Michael K Houser's Blog

This infamous device installed in virtually every home and business with a security system is responsible for single handily causing more false alarms than all the other alarm devices combined. Because of all the false alarms one could say that this little device reminds them of the story of “the little boy who cried wolf”! But is it an unreliably designed device or another faulty installation?

Lets back up a little, what is an passive infrared and how does it work?

The term passive means the detector is able to function without the need to generate and radiate its own energy. PIRs are able to distinguish if an infrared emitting object is present by first learning the ambient temperature of the monitored space and then detecting a change in the temperature caused by the presence of an object. Using the principle of differentiation, which is a check of presence or non-presence, PIRs verify if an intruder or object is actually there.

So with that explanation why are there so many false alarms caused by passive infrared’s? Answer: poor design and wrong detector for location.

In my next post I will explain how all PIR’s are not created nor operate the same and how we use intelligent design with proven technology that guarantees a false alarm free system.

Wiring Nightmare

Well it’s finally Friday and I hope you’re excited about the weekend like me! This is a Lakers “Gold” weekend so I better not see green anything.

Through the years of being in the security industry, with over 51,000 experience, I have seen it all from systems easily defeated in a burglary, systems that cause false alarms, to poorly designed systems where you would have more protection sitting in a diesel truck filled with explosives ramming into a nitro-glycerin factory.

How do I know about these systems? Simple, we are the “A” Team and our job is to go into your home and business and clean up this junk and provide a safe and secure environment that lasts for decades! Plus, most of our referrals are from clients who thought the experts really were experts. Well, enough about the A Team let’s talk about the worst install of an control panel:

As seen and witnessed from Electronic Eye:

1. Control panel installed at floor height. Great height to service a panel if you have a 6 inch installer!

2. Control Panel installed inside a unprotected garage (courtesy of a national alarm company known by 3 letters). So convenient for a burglar to easily defeat a system without ever having to break in. I also like the stickers on the panel that easily direct you to the brain of the system.

3. Control panel installed at back door with keypad attached (courtesy of the national alarm company that sells $99.00 systems). Again, I always love it when an alarm company makes its system easily available for a burglar to defeat without using tools and a ladder. It always nice for the entry alert on the keypad to lead you directly to brain of the system. Our window stickers provide better security than these poorly designed systems.

4. Control Panel installed in a home with over 80 openings, with all the wires ran directly back to the control panel. This would have been OK back in the Jurassic era of alarm systems, but in the 80’s they invented a device called a “zone expander”. This makes wiring a home easy by running wires to expanders that run back to the control panel. Nice and neat and extremely easy to troubleshoot. But this type of system requires intelligent design.

5. Control panel with masking tape slices inside. Back in 1994 we bought an alarm company where the standard for everything was using masking tape. Now don’t get me wrong I like masking tape, especially when I paint. But masking tape splices in alarm installations is like electing Jerry “moonbeam” Brown to balance the California budget. It won’t work and only creates a bigger gob of mess!

Coming next week, “worst installation location of an Infrared”.

OK – funny story, around 2005 Electronic Eye Security Inc. was looking for economical CCTV equipment to go with our entry level DVR line. Around this time we were installing a lot of camera and security systems for laundromats. I had designed an economical control/security system and software that could operate a laundromat without anybody having to be there and it had over 6 levels of protection. Because of the nature of the business (cash transactions), laundromats are burglarized very often, sometimes a couple of times in a week. To this day no crook as ever gotten away with much more than a gumball machine under my watch and that’s only because we don’t secure gum.

It was also at this time that I had given up all hope on local security distributors who were hiring derelicts to work behind the counter that did not know a mop handle from a security camera. So we decided to buy direct from a Chinese importer who had incredible low prices on equipment over the internet. Woo hoo! I ordered up samples and tested them out and thought, “Yes! These imitations will work perfect for our entry level systems.” Big Mistake!

