Friday 15 April 2011

Tips to Choosing a Safe

!: Tips to Choosing a Safe

Collections (Stamps, Baseball Cards, etc...)
Most people really only need a fire rated safe. For home owners protecting flammables, we recommend at least 1-hour of fire protection. If your collection is extremely valuable, you will want both a fire rated and burglary rated safe.

Tax Returns, Insurance Papers, Wills, Passports, etc...
Safes with at least 1-hour of fire protection should suffice for homes less than 3,000 sf.

Jewelry or Other Items of Large Value
You need to consider the value of the jewelry. We recommend burglary rated safes for collections over ,000. Burglary rated safes typically come with 2-hour fire ratings so they can easily protect documents as well.

Corporate Records (Data disks, employee files, etc...)
For data
Storage, you want a safe with both fire and burglary protection. Many come with water protection as well. Fire protection should be at least 2-hours to sustain the heat generated and length of burn of large building fires. Data safes are ideal but large business safes and gun safes are used frequently.

Firearms and Guns
Gun safes offer both burglary and fire protection. Gun safes come with a wide range of options depending on your needs. If your main interest is simply to keep young children away from the firearms, low end and less expensive safes will suffice. If you are protecting a valuable collection the larger burglary rated and fire protected safes may be desired. We see many homeowners and businesses use gun safes to protect cash, valuables, and paperwork because the price per square inch is inexpensive when compared to other safes.

Cash Management (for businesses that want to protect frequent cash drops--such as restaurants)
Drop safes, Deposit Safes, or Money Management Safes can be used to protect cash accrued throughout the day. Drop Safes allow for frequent cash drops and can be mounted under counters. Deposit safes are larger and used for more permanent Storage. These safes offer no fire protection so they are not recommended for long-term Storage, or when no one would be around if a fire started.

Money management safes can also have different sections. One section allows for access to daily or limited founds and another section remains isolated with owner access only. Some come with several drop sections to accommodate deposits from separate shifts or managers. The lower section may have a fire rating.

When secrecy is your #1 concern
If you don't want someone in your home knowing there is a safe there, floor safes are a great option. In our opinion, wall safes just don't offer enough storage space to be useful. Floor safes can only be installed in floors that are not post tension slabs. To identify a post tension slab look for a marking stamped into the concrete at the entrance to the garage.


Tips to Choosing a Safe

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Friday 8 April 2011

Finding Antique Locks to Restore Older Homes

!: Finding Antique Locks to Restore Older Homes

Finding antique locks to restore older homes built originally with hardware that one does not find anymore is a challenge, but homeowners can find them. It may require hours of searching, but in the end, it will be worth it, especially if doorknobs to that era accompany them.

Many of the older locks came with a skeleton key to lock and unlock the doors. An interesting wall hanging of other antique locks and keys displayed within the home makes a beautiful decorative piece using items common to the old locks used. Appreciation for the antique locks with the unique looks and styles goes beyond those made for the homes. Old tool chests, Storage chests, sheds and moneyboxes also had padlocks, or other types of locking systems. The design on many of these are beautifully detailed metal designs unseen anymore.

The keys to open the locks are just as interesting as the locks, having peg type ends, or hallow cutouts in the keys to fit inside the lock. The companies that manufactured the antique locks are no longer in business, which if one can find a lock made within their own hometown, it is definitely a part of history worth doing some research on. The metals used to make the locks vary between brass, iron, steel and other materials. The price on the locks will vary by the age of the lock, if the key is included, the type of metal used to make it and how decorative it is.

The company name will also affect the price. Whether one is looking for the locks for restoration, or the fascination of the designs that one is interested in. Starting a collection is easy, by choosing the antique lock that you think is interesting.


