When it comes to security systems Canada residents are spoilt for choice. There are many companies who offer a wide variety of equipment and monitoring services to cover most security requirements and budget sizes. Because of this, and spurred on perhaps by rising crime rates all over the world, many security systems Canada homeowners have are constantly reviewed for adequacy. The common law-abiding resident feels trapped in a technological race with criminal elements.

Security companies are only too happy to oblige by offering equipment and software containing more powerful and more user-friendly features. As a result, there are now many installed home security systems which include advanced features such as remote access, and the integration of home automation controls. But the real power of the new home security equipment technologies will only be fully realized through creative application – common sense still rules. From that, a case can be made for improving existing home security systems simply by imaginative use of integrated home automation systems. Here is an article which explains what home automation is.

How Home Automation Systems Can Be Used To Help Improve Security

One thing that burglars and other miscreants avoid most is attracting attention. That means they will generally pick easy targets over homes which appear occupied. Home automation systems can be used to make it appear your home is occupied even when you are away.

Most criminals are already wise to lights which are set to come on at the same time every day when people are away. But using home automation system switches and dimmers will help you to schedule internal lights to turn on and off at different times and as frequently as you like. Through this feature you can more realistically simulate an occupied home. You need to vary lighting schedules to make it look like someone inside the home is controlling them.

Get your home automation system to turn appliances on and off. Get the TV to turn on with the lights in the living room. You can have some soft music in the master’s room in the early evening. You may also want to vary the routine by having lights and music in your garage to make it seem like someone is working in the car.

Most alarms and sensors are set to turn outside floodlights on when tripped, but that only tells the burglar that you have a sensor installed. If the burglar waits a minute or so and nothing else happens, he will be encouraged to proceed. But if you set internal lights to also turn on whenever a sensor is tripped, it would look like they have woken up the homeowner. This gives the burglar notice that he has been detected, which is usually sufficient to make him leave.

You can also control your intercom, surveillance cameras and sensors whenever an event is reported. This way you can directly address a burglar and let him know that he has definitely been detected. If you combine this with remote access you can communicate from anywhere using a smart phone.

Where does common sense come in? None of this will work if you update your social media accounts with stories and holiday pictures every minute!

Entrepreneurs are sparing no expense to equip their conference rooms with the latest and best equipments. After all it is a place where crucial business decisions and strategies are made. The quest for the latest technologies almost always leads to the installation of a conference room touch screen. Interactive screens are not only very popular, they significantly improve communications to enable better discussions which lead to better business decisions.

The Many Uses Of A Conference Room Touch Screen

Most people have the correct idea that a touch screen in the conference room replaces a passive display-only monitor and a flat panel TV. That is indeed true, but a touch screen really does more than that.

When a touch screen is used to replace a TV monitor, the need for many types of multimedia equipment is reduced. For one, you would no longer need a projector – the touch screen can play video and slide presentations directly from computers, laptops and smart devices. If you will no longer use a projector, it follows that you would not need to set up a projection screen anymore. Projectors and screens take a lot of time to set up anyway. The VCR, if you still have one, and the DVD player can also be disposed of. It is much easier to play video or slide shows using computers and usb thumb drives.

Another piece of equipment that a touch screen can replace is the traditional whiteboard. With the use to touch screens you can also write directly on the screen as you would on a real whiteboard. However you will enjoy the added convenience of easily saving and printing whatever is on the screen. Better yet, you can easily access and display other bits of information stored in your network simply by using touches and gestures.

When touch screens are used in presentations instead of the old passive display-only screens, the presenter will not have coordination issues. This is because it is the presenter himself who advances slides using deft touches and gestures. Whatever data or images are required to reinforce the presentation can be accessed from the computer or the company’s own network. Any feedback from any of the participants can be instantly included and saved. This article reports on the availability of large 55” and 84” touch screens specially designed for conference rooms.

But it is when interactive touch screens are used for video conferences that you will realize how much it helps improve communications. The participants can see and talk to each other as if they are on the same room. Whoever is in control of the screen can import data for discussion from anywhere – even from an affiliate office on the other side of the globe. The important aspects of the discussion can be input directly on the screen so there is little need to take notes anymore; and everything can be saved, printed and shared with all participants wherever they may be.

A small interactive screen can even be used outside a conference room for efficient scheduling of this valuable real estate.