I was excited as we closed around 3-4 CCTV deals the first week of offering these low price-busting cameras and accessories.

But this excitement soon evaporated after the first installation was completed. It started with camera connectors that would literally disintegrate upon contact, BNC connectors that would short out the video and camera lenses that developed cataracts around the lens within a day or two of installing. It wasn’t long before our installers were returning to the job site to replace these connectors and cameras, not once, not twice but three times a week. The cameras would work for about 2 or 3 days and after that the shoddy electronics would slowly stop working. Talk about a royal pain in the rear end and embarrassment!

Well, we took the high road and ended up replacing every connector and camera and chalked it up to a valuable lesson that has served us well through the years:

We only use equipment that can match our high standards of intelligent design, installation and guarantees. The rest of the “crap” can be purchased at Costco, Sam’s Club, eBay, Radio Shack etc.!

I have been involved in the security industry since my father (an electrician by trade) installed intercom and local alarm systems back in the early 80’s. Back then alarm systems were pretty basic and most of them were only hooked up to an audible siren installed on the outside of the home. Most people who had an alarm system back in the 80’s were not well liked by their neighbors. Nothing can alienate you quicker from your neighbors than a blaring 110 decibel siren at 2:00 AM in the morning while you are away on vacation in Hawaii. The siren would keep up its howling warble sound until someone cut the wire to the bloody thing. By then the neighbor who figured out how to use wire cutters became an instant hero.

Thank goodness the security industry has grown to include changes like “swinger shutdown” which automatically shuts down an alarm siren after so many minutes. Also on the list of major improvements since the 80’s are better installation techniques like installing the siren inside the home instead of outside pointing at your neighbor’s house.

But the real issue remains: what happens if an alarm takes place at your home or business and you are not there?
An airline pilot has instrument gauges to monitor a flight, a car driver has instrument gauges to monitor the engine and a doctor has instrument gauges to monitor your health.
How about an instrument gauge that monitors your home or business anywhere you are, anytime you want?
Neil Peart drum roll please … let’s give a loud warm welcome to the next best friend of your home or business — no it’s not the cat — it’s “Virtual Connect”!

I have been using this product for my home for almost a year now and two things come to mind – Total Peace of Mind and Total Control of my Home.
I know when my alarm is on, who turns it off, if my dogs have water, if my dogs are OK, the temperature of the wine cellar and if there is an activation: Who, What, Where and When, all from my Blackberry Storm.
Total control and peace of mind of your home or business. Go Virtual!
So what is a Virtual Connect System?
A virtual connect system is simply a way to monitor and control devices of your home or business through a remote computer or web-based phone anytime anywhere!

How can it help you?
For residential users:
• View live video of your home
• View video clips and snapshots of alarm events
• Keep an eye on your pets
• Find out when the kids come home from school
• Cancel a false alarm dispatch
• Use the recorded video to apprehend home invaders
• Log in to see if the neighbor remembered to come by and feed the dogs while you’re on vacation
• Check in on the babysitter or caretaker
• Monitor access to medicine cabinets, gun cabinets or closets and be notified immediately of an alarm
• Find out immediately about a power outage
• Monitor for water seepage or flooding
• Monitor wine cellars for temperature change
• Control the temperature of your home before arriving
• Track and view guests, renters or maintenance personnel as they come and go
• And much more

GO Virtual

For Business users:
• Find out when someone arms or disarms the system
• Arm or disarm your system remotely
• Cancel False alarms prior to dispatch by viewing pre/post video or live video clips
• Reduce employee and customer theft
• Get better productivity out of your staff
• Use recorded video to help authorities apprehend burglars
• Monitor access and recorded video activity related to safes, cash drawers and inventory closets
• Create automated schedules to Arm/Disarm the system at set times each day
• Monitor temperature in server rooms
• And much more

To learn more Go Virtual and opt in to the box on the right. I will be following up with you later on this week about your exciting new best friend!

