Internet Down? Thank Goodness you are Secure

Internet Down? Thank Goodness you are Secure

When you bundle your security service with your internet, you may get a better price, but what do you lose?

Pretty much, your name is replaced by a number, and you get the same level of service that you would get from a big telecom company, the recorded message, the chance to enter your phone number into a system, with the hope of deflecting some calls into their call centre.

This may work for others, as we can sometimes deal with being treated like a number for some savings.

But what else do you lose? You do lose some security. The reason you want a security system is to be secure.

The effectiveness of your internet-based system is based on the availability of your internet service. If ever your internet service goes out, so does your security system. This can happen by the when the internet does out, or when the internet is cut off in an attempt to access your home or property.

What about Alcom alarms? We have radio alarms that work when your internet, phone or even electricity is down.  So, when you need it the most, Alcom alarms work

Grateful Thanksgiving

When you’re out visiting family for Thanksgiving, we want you to ensure that have a great and safe Thanksgiving.

If you’re going out, please don’t make it obvious. Ensure your house is well-lit, and that it appears that someone is home.  You can do this by installing motion-sensor lights, as well as timers giving the impression that someone is home.  Also, if you have light timers, it’s saves energy as opposed to having lights on all weekend.

Also, keep in mind that mail is delivered on Friday, and newspapers and flyers are delivered throughout the weekend, so ask a neighbor to pick these up for you.

At Alcom, we wanted to wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy the time with friends and family.

No Shortcuts to Saving Lives

When building owners decide to take shortcuts in service, look for the cheapest option or assume that fires happen somewhere else, the effects can be deadly.

At Alcom, we believe in being accountable to you and those under your protection. We are saving people’s lives by giving you the best of our protection. As well, you, in trusting us with this responsibility, we need to ensure that people are protected.

When requested to come, we bring decades of experience, showing you everything that is required to keep you safe.

If you want an assessment, please call Ernesto at (416) 798 7721.

Getting Prepared for Fall

With the shorter days in fall come the longer nights, and more time to look at your home as an opportunity.

Before it gets too cold, we would like to suggest some tips for getting your house safe, from both thieves and Mother Nature.

Keep in mind that fire happens most often in winter, so replace your batteries frequently. Also, replace your alarm ever 10 years.

Trim bushes outside your home, so that your home is visible, and there are no hiding spots.

Insulate your pipes, as they can freeze over the winter.

Clean your downspouts and eavesdrops, so that you can avoid winter flooding.

Finally, to deter thieves, consider using light timers, giving the impression of an active home, even when you are out.

Back to School Time!

Welcome to back to school time! If your children or grandchildren arrive after school, you can know if they are safe by checking out our new app.

Details on keeping your kids secure can be found here. http://www.alcomsecurity.ca/industry-news/2016/8/14/preparing-for-back-to-school

The great thing about the app is that you can see the events log. Knowing when your Alcom alarm is activated can promote accountability with your family, as you know when people come and go.

You can be confident that the doors are shut, the alarm on, and your child is safe. If only you can ensure that they are doing their homework!

Ontario Fire Code Maintenance Starts Here

As you know, the Ontario Fire Code requires that an establishment such as an apartment building creates and follows a Fire Safety Plan, which has to be acceptable to fire officials.

There are so many rules effecting you, in terms of access, level of protection, how and where alarms should be placed, it’s a good idea to speak with us at Alcom, so we can understand your protection requirements.

The costs of not having protection, in terms of human life, are too much to do this by yourself. Getting protected ensures that you not only can save life, but also fines and judgments against you and your company.

If you want to know more about protecting your property, please call Ernesto at (416) 798 7721.

Keep Your Bundles for Internet, not Security

Keep Your Bundles for Internet, not Security

So how does an Alcom alarm system differ from the others?

While bundled security systems are cheaper, you get what you pay for. You get personal service, from a company close to you. When the phone is answered, you are answered by a human being, not someone paid by the phone call. Your call is answered by someone who cares about your situation and the security of your home.

If you ever wanted to speak about your situation, or just have a question, call Ernesto at (416) 798 7721.

Remember: Alcom doesn’t have quotas, or number of calls we have to answer in a day. All we worry about is making you happy, protected and safe.

Avoid Phishing Attempts

We were made aware of someone trying to impersonate and trade off of Alcom’s good name.

Wikipedia tells us that phishing is the attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and, indirectly, money), often for malicious reasons, by disguising as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.

While this can happen via email, it can also happen with phone calls as well. The bottom line is do not provide any personal information to someone you do not trust or have not heard from before.

