Stay safe at home in Columbia by avoiding these home security blunders

Are you using your loved ones’ names as your Wi-Fi password? Placing a key in a mailbox or under a mat for a friend or neighbor? Unfortunately, residents put their residences and family members in harm’s way each day by being careless or forgetful about security. Don’t be one of them. Alternatively, stay safe at home in Columbia by steering clear of these typical home security mistakes.

Mistake No. 1: Not securing windows and doors

Don’t you love the time of year when you can open doors and crack windows to let in a refreshing, cool breeze? Just don’t forget to secure them when you exit the house! You might be shocked by the amount of residents who are lax about locking these key entry points, the most frequent areas for invaders to enter.

Ever forget to lock your doors? What if you were able to have your home security system lock the doors for you? You can do exactly that. You’ll stay safe at home in Columbia when you set your smart locks to automatically secure at certain times of the day or when they’ve been engaged. If you don’t want to schedule them, you can still control your locks from any location with your convenient smartphone app.

Mistake No. 2: Choosing to self-monitor in Columbia

Emergencies frequently take place at the most inopportune times. Visualize being on a family vacation and playing with your kids in the ocean when the fire alarm goes off. Or, maybe there’s an emergency when your smartphone is powered down during a doctor’s appointment. When it comes to safeguarding your home, a backup is necessary. A trusted professional monitoring service won’t ever miss an alarm and responds rapidly to get help for all types of emergencies. Monitoring yourself can lead to trouble since you can’t be available all the time. Get the assistance and peace of mind you have a right to with well-trained monitoring agents.

Mistake No. 3: Packages piling up on your Columbia front porch

Leaving packages on your front porch is a temptation to prowlers. Don’t give them a reason. Instead, fetch your deliveries the moment they arrive with the help of your home security system. Modern video doorbells will send alerts via your smartphone app when a package is dropped off and can even tell the difference between packages, people, cars, and animals. This functionality is beneficial in minimizing unwanted communications.

Mistake No. 4: Careless home network security

Wireless home security installations have ushered in a new world of access and control. You can review video streams, secure locks, and even adjust your thermostat from wherever you are. But you have to ensure your Wi-Fi network is secured. Negligent network security is one of the most prevalent blunders people make. You can circumvent this by doing the following:

• Create strong passwords and always change the default password on tools like routers.
• Employ the most up-to-date Wi-Fi security protocols.
• Place home security devices on a separate network, away from the guest network that gives internet access to family and friends.
• Make sure you run software or firmware updates offered for your security devices and router.

Avoid security mistakes that put your Columbia home at risk

One of the best ways to avoid common home security mistakes in Columbia is by ordering a full-featured smart home from Vivint. Features like remote access, smart locks, and 24-hour monitoring will help safeguard your property at all times. Didn’t remember to lock your door or overlook an urgent security alert? Not a problem! Your system and its professional monitoring specialists will have your back. Reach out to (573) 641-8250 today to learn more.