SECURITY TIPS
FOR SUMMER
By Robert Hessel
Shining a spotlight on exterior access
points and walkways improves the
aesthetics of your home and also offers
a deterrent to unwanted visitors.
Don’t advertise your whereabouts.
Social media is fun, and everyone loves
to post pictures of their experiences.
But people can learn far too much
from your fun-loving travel pictures.
You can never be completely sure who
will access that information, especially
if you have a public profile or many
followers or friends. Location tagging
or even just obvious images of other
areas from your home’s location can
give intruders some clues about your
absence. Save your photos for when
you’re back home and then you can
share them freely without concern.
Consider sharing this advice with
your family members as well. While
you may have your social media in a
blackout, your spouse or children could
108 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JULY/AUGUST 2020
be posting vacation pics and alerting
potential criminals to your unoccupied
home without your knowledge.
Visual security systems aren’t nice
to have, they’re a must have. There is
truly no reason to have an unsecured
house in today’s environment. From
security cameras to alarm features –
the possibilities are endless and can fit
any budget and any floor plan.
Today’s security landscape
presents new challenges every
day, from easy access to personal
information, location tracing and
more sophisticated criminals. Through
personal vigilance and your access
to increasingly intelligent consumer
security products that offer layers of
security, you can easily protect your
home and possessions. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Robert Hessel at
Source 1 Solutions can be contacted
at (727) 538-4114 or by visiting
source1solutions.com.
Even if you don’t plan to go
far, many of us have travel on
the mind as summer kicks in.
Whether it is for a weekend
trip to the mountains, or a quick beach
hit, or even an extended boat trip,
travel beckons. But, before you go,
there are a few smart ways to secure
your home – and remain confident that
your home and property are secure.
Lock down your house. Physically
locking down your house is a simple,
easy and a seemingly obvious way
to improve your security posture,
however, too many people forget
doors, windows or some combination
of both. Lock the doors, all of them, and
carefully go through the entire house
to ensure that each and every window
is secure. It’s important to fortify your
sliding doors as well. Consider taking
a few minutes to reinforce them while
you’re away.
Consider your external cues. Is your
mail going to pile up while you’re
away? Are papers being delivered?
How about packages? Who is watering
your hanging plants, etc.? Consider
each possible external indicator and
have a plan for how to manage them.
The best idea is to have someone keep
an eye on your home, but if that isn’t
possible, pause the paper, take down
your hanging baskets, and either
informally touch base with your mail
carrier or put a temporary hold on the
mail via the post office.
Don’t leave your home in the dark.
A completely dark house is an open
invitation for intruders. Consider a
smart lighting system so you can set
your lights to a timer and control them
remotely when and how you want.
In addition to illuminating different
rooms in the house, installing a simple
lighting system with motion sensors
outside of your home adds a layer of
security to help safeguard your home. ADVERTORIAL
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