What You Need To Know About Your TV’s Settings

Your TV comes with four settings that allow adjustments to improve the picture quality of your television.

TV settings from the factory are set for bright retail locations that do not always work in your home environment.

Understand your TV’s Video Settings

Sometimes the labels don’t tell the full story:

• Tint is almost certainly set correctly already. Don’t mess with it.
• Sharpness adds false information to make a crisper image. It’s less useful on HD sets than on older analog TVs, so you should probably lower it.
• Brightness doesn’t actually adjust brightness, but alters black level. So when you turn up the brightness, you’re really just turning down the blackness.
• Contrast, called “Picture” on some TVs, doesn’t control the contrast, but the brightness.

Secur-Tek, Inc. offers a TV calibration service to fine tune your TV’s settings for your home.  It takes on average one (1) hour for each TV to be calibrated and this appointment can be set up by calling our office at (919) 387-1800.

(Note: HDMI or component video input to TV needs to be accessible if you do not have a DVD player currently connected to the TV to be calibrated.)

Calibration can also be done for your media room projector!!!

It’s Almost Impossible for People to Detect….

Carbon Monoxide – Colorless. Odorless. Tasteless. = Almost IMPOSSIBLE for People to Detect

Now that the weather is cooling and we’re thinking of staying warm this fall and winter, it’s a good time to be reminded of the dangers posed by carbon monoxide.

UnFun Fact 1:  A person can be poisoned by a small amount of CO over a longer period of time or by a large amount of CO over a shorter amount of time.

UnFun Fact 2: The most CO exposures occur during the winter months with the highest numbers occurring during December and January.

UnFun Fact 3: Domestic sources of Carbon Monoxide include:

• domestic heating systems
• blocked flues/chimneys
• inadequate ventilation in living areas
• inadequate ventilation in adjoining car garages
• leakage from faulty appliances and chimneys/flues.

PREVENTION IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN A CURE!

The best course of action is to take steps that prevent carbon monoxide becoming a problem in the first place. Be aware of the sources of carbon monoxide especially in domestic properties where a number of appliances could be responsible. (Generators are a huge cause of Carbon Monoxide poisoning – unvented gas or kerosene space heaters also.)

• Get appliances professionally installed and regularly serviced to ensure they work efficiently and safely.
• Ensure adequate ventilation for all fuel burning appliances.
• Install monitoring devices for the early detection of excess carbon monoxide.
• Recognise the early signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, particularly when more than one family or work member is affected, and seek medical advice promptly.

Protect yourself and your family this winter.

Did You Know Your Choice of Phone Service Could Impact Your Security?

The standard phone line is slowly being replaced by cellular and digital phone services.  This is causing customers to ask about different options to keep their security system connected for monitoring the security, smoke, CO levels and medical devices they have in their home. Some customers are switching to digital phone service and are not aware that the digital phone service goes through a router that, if it locks up, is not able to notify the monitoring station to be able to call the authorities.  The security system has a battery back-up that will power the security system during short power outages but the digital phone provider and network router do not have this power back-up to allow the security panel to notify the monitoring station during an alarm condition.  These two shortcomings of the digital phone service make the cellular monitoring the most reliable and recommended monitoring communications among security providers.

Reasons to use a cellular connection:

1) The cellular communicator sends a test signal to verify system operations.

2) A cellular line can not be tampered with, for example, by cutting a wire at the exterior of the house, at the street or at a local phone hub.

3) Cellular service is not affected by routine line service work.

4) If you switch phone providers, there is no chance of interruption of security service.

5) Cellular service allows you to use your smart phone to remotely control your security system.

Are Monitored Security Systems Worth The Money?

Today, with home owners trying to save money on expenses, the monthly service of their monitored security system sometimes enters this equation.  A lot of home owners look at the monthly service as just monitoring of the security system; when in fact the monthly monitoring provides more value than just the security monitoring.

A majority of monitored security systems have a low-voltage smoke detector or CO detector connected to the system that can notify somebody away from the premises when there is an alarm activation.  The standard (required) 120 volt smokes and plug in CO detectors will only sound locally and if there is nobody home, or the occupant is unconscious, this does not provide life safety or notify the authorities before the situation escalates.

Most alarm keypads have medical, police panic and fire emergency buttons on the face of the pad that can be pressed if there is an emergency.  These features are only of value to the occupant if the system is monitored.

Check with your insurance company on the discount you can get for a monitored security system with a smoke and/or CO detector.  Most alarm companies have a form that is sent to the insurance company for verification of the monitored service.  Secur-Tek, Inc  charges no additional monthly fees over its low monthly monitoring fees to add a smoke, CO detector or medical notification to your system.

How To Get The Best Value Security System

Each year home and business owners are faced with the decision to renew or start a multiple year monitoring agreement for a security system. Before you start or renew a multiple year agreement, consider the following questions to ask yourself and/or the alarm company, to make sure you are getting the best value and service:

1)  Take the start-up/installation cost and add it to the total monthly fee for the length of the contract – eg: $195.00 + ($35.00 X 36) = $1,455.00 and compare that to a local alarm company that charges for the install but has a lower monthly rate - eg: $595.00 + ($21.95 X 36) = $1,385.20. Within the three years of the contract you will break even or even save some money. What you, the consumer, need to be aware of is that the monthly rate will stay the same or increase when you renew the multiple year contract - therefore you will be paying more for the “low-cost” system compared to the system with the up front cost.

2)  Does the system have proprietary equipment, meaning that no other alarm company can access the programming? Request and get in writing that the equipment is non-proprietary.

3)  Do you own the equipment or are you leasing for the duration of the agreement?  If you are leasing or have proprietary equipment and want to switch alarm companies in the future, you may have to purchase some new equipment to switch, adding further cost to a more expensive purchase.

4)  Ask the alarm company if they do a complimentary on-site consultation. Some companies will give you an estimate over the phone and then add-on items once the technician arrives for the installation – the customer often feels obligated to go through with the installation. An alarm company that does a complimentary consultation can see what is involved with the installation and will give you the final costs before starting the installation.

More times than not, a home or business owner will receive better service from a company that does not offer a long-term contract because there is no incentive to stay if the service is not what is expected.  Compare this to when a long-term contract is in place – you are contracted for the service even if it is not to your expectations.  Moving or selling your home or business does not negate the long-term contract.  You will still be responsible to fulfill the obligation to pay for the entire length of the term.  Owners that move and still have time on their contract can either pay out the amount due or transfer the contract to their new home.  I have even met some owners that are told they have to renew their agreement to the original term length, further adding to their unexpected costs for a long-term contract.

Hope these tips help you make an informed decision on a security system.

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