Upfront Timing on Your Home Build, Part II

(Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series on working with homeowners/builders to assess your security needs early in the process of a home being built.)

If you are building a home and working with a contractor, security needs are often overlooked.   But in today’s world  this is something you SHOULD be thinking aboutearly on.

Today’s homes are more and more connected. Security is part of that equation. Smart homes are dialed into services through your cell phone so you can access and activate lights, heating and air conditioning, security, locks, and your garage door through remote means.

You should address these types of services early in the planning process.  For example, if you want to be able to activate your garage door remotely through Alarm.com, you should bring that up with your contractor so a fully compatible door opener can be purchased; one that works with Alarm.com and connects to Wifi.  Then you’ll have no issues opening and closing the garage door remotely, getting packages delivered inside the garage if desirable or checking to see if you accidently left the garage door open through our smart phone app.

Locks for your home are another issue to consider during the upfront building of your home. You may choose to go wireless, eliminating the need to carry keys. Keyless entry can be provided through a pin keypad.

Choosing to have thermostat control installed during the build process is another consideration.   These devices can save energy and money over the long run.  Waiting to plan these smart devices until after your home is built can mean higher costs later to switch things out.

Many customers want to be in full remote control of their homes, whether that is to protect against intrusion, flood or fire, especially when they have pets at home. Upfront consideration of these issues while building your home is something H&S Protection highly encourages.

Reach out to us for more information during your home build at: Stevens Point, 715.344.0727; Waukesha/Pewaukee, 262.574.7777.

United Way – Special Service Award

H&S Protection was honored recently by the Portage County, WI United Way…

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“Timing is Everything”

(Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part series on working with homeowners/builders to assess your security needs early in the process of a home being built.)

When remodeling or during new home construction, it’s important to think ahead. Timing is everything.

H&S Protection makes it a point to meet with home builders and homeowners during the building stage to design appropriate security systems for customers. We work closely with electricians to ensure wiring is installed for  Video  and alarm systems appropriately.

In the old days, this type of pre-wiring was often overlooked during the building process. In today’s growingly connected environment, H&S has developed ongoing relationships with builders so we work together to ensure homes get pre-wired to the benefit of the homeowner (and to simplify work for the builder and electrical contractor).

The most cost-effective time to install wiring is during that construction phase of the home. The walls are exposed, workers don’t have to punch holes and pull wires. It’s simply easier, less messy and proactive.

We encourage customers to think about the cost savings by making this decision early, which simplifies any security decisions down the road. There may also be special wiring needs to consider

H&S encourages you to think about these issues during the early-build phase of your home. Timing is everything.

(Stay tuned for Part II of this blog.)

Just Walking Through

When you  work with our  staff to go over your security system install, we’re not just “walking through.” The time we spend with you is much more important than that.

One of the services we provide on our medium and larger-sized projects is a meeting with business owners or their key staff to walk through  the premises,  answer questions, and find out any points of concern you have. This is a very important process. We want to know what matters to you, and we need to figure out the full logistics of the install.

This pre-installation walk-through helps us introduce our technicians to the customer and vice versa. We troubleshoot any issues, find the glitches and smooth the transition to the installation.

Our sales  consultant will have previously discussed the security solution with you. The walk-through familiarizes our technicians and hopefully sets the stage for a successful installation.

Answering questions is another big bonus during the walk-through. Customers may have questions; technicians may have questions. This is the time for an open dialogue for both sides to get the answers they need before proceeding. Issues are addressed right off the bat. Mission accomplished.

We can’t stress enough the importance of this walk-through. We believe it sets us apart from other security companies, allowing you to get to know us better, and to ensure we deliver the best solution for your business.

Simple Fix for Roomba

Don’t you love it when you find a simple fix to something you thought was going to require a complicated solution? We do.

When we provide security solutions to businesses or homes, many are very straight forward. But, we also receive our share of curveballs when it comes to requests or obstacles.