If you wish to make a complaint about phishing attempts, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre can provide support.

Keeping Your Home Safe on Vacation

Did you know that you can, from the convenience of a summer vacation, monitor the status of your home.

But what if you don’t want to be tied to your phone on vacation? Well, Alcom has 27/4 monitoring of your home. After all, an alarm has not use if no one can respond to it.

So, if you’re interested in keeping your home safe as well as gain peace of mind when on vacation, call Ernesto at (416) 798 7721.

Kids Home for Summer? Check the App.

As we approach the time where kids are home for summer, we wanted to let you know about our app. Our smartphone app can monitor your home security status, even when you’re not there.

Here’s what the app can do:

  • Monitoring of the alarm panels' status 
  • Real-time push, text or email notifications
  • Events log available up to one year back in time
  • Remote Arming/Disarming of the alarm system
  • Secured remote access with personalized user codes

If you didn’t want to use an app, there’s SMS text messaging, as well as the ability to view the status of your home security on a webpage.

If you’re interested in these options, please speak with Ernesto can customize a system for you, please give him a call at (416) 798 7721.

Few More Weeks Left to Upgrade

We have a few more week in order to upgrade your old radio alarm to a new alarm. The great thing about this new alarm is that you can review your security status at anytime on your smartphone!

What can this app do?  Here’s what the app can do:

  • Monitoring of the alarm panels'  status 
  • Real-time push, text or email notifications
  • Events log available up to one year back in time
  • Remote Arming/Disarming of the alarm system
  • Secured remote access with personalized user codes

The app is available on Android, iTunes and Windows devices.

If you’re interested in these options, please speak with Ernesto at (416) 798 7721.

Watch for Phone Scams

Please be aware of fraudulent phone calls, especially targeting our mature clients

OPP are warning the public about a telephone scam, where the caller poses as a representative from the homeowner’s security alarm provider [Alcom Security]. Police say the call starts with the individual saying he’s “from your alarm company” and informs the resident their system isn’t working properly.

For Your Safety: If you receive such a call hang up and call Alcom immediately at 416-798-7721; a quick phone call to us to confirm whether the call is legitimate can make all the difference.

Below is an article published in 2014 for the same crime. It has recently resurfaced. Please be vigilant http://barrie.ctvnews.ca/opp-warn-of-phone-scam-where-caller-poses-as-a-home-security-representative-1.2337824

What Does this Sticker Mean?

This is an Alcom sticker. 

It tells the world a few things. 

It tells neighbors that you care enough to choose a family-run company to protect your family and property. 

It tells neighbors that, while you may bundle up during the winter, you don’t bundle your security system with your cable. 

It tells burglars that the owner of this system wants to protect their property.

That the alarm protecting the house is tamperproof

That the company monitoring the alarm monitors it 24 hours a day.

It tells criminals to move on…..

Welcome to Spring!

Can’t wait to get outside? Or at least open the windows and let the air in?

We totally feel the same. 

But when you open your windows, you give burglars the opportunity to enter your home.  Let’s do a quick check of your home, ensuring that everything is safe, so you can enjoy yourself.

First of all, the most important thing you can do is get an Alcom radio-based security system. This system allows you to check the status of your home anytime. 

An Alcom sticker tells burglars that you’re serious about buying tamperproof and radio-based alarms.

In addition, there are some things to keep in mind when keeping your property safe.

When the time springs forward, check the batteries in your smoke detector.

For your outdoor lights, add motion-sensitive options to them.  This will deter burglars from entering.

If you have greenery that overgrew a bit too much, and they cover access points in your home, take a few minutes and trim the greenery so burglars do not have a place to hide.

Make a nightly habit to check that all doors are locked and all windows are closed.  This is something that we can often ignore in winter, when you know windows are open.  This is a habit that we need to get used to in the spring. 

Choosing the Right Fire Alarm for Your Business

Protecting your business, properties and employees in the event of a fire must be a high priority.  Forgetting the legal requirement, you want to protect the people and your life’s work.  One might ask “How!?”

Alcom brings value to your business, in that we handle all of your fire alarms and subsequent protection. 

Think about changing the oil on your car.  Twenty years ago, you could have changed your own oil. Today, you might have a hard time finding the oil pan on a modern car.  Even if you get to find the oil pan (thanks internet!), and manage to change the oil, there’s a reason why working on your car can cause the warranty to expire.  We need to bring these things to the experts.

This is something that Alcom provides your business.  Protection, in terms of the human, legal and property damage that fire can cause, and peace of mind that you do not have to worry about fire protection.