Talk to you soon,
Go Virtural
Michael Houser – The Security Genius

According to petfinder.com website up to two million animals are stolen each year. Only about 10% are ever returned home.

Many are stolen from backyards.

What You Can Do to Protect Your Pet

* Keep your pet indoors, especially when you are not at home. Do not leave
animals unattended in your yard; it only takes a minute for thieves to steal
your pet.
* Keep companion animals safely inside your home when you are expecting repair
personnel, meter readers, or guests.
* Properly identify your pet with a collar and tag, microchip, and/or tattoo.
* Know where your pet is at all times.
* Maintain up-to-date licenses on your pets.
* Keep recent photos and written descriptions of your companion animals on hand
at all times.
* Be aware of strangers in the neighborhood. Report anything unusual such as
suspicious neighborhood activities or missing pets to the police and animal
control.
* Padlock your gate; outdoor dogs should be kept safely behind a locked gate.
* Make sure that your animal is not visible from the street.
* Keep your pet on a leash whenever you go outside.
* Do not tie your pet outside a store to wait for you.
* Never leave an animal unattended in a car.

For more information on protecting your dog or cat from being petnapped go to “Keep an eye on my pet”

Farouk Al-Hadi and his wife, Elaine, are suing Climate Control Inc. in Multnomah County Circuit Court. They say the company installed a faulty temporary cooling system in the wine cellar at their Lake Oswego home. Farouk Al-Hadi says he ventured to the cellar to discover his prized wine collection in 97-degree heat. They want $250,000 for damage to their personal property.

NOT ON MY WATCH! With “Virtual Connect” always know anytime anywhere what the temperature is and know immediately if the temperature changes.

For more information on how to save your wine collection go to “SAVE MY WINE from becoming 2 buck Chuck”

BY: Michael K. Houser

It always starts with a FREE to $99.00 alarm system designed by the three stooges of security. Now you may be wondering who Moe, Larry and Curly are, but if you have ever used the services of these clowns you might refer to them as Dumb and Dumber.

I might add that after seeing these systems easily defeated by a crack addict looking for some easy dough, one might conclude that there is no intelligent life in the security industry. OK, I will stop ranting about the companies that your local police have made a killing on with false alarm fines.

Without further ado here are my top 5 worst keypad installations:

1. Keypad installed at a height of six feet to keep the baby from playing with the buttons. Good thing that the whole family was over 6′9″.
2. Keypad installed in a bathroom. I always like to know the status of my alarm system while on the royal throne, geez!
3. Keypad installed at a height of 14″ from the floor. This was a perfect height for the dog to use the keypad; too bad the keypad was not paw friendly.
4. Keypad installed above a stove. Talk about getting burned for using the wrong code.
5. Keypad installed with double-sided tape. No need to waste all that time using a cordless drill and a couple of screws.

Coming next week “Worst install of an alarm control panel”.

Hauppauge, NY: Vicon Industries Inc., a leading designer and producer of integrated IP video surveillance and access control systems, has introduced a superior performing new camera module within its low-cost line of 4.5″ fixed camera domes. The cameras, available in indoor and outdoor housings with color, day/night, and IR camera modules, now offer several new features and improved performance specifications.

All cameras now provide digital noise reduction, improving image quality in low-light and providing a better compression ratio that decreases storage requirements. The cameras also offer better dynamic range and 560 TVL resolution. A joystick-controlled, on-screen menu system replaces the previous DIP switches and allows users to customize camera performance based on a wide range of variables. New privacy masking capabilities allow users to mask out selected regions of the video.

Separate from the above mentioned models, a new WDR version of the V700 Series features an improved Pixim camera module that provides correction for color roll when capturing video under fluorescent lighting, as well as an optional high-resolution mode that is controlled through the menu system. The Pixim module makes use of patented, industry-leading Digital Pixel System® technology that provides pixel-by-pixel analysis and processing for the clearest image in challenging light conditions.