For example, if you have a Roomba (robot vacuum cleaner), you probably love the convenience. What you may not have considered when you purchased it is whether it would set off your motion sensor. That’s something we think about at H&S Protection.

We make sure your Roomba works effectively AND our alarm system works in tandem with it, so alarms don’t go off  from the little guy’s motion. That requires some well-learned experience from our sales and installation team to make sure you are covered, and that you still get clean carpets.

Similar to the adjustments made for pets, the vision field for your motion sensor can be raised so that a potential intruder will still be detected, but at the lower height, Roomba gets to do its job unnoticed.

Yes, simple. That’s the experience we bring to help put in place effective and intelligent solutions that work for each specific location. Our team knows each customer has unique circumstances and we take the time to discuss them with you and craft the best installation.

Give us a call in Stevens Point at 715.344.0727, or in Pewaukee at 262.574.7777, and we’ll be glad to keep your Roomba puttering effectively along the carpet while your motion sensor continues to do its job.

Newspaper Tossed Over the Fence

What would you do if someone kept tossing newspapers over your fence into your yard in the middle of the night? What if it was dead mice his cat killed that he kept launching into your yard? Would you confront him? Would you get angry? Would you ignore the incidents and jam the debris in the recycling or garbage containers, humming a tune to yourself to contain your irritation?

Hard to say. We probably all respond differently to situations like that.

One way to deal with another individual dumping into your space is to have security cameras installed. Voila! You have images to look at. You can determine exactly who the perpetrator was.

That doesn’t completely solve your problem, because then you must decide what to do next. But, at least you have proof. You can point to the video. “Here, is this you or not?,” you can say to the individual denying culpability.

Capturing the incidents on video leads to resolution. That’s what we provide at H&S Protection. We put the tools in your hands to solve problems (or irritants) like this.

We hope no one is throwing dead raccoons or skunks into your backyard. But we’ve certainly heard of random garbage tossers who repeatedly target the same location. If you want to catch them on video, we can help. Give as a call in Stevens Point at 715.344.0727, or in Waukesha at 262.6-574.7777.

A Special Thanks to Our Customers in 2020

We want to give our customers a special thank you for sticking with us in 2020. It hasn’t been easy for us, and we’re sure you have had many obstacles to overcome as well in your businesses and on the personal front. The fact that you trusted us with your homes and businesses, allowed our sales and service personnel to perform their functions successfully, says a lot to us about the trust you have in H&S Protection. Thank you.

There was no way to prepare for 2020. We’re sure you had to adjust and adapt, as did we. On an almost weekly basis we had to stay informed and be willing to change to ensure we protected you and our employees. As a small business in Wisconsin, that is an advantage we provide our customers – the nimble ability to respond and change quickly.

Whatever 2021 brings, we’ve learned that we can step up to get the job done safely. When you face challenges like the Covid virus, you come to understand more about people and processes. We learned to apply the virus protocols quickly. That gives us confidence moving forward to serve you even better. Our H&S team made this happen, and their daily commitment is to provide you safe and quality service.

Our deepest thanks to you for maintaining confidence in H&S Protection. We never take that for granted, and are proud that we were able to demonstrate in a tremendously difficult 2020 environment that we earned your business the right way. We hope you have a safe and happy holiday season with your families and loved ones, and we look forward to working with you in the new year.

Mike Horgan and Steve Garritson

H&S Protection Co-Owners

Covid and Conscious Protections from H&S Protection

We’re in the business of protection here at H&S. “Protection” is part of our name. We make conscious efforts to protect each customer through our security solutions.

The past eight months, during this heightened health concern period around the world, we’ve added a conscious effort to work safely at our customers’ locations and at our offices in Stevens Point and Pewaukee. We blogged on this subject earlier this year, but with the end of 2020 in sight, we felt it worth reminding our readers of the importance we put on doing our part to prevent the spread of the virus.