To get this protection, please speak with Ernesto. 

Leaving Your Children at Home?

With March break approaching, you may want to consider leaving your child at home.  It can be difficult to decide if you should trust your child with such a milestone.

The reason we bring this to your attention is that, with our new app, you can view the status of your security system using your smartphone. This lets you trust your child, but verify that they are where they need to be.

Obviously, it will be up to you and your child, their confidence in being left alone and your confidence in them.

Other things to consider is the amount of support your child has.  Will someone be by the phone if they are needed? Is there a neighbor to support if needed?  Have you gone through an emergency drill with your child, so they know what to do in an emergency?

Once you’re decided if your loved one can stay at home, keep in mind the support that Alcom provides by getting the radio receiver and the app where you can see the status of your home from anywhere.

To get the app and radio-detection, please call Ernesto.

Protecting Your Home While Fleeing the Winter

If you’re thinking about leaving for a well-deserved break from the sun, we’ve created some tips that can protect your home while on vacation.

The best thing you can do for your well-being and confidence, is to add radio remote monitoring to your smartphone or computer.  By checking your phone, you can see if someone is at your house uninvited, or if the neighbor is feeding the cat.

All it takes is one incident to turn a memorable trip down south to an unforgettable disaster. So, what can you do? Some of the answers are clear.

You can:

  • Ask a neighbor to look after your home.  This includes clearing snow, picking up mail, putting your garbage out on garbage day, and putting the empty bins away.
  • Turn off the water, ensuring pipes do not freeze.  This can happen more often than you think, especially when your furnace is turned down.
  • Lock every door, including garage doors, and lock every window. Even in winter, some windows remain unlocked.
  • Install motion-sensing detectors in the front as well as the back of the house.

If you have any questions, please call Ernesto and he can set you up with anything you need to have a safe and restful vacation.

Things We Love for Valentine’s Day

This may be a first in the security industry.  With Valentine’s Day coming shortly, we wanted to let you know about some of the things that we love about our company, people and products.

Alcom is family run, so the best thing about us is family, even if you’re not related by blood, you’re family.

The Alcom family eats a homemade lunch together, and we do that, every day at noon.

Our personal service will make you feel that you’re a member of the same family, and is totally unique to this industry.

We’re proud of our radio technology that links to your computer or smartphone.  We think it’s really easy to see who is in your house, and if they are in your house at the right time.

We love that our service is based on family.  We offer personal service, not call centre service.  Your call is answered in the Greater Toronto Area, and you love our friendly service.

Please give Ernesto a call, and see how he can help you with your security and fire protection needs.

Fire Rules and Legislation

There are many commercial fire alarm rules that stem from legislations that your business must consider.  These rules some from the national, provincial and municipal level.  Within each level of government, there are many different rules between each code.

Translating these regulations can be strenuous and time-consuming, and, once you’ve understood the rules, they can change all over again.  If you manage a building that falls under these guidelines.  The best thing to do is to leave it to the experts.

Like your taxes, to get the best result, the best option is to leave it to the experts.

At Alcom, we offer fire protection service that covers Ontario’s many different provincial and municipal regulatory standards.  Alcom meets not only the basic regulatory standards, but exceeds them by protecting your investment, as well as the lives that count on our protection.  Alcom is a company you can trust with this.

Protecting Holiday Purchases

With this busy Christmas season now over, we wanted you to think about how you can protect those expensive and hard to replace gifts. The holidays should be a time for celebration, but, more than any other time of the year, we must ensure that we are protected at all times.

You know the obvious, lock your doors and windows at night. However, it’s always a good idea to take away temptation, and remove new presents and alcohol from sight.

Install motion-sensitive lights above front doors and garage doors.  When you’re away, ensure indoor light timers are set so that they come on when you are not at home. Of course, lights on at 4:00 in the morning is a sign to burglars that you are not home, so ensure the lights are turned off when they should be.

If you’re leaving home for a night or more, let a trusted neighbor know that you are gone. They can take out your garbage, pick up your mail and newspapers, making your home look lived in. However, if you are an Alcom customer, they will not have to be on the lookout, as we will know if your alarm status changes within 30 seconds.

A tamperproof, CSA-approved radio-based security system ensures that you know when an intruder attempts to enter your house.  With our new smartphone app, you can be informed immediately to any changes in the state of your alarm.  And Alcom will always watch over your home when you are not there.

Alcom can protect your Christmas purchases and peace of mind. Contact Ernesto for a free assessment and quote.