The V700 Series cameras replace the VC-700 Series of cameras. Models featuring a 3.3-12mm lens are available immediately. A new, indoor day/night model as well as a 9-22mm WDR model will be available later this year.

Home Invasion

One of the more frightening and potentially dangerous crimes that can occur to a family is a home invasion robbery. A home invasion is when robbers force their way into an occupied home, apartment or hotel room to commit a robbery or other crimes. It is particularly frightening because it violates our private space and the one place that we think of as our sanctuary.

Home invasion is like the residential form of an automobile carjacking and it’s on the rise. Like the crime of carjacking, most police agencies don’t track home invasions as a separate crime. Most police agencies and the FBI will statistically record the crime as a residential burglary or a robbery. Without the ability to track the specific crime of home invasion, little can be done to alert the public as to the frequency of occurrence in their community or devise a law enforcement plan of action to control it.
Criminal Profile

Residential burglars work mostly during the day and when a residence is more likely to be unoccupied. Most burglars work alone and tend to probe a neighborhood looking for the right residence and the right opportunity. Alarm signs and decals, bars on windows, strong locks and doors, big dogs, and alert neighbors can sometimes deter burglars. Also, burglars will avoid a confrontation and will usually flee when approached. Most burglaries do not result in violence unless the criminal is cornered and uses force to escape.

Home invasion robbers, in contrast, work more often at night and on weekends when homes are more likely to be occupied. The home invader will sometimes target the resident as well as the dwelling. The selection process may include a woman living alone, a wealthy senior citizen or a known drug dealer, for example. It is not unheard of for a robber to follow you home based on the value of the car you are driving or the jewelry you are wearing. Some home invaders might have been in your home before as a delivery person, installer or repair vendor. Home robbers rarely work alone and rely on an overwhelming physical confrontation to gain initial control and instill fear in you. The greatest violence usually occurs during the initial sixty seconds of the confrontation and home invaders often come prepared with handcuffs, rope, duct tape, and firearms. Some in-home robbers appear to enjoy the intimidation, domination, and violence and some even claim it’s a “rush.”
Dangerous Trends

The act of committing a home invasion is escalating much like carjacking. The reason for the increase seems to follow a similar pattern. Much like automobiles, the traditional commercial targets for robbers like convenience stores and fast-food restaurants have hardened themselves against criminal attack and have reduced available cash. Technology has allowed commercial establishments to install affordable video surveillance systems, silent alarms, and other anti-crime deterrent devices. A residence, by comparison, is now a more attractive choice.

Home invaders know that they won’t have to overcome alarm systems when the home is occupied or be worried about video cameras and silent alarms. Unlike robbing a retail store, home invaders expect privacy once inside your home and won’t have to deal with the police suddenly driving up or customers walking in. Once the offenders take control of a residence they can force the occupants to open safes, locate hidden valuables, supply keys to the family car, and PIN numbers to their ATM cards. Home invaders will try to increase their escape time by disabling the phones and sometimes will leave their victims bound or incapacitated. It is not unheard of for robbers to load up the victim’s car with valuables and drive away without anyone in the neighborhood taking notice.
Method of Operation

The most common point of attack is through the front door or garage. Sometimes the home invader will simply kick open the door and confront everyone inside. More common is when the home invaders knock on the door first or ring the bell. The home invader hopes that the occupant will simply open the door, without question, in response to their knock. Unfortunately, many people do just that.

Home invaders will sometimes use a ruse or impersonation to get you to open the door. They have been known to pretend to be delivering a package, flowers or lie about an accident like hitting your parked car. Once the door is opened for them, the home invaders will use an explosive amount of force and threats to gain control of the home and produce fear in the victims. Once the occupants are under control the robbers will begin to collect your valuables.