Finding Antique Locks to Restore Older Homes

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Wednesday 6 April 2011

Common Surveillance Systems

!: Common Surveillance Systems

Oh no! Inventory has gone missing again and it isn't the first occurrence. Dale was clearly becoming more annoyed that his stock was plummeting from a recent stint of thefts throughout his store. He owned a small electronics business and just couldn't afford to have merchandise stolen so regularly. Deep down he knew that it was one of his employees making out with said products, but which one could it be ? Steve had been there for 6 years without missing a day. Carla had been there for 3 without much complaint, and the new girl Sara had already went 6 months without a single incident. The answer lied within surveillance. He could utilize small hidden cameras to watch over his stock.

He already owned two separate security cameras in the front and back of the store. The culprit was avoiding the cameras while committing said acts and not appearing on any of the surveillance tapes. Later that day, Steve logged onto the internet and placed an order for a hidden camera disguised as a clock. His employees had no idea that he was ordering another camera, and with it being an actual working clock; they would never know to avoid it either. The recent string of incidents looked to be heading towards a close for Steve's workplace.

A few days later the clock arrived, and Steve mounted it against the wall facing the merchandise the had the most thefts. Only a couple days had passed before Steve found his culprit. It turned out to be none of his employees stealing from his store but his own son. He stole CD and DVD players and pawned them off to friends for some extra spending money. Steve sat in his office, "I don't know what on earth he could be doing with the money I give him to clean the store up, but he'll be working for free for a long time now."

Small, hidden cameras have become famous over the last few years. Many private business owners have started utilizing these devices to keep track of employees and limit their store from theft, vandalism, or simply to watch over things. Even private home owners are installing small security devices in their homes to watch sitters and nannies to make sure their child is being taken care of. It is often an ease to know for the parents that they have video evidence of any abuse they might find.

These hidden cameras can come with either wired or wireless. The wireless versions are battery operated, and send the pictures to a receiver that can be placed anywhere within a 1/4th mile radius from the camera itself. While wired cameras on the other hand have an actual physical wire that runs to the receiver which can be a VCR, TV, or PC. The wired cameras have no real limit to how long they can record footage, but their wireless counterparts on the other hand can only last as long as the batteries. The wireless cameras can be mounted anywhere within a setting, but the wired cameras limit placement due to the wiring.

It is better to first determine how long you need to be able to record before you choose which camera to install. Make sure that the batteries won't run out before you can catch what you are looking for. Hidden cameras come in all different forms and sizes. Make sure to choose the correct one; if it's obvious, then it isn't a hidden camera. Utilize camouflage to hide it.

There are many different types of surveillance systems for different situations. Hidden cameras are often referred to as "nanny cams". Even though you feel that you can trust your nanny, it is never a bad thought to have a couple installed throughout the home. They gain popularity when news stories about abusive nannies or sitters air on television. Which is why they have gained the title "nanny cam".

The camera can be placed inside everyday items that the child may use such as baby whips, a teddy bear, dolls, etc. The items are then returned to the room amongst the child's other belongings. Other cameras can be purchased for other rooms in the guise of picture frames, VCRs, DVD players, radios, clocks, etc. You can place a camera in every room of the house if need be. Use caution when placing cameras. Voyeurism is not tolerated and unlawful in certain states and can carry hefty penalties.

Surveillance systems allow the user to watch multiple places at once from a single location. If more than a few hidden cameras are needed, then a full surveillance system should be considered. The video system is set up where the user may sit within one room of the house or building and watch several rooms at once with the ability to record them. Also, the user has the ability to expand the system if needed in the future. Portable DVR surveillance systems are also made available.

Dummy cameras appear to be real cameras but in fact are not. They are used to make the area looked like it is under surveillance to onlookers when in reality, it isn't. The owner will know that these cameras do not work, but the criminals will not. Many places of business use this method to deter criminal activity.

Professional cameras are often used to Monitor the bigger companies and businesses. They are able to be used indoors or outdoors. These cameras can be mounted on ceiling brackets or wall brackets. Some cameras are able to read 40' to 50' in the dark while others are made waterproof for outdoor use. Hidden cameras and surveillance systems are useful for protecting your home, family, or business. You don't have to be neurotic to see how useful these surveillance systems can actually be.


Common Surveillance Systems

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