4 Essential Home Protection Devices & Why You Need Them

Not all household emergencies are the result of criminal activity. Many of them occur from within the home, often accidentally, and unfortunately unnoticed until they become a serious threat to the safety of your family and property. That’s where home protection technology comes in. The devices discussed in this article are what we at MIProTechs recommend as the most essential to our clients looking to enhance their home security solution.

What’s really great is that most of them feature support for smartphones and tablets, which enables you to be immediately notified in the event of an emergency and respond as quickly as possible before fires, carbon monoxide, flooding, and others have a chance to do any real harm.

Let’s get started.

Smoke & Heat Detectors

Most fire-related deaths in the United States are not caused by the heat or flames, but by the smoke. This is because many house fires begin as a “smolder” or burning very slowly without flames, which causes incomplete combustion and generates more smoke. Oftentimes, sleeping occupants on the upper floor of a two-story home are rendered unconscious or worse by the smothering, toxic smoke seeping in through the vents before the actual fire on the lower level even reaches their room.

It is for this reason that smoke detectors are perhaps the most essential home protection device you can have. In fact, most local ordinances even require them before you can legally occupy a house in your city. While exactly how many and where varies, the National Fire Protection Association recommends that smoke detectors be installed in each bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on each level of the home.

For additional property protection, heat detector may be used in conjunction with smoke detectors. These devices detect sudden, rapid temperature changes which can speed up reaction times to fast-spreading fires.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Over 15,000 emergency room visits and 5,000 deaths per year are attributed to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. It doesn’t take much of this colorless, odorless gas to be dangerous to people. To put it in perspective, the oxygen you breathe in your home is typically comprised of 200,000 parts per million (ppm). A CO level of 70ppm can cause negative symptoms in adults like headaches, nausea, and more within minutes, and just 440ppm can lead to death within a couple hours.

If those stats don’t convince you of the merits of installing carbon monoxide detectors in your home, we don’t know what will. We at MIProTechs recommend installing one in the area around your furnace, since CO is produced by any equipment that burns fossil fuel to create heat.

Flood & Freeze Sensors

There are few things worse than coming home to a flooded kitchen, bathroom, or basement. Now you have to deal with flooring replacement, wall repair, mold removal, damaged technology and furniture, and the loss of precious possessions. And worst of all? Seeing the price tag to cover what actually can be fixed, and the feeling of dejection for what can’t.

Flood sensors are designed to alert you to small water leaks the moment they happen, before they become a much more destructive problem. We recommend placing them wherever pipes are present in your home such as underneath sinks, next to the dishwasher, and around the water heater. Freeze sensors also exist to let you know when pipes are frozen so you can address the issue as soon as possible before it has a chance to rupture and burst.

Voice Assistants

That’s right. Voice assistants, specifically Amazon’s Alexa, have the potential to be highly effective home protection devices beyond controlling your window treatments, turning on your TV, and other novel conveniences. With the ability to be fully integrated with smart appliances like door locks and lighting and even your security system itself, a voice assistant enables you to have control over the security of your home without putting you in harm’s way.

For example, if you hear someone walking around outside in the middle of the night, simply ask Alexa to lock all doors in the house (including those on bedroom doors) and arm the door and activate the alarm system and security cameras. If someone does manage to make it inside, you can ask Alexa to turn on the lights downstairs and spook them into high tailing it out of there.

Outside of bolstering security system against criminal elements, a voice assistant can be a life-saving device in the event of household accidents in which you or a loved one is unable to reach the phone and call for help. All it takes is asking Alexa to dial 911.

Those were some of the most essential home protection devices we recommend to our homeowner clients. If you have additional questions about any of them and how they can enhance your home security solution, or need help installing them, contact the experts at MIProTechs. As Southeast Michigan’s premier provider of home technology, we’re here to help you with whatever you need.

Call us at (248) 987-6171 or schedule an appointment online!