Some home robbers have been known to spend hours ransacking a residence while the homeowners are bound nearby watching in terror. Some robbers have been known to eat meals, watch TV, or even take a nap. A major fear is that the robbers might commit more violence like sexual assault or even murder. Some robbers have kidnapped and forced a victim to withdraw cash from their ATM machine or take them to their small business to rob it as well.
Prevention Steps

The same tactics used to prevent daytime burglaries will go a long way to preventing forced entry home robberies. If you can delay a home invader at the point of entry then you have a chance of deterring them or have time to call the police. A solid core door, strong locks with reinforced strike plates, and reinforced window devices will stop most forced entries. See my web page on Home Security Tips for more information. Some homeowners build safe rooms inside their home to allow them to retreat or escape the violence while giving them valuable time to call the police.

The weakest home security link is the home occupant who fails to lock doors or windows or who will open the door without question at the sound of a knock. The best defense against home invasion is education and planning. Parents should hold a family meeting to discuss how to answer the door when someone knocks. Another important topic is how to act should your home or family be invaded. Once you know how home robbers work, you can effectively prevent most occurrences. See also Home Invasion Family Survival Tips for more information.

Remember these important security steps:

* Install solid core doors, heavy duty locks, and window security devices
* Lock all doors, windows, and garages at all times
* Use four three-inch screws to secure heavy duty lock strike plates in the door frame
* Use the door peephole BEFORE opening the door
* Use your porch light to help you to see clearly outside
* Never rely on a chain-latch as a barrier to partially open the door
* Never open the door to strangers or solicitors
* Call the police if the stranger acts suspicious
* Alert your neighbors to suspicious solicitors
* Hold a family meeting to discuss home security plans
* Set the home perimeter alarm at night, if you have one

by Chris E McGoey

Acquisition gives ADT, which is owned by Tyco, a 35-percent share of security market.
Tyco Buys Brinks Home Security
By Julie Jacobson
January 19, 2010
Tyco International Ltd., owner of ADT, has acquired competitor Brink’s Home Security for $2 billion in cash and stock.

Tyco intends to combine the two businesses under the ADT name, the company said in a statement.

Brink’s, which now operates as Broadview Security, has more than 1.3 million recurring revenue accounts throughout North America with annualized revenue of approximately $565 million.

ADT has more than 7.4 million recurring revenue accounts globally and generated revenue of $7 billion in fiscal 2009.

ADT’s North American residential and small business operation, which is the most comparable to Broadview, has 4.8 million recurring revenue accounts and revenue of $2.2 billion in fiscal 2009.

ADT owns 29.7 percent of the North American security market, according to a 2007 study by Barnes Associates. Brink’s has a 4.9-percent market share. The next biggest players are Monitronics, a security dealer network, at 2.4 percent, and Stanley (formerly Honeywell Monitoring Services) with 1.4 percent.

Combined with Brink’s, the new ADT will have more than one-third of the market, but that is far from a consolidation of the industry.

The bulk of the security installation market — some 60 percent — is controlled by independent dealers, and that figure has remained fairly stable over the years, sources tell CE Pro.

Lehman Brothers estimates that this group consists of “more than 14,000 small and midsized regional players.”

Even though Tyco owns security manufacturer Digital Security Controls (DSC), ADT has not standardized on that product line. In addition to DSC, the security company installs products from GE Security and Honeywell.

Brink’s, over the years, has installed products from C&K Systems, which is now part of Honeywell. According to the CE Pro 100 report, Brink’s continues to use Honeywell products.

About the Acquisition

Tyco, based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, said it is paying $42.50 per share for the Irving, Texas-based provider of home security services, representing a premium of more than 35 percent over Brink’s stock, which closed Friday at $31.42.

The acquisition price amounts to 42 times the amount of Brink’s monthly recurring revenue, which is on the high-end of the industry norm, but not off the charts, according to security industry experts.

Brink’s shareholders will have the option to receive $42.50 per share, a combination of cash and Tyco stock or shares of Tyco alone. Tyco expects the deal to close in the second half of its fiscal year, which began Sept. 26, 2009.