How Safe Is Your Home?
Whether you live in a village, a busy street, or a condominium, security should be one of your priorities
You’ve read and heard it a hundred times before—safety and security should be on top of your list when looking for a home. Aside from picking a space that’s accessible, you need to make sure that you can sleep soundly at night without worrying about unwanted guests and other disturbances. After all, it’s not enough that you know your neighbors or that you’ve memorized the ins and outs of your neighborhood by heart—learning a few safety precautions and investing in the right gadgets can make a huge difference.
In a recent report by CNN, five people were killed in a stabbing incident that took place in a condominium in Pasay City. The suspect was subdued after a five-hour chase around the building and the responding police officers noted the lack of closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) and proper lighting in the building.
Avoid any untoward incidents and ensure the safety of your loved ones by building and investing in a smart home. “A smart home is slightly more sophisticated than your standard security system. It is a system wherein you can control various security elements from within different locations in your home,” shares interior designer Joy Jabile-Ejercito. The designer identifies the gadgets you can install in your space below. Keep in mind that you can buy these in one go or slowly build your own system depending on your budget:
Keypad
In photo: Assa Abloy Gateman Noble Digital Door Lock, P5,419, Lazada
This is where the system is armed and disarmed. Additional keypads can be installed in other parts of your home, if needed. Depending on your alarm’s capability, a keypad’s display can indicate which door, window, or motion detector caused the alarm.
Inside Motion Detector
In photo: Infrared Sensor Motion Detector Anti-theft GSM Alarm System, P1,062, Lazada
Pressure Mats
These mats can be placed under rugs and will react to the pressure from footsteps activating the alarm.
Closed Circuit TV
In photo: CCTV 2-Camera Complete Package, P6,990, Lazada
This is a private TV system that allows monitoring and recording inside or outside your home.
Panic Buttons
In photo: Wireless Panic Button, P610, Lazada
These can be hand-held, and should be located in strategic places such as next to your bed and by the doors. Just punching the button will send a message to the central monitoring station for help. You may choose to have the panic button send the alarm as a silent alarm or sound all the alarms within your house.
Find similar items when you visit these home depots:
Wilcon Home Depot
- Wilcon I.T. Hub, #2251 IT Hub, Pasong Tamo Ext., Brgy. Bangkal, Makati City
- (02) 834-5002 to 5004
- wilcon.com.ph
CW Home Depot
- 1 Doña Julia Vargas Avenue. near corner. Meralco Avenue, Barangay Ugong, Pasig City
- (02) 636-0772
- cwhomedepot.com
If you live in a condominium, there are extra precautionary measures you can take to add to the security of your building. It’s important to keep these in mind as we shouldn’t solely rely on security systems:
Preventive Measures
Take the initiative of securing your space by installing door-locks and grills on windows and doors. “Be sure to remember where you keep the keys to the grills and to instruct the household where these can be found especially in case of fire. Keeping watchdogs is also an alternative,” says Joy.
Deterrent Measures
Ask your barangay officials for help through the rondas they do regularly. These rondas are part of a community surveillance system conducted by volunteer groups. You can turn on some lights at night to let people know that someone is inside the house. As an extra tip, keep a whistle beside your bed and don’t forget to post police telephone numbers on the wall in visible places for everyone’s reference.
Managerial Measures
Going on vacation? Ask and allow someone you trust to watch over your house while you’re away. A trusted neighbor, caretaker, or relative can do it for you and even give you updates from time to time.
Read the original article (Play it safe) in the August 2007 issue of Real Living Magazine. Download your digital copy of Real Living on the Real Living App. Log on to summitnewsstand.com.ph/real-living for more details.
