2021 Fall Home

2021 Fall Home Improvement LINCOLN DAILY NEWS Sept. 23, 2021 Page 31 Both the indoor and outdoor cameras record a short video of any subject in motion. Want to have some fun? Get a camera with a speaker and when a raccoon tries to eat your camera during the night see what happens when you growl and shout at it. The most common outdoor camera is a doorbell camera, which is triggered by motion or the doorbell. Well-placed indoor and outdoor cameras form the core of your alarm system. An additional device that can provide useful notifications is a garage door sensor. It will tell you when your garage door opens and closes, and can give a status check at any time. A system by Chamberlin called MyQ (the garage door people) can also allow you to open or close your garage door from your phone. There is one final layer that can be added to a security system. Driveway sensors sound inside at your base station when a vehicle or person (or deer) moves past hidden sensors. In unobstructed settings these sensors are able to be placed up to a half mile from the home. The audible tone allows you the opportunity to observe camera video and greet the delivery person at the door like you have a sixth sense. Driveway alarms are not yet able to provide notifications via cell phones. This layered system starts giving information when anyone enters your property. The base station beeps when motion is detected along the driveway. When your outdoor cameras detect motion you receive phone notifications and have video access. The doorbell cam notifies you if someone is at the door. A claxon sounds if an intruder breaches your home, and the system notifies the police. In addition, indoor cameras plot intruder movement through the house. Having a layered security system in place gives you time. Planning and practicing your response options can help keep you safe. All of these devices are available, and except for the driveway sensor most conveniently centralize notifications to your cell phone. Layered together the various camera and sensor options form a more reliable and affordable security system than Fido, Kujo, Sassy or Whiskers. You can retire your pet alarms from guard duty and simply enjoy them for companionship now. [Jim Youngquist]