We’re thankful that most of our customers allow us to continue to work onsite. That, in and of itself, we believe speaks to the faith they have in us to get the job done as safely as possible. Not every customer is currently comfortable with bringing in service technicians. For those where we’ve had to postpone jobs, we will work to get those finished as soon as a vaccine is widely distributed and we have  the go-ahead to return to your site.

While with customers, all our employees are required to wear masks. We keep hand sanitizer conveniently placed around our two offices, and our field staff has sanitizer available as well.

Around our office we mandate masks during any interactions. For meetings, we’ve gone virtual. Our regular operations and sales meetings now occur through Zoom. We fully expect that to continue, as well, until a vaccine is successfully deployed. That protects us and you.

Some locations have pumped the brakes on installations, in particular senior facilities. We completely understand this need for protection, and will work with you when the time is right to  complete projects that were in the pipeline.

Other than a few situations like those at the senior facilities, we continue at our normal pace for service  calls and installations. For example, manufacturing plants, bars and restaurants continue to need security services, even during the pandemic. We’re busy. That’s a good indication our customers continue to operate successfully. We’re pleased to have your business, and to serve you in the best way we know how: As our name H&S “PROTECTION” implies – protectively.

Video Surveillance Trends in the U.S.

Most citizens of Wisconsin probably recognize the growing trend of video surveillance. There are more cameras watching us today than there were five or 10 years ago. But, what are the most accurate numbers?

A recent study from safety.com indicates that the average U.S. citizen is under video surveillance “approximately” 238 times a week. We all need to take that with a grain a salt, as anyone in a city environment will be exposed more frequently than an individual in a rural environment with no street or red light cameras. Still, those numbers are disconcerting, even to us here at H&S Protection, and security cameras are part of our bread and butter.

So, we want to provide you some context if you happened to hear about or read up on these statistics from the report. First, most of this surveillance occurs on the road. Up to about 160 times a week, your exposure to video comes during driving. Those cameras are designed to enforce safety standards. But, as any police officer knows, video clips from these cameras often help solve crimes.

Second, your office environment (on average) contributes up to about 40 of those exposures weekly. If you work in the retail or transportation sector, those numbers can be dramatically higher. Remember, that skews the numbers for the average person working in a business office.

Third, the average American is under surveillance approximately 24 times a week while shopping or in a retail environment. As we can attest at H&S , retail cameras are the norm. To prevent shoplifting, monitor stock and employee theft, many businesses choose security cameras as the best security option.

We install every video system with diligence and based on the needs of the customer. We understand we all live in a society where cameras are part of our every day lives. Our goal at H&S is to protect your home or business.

Cameras are here to stay. At H&S, we make sure to exercise good judgment with every installation. We plan to continue earning your trust for many years to come.

Can Burglar Alarms Go Touchless?

There’s a lot going on these days as Covid continues to further impact lives and businesses. The security industry has its share of questions regarding what direction our market will take. At H&S Protection, we monitor these trends to see what the best options are to offer our customers.

Here is one: Will burglar alarms go touchless? With concern about hand contact from devices, will voice activation be a product purchased in the future? A lot depends on what happens with Covid.

We need to be aware of market conditions, so here’s another one to ponder: What will the interest be in video surveillance and access control? Will there be further demand, for example, to install video to monitor interactions in businesses to determine if people are following proper virus protocols? Stay tuned.

How about law enforcement issues? Growing support for body cameras for law enforcement seems a given. Will the money be there to invest in these technologies to provide officers the best technology to do their jobs most effectively?

More and more, police are looking for footage from businesses. We’ve found law enforcement wanting access to footage from cameras to monitor video from a potential crime scene. If you run a business, does it make more sense today to install a camera security system?

The trend towards use of video footage by law enforcement is growing. It helps them monitor and police their local community more effectively, particularly in large crowd situations.

H&S Protection is monitoring these, and other trends to serve you to the best of our ability. We anticipate trends by studying customer behavior and industry data. Evolving trends occur over a period of time, but this year activities have occurred at a more rapid pace. We’re listening, watching and adjusting to these trends to help you protect your business and home.