whenever possible, stay on a street that has a lot of streetlights, other foot traffic, or is not isolated. The less populated the street, the easier it can be for someone to target you. A lot of light and other people are an excellent deterrent.

Keep A Camera On Hand: Sometimes all a criminal is looking for is some easy money. They think that they can use intimidation to get you to hand over your wallet or purse. Since the safest thing for you to do is just adhere to their demands, you can still get the upper hand. With this Mini Key Chain Camera, you can actually take a recording of your attacker that you can later turn into police or campus security.

If you follow these tips, you will be keeping yourself protected as you move around campus after the sun sets.

Thanksgiving is on its way. What do you and your family do to celebrate Turkey Day? Do you:

-Prepare the dinner together?

-Go away to visit other relatives?

-Play football?

-Start setting up Christmas decorations?

-Watch football on TV?

-Go right to bed in preparation for Black Friday shopping?

Some of these activities require you to leave your home for the day. Opportunistic criminals are well aware of the fact that people leave their homes for Thanksgiving, and that is when they may plan to strike. Most intruders are usually just acting out of desperation, and if they see or sense that they might get caught, they will usually avoid your home.

Give thanks for safety and security

We also know that with the holiday buying season on the way, you may not have a lot of extra money in your budget for a full fledged security system. This is why if you still want to deter criminals for times when you are not at home, you may want to consider installing a few dummy security cameras. Dummy security cameras are built to look just like normal security cameras, except that they don’t actually record footage. But when a trespasser sees a security camera, they will start to wonder whatever type of security measures  you have in place, which can prevent them from trying to get into your home.

Keep your home protected all throughout the year with the security gear you can find at Spytown.com.