Keeping Your Hamptons Home Safe & Sound
With so many large, extravagant homes on the East End of Long Island, it only makes sense that homeowners would want to protect their investment. With services ranging from pressure-sensitive floor plates to mobile monitoring, home security has really come a long way from the old-fashioned alarm systems rigged to windows and doors. While home security and protecting one’s home (as well as the people inside) is an important aspect of homeownership, there are other aspects of home security and alarm systems folks should know about.
Mark Amendolare, vice president of Bellringer Security, puts an emphasis on alarm systems not only geared to protecting one’s home, but also to often glossed-over aspects of home security like carbon monoxide detectors. “People always think that nothing will ever happen to them-—they live in the Hamptons. It’s a great place to live, but in today’s world, the most important thing when you’re asleep in the house is monitoring if there’s a fire. Often, there’s a fire in the house while people are asleep and they never even know it. Carbon monoxide is odorless and tasteless. You’re in the house, you get dizzy, sit down in the house and the next thing you know, you’re passed out. Having those kind of sensors in the house, to me, is life and death.”
Some of the hottest trends in home security include cameras and surveillance around the house, as well as rapid response. “The cameras have been a big focus lately,” Amendolare said. “People like to keep an eye on what’s going on-, whether they’re in Europe or Texas, it’s important for people to have peace of mind while they’re away. Video verification is big, too. We monitor a home and, should an alarm go off, we determine via camera and video whether it’s a legitimate break-in or just someone on the property.”
“Remote access, having the ability to arm and disarm, as well as receive notifications is a big deal right now,” said Curtis Cole of Systems Design Company. “Being able to see what’s going on at home while on an iPad or computer is important to people. Many people tie a video aspect into it and see just who is in the house.”
Both Amandeolare and Cole’s companies offer security systems to meet any budget, with multiple options for the consumer looking to beef up their home security. “The most common question I’m asked is ‘what does everyone else do out here?’” Cole said, laughing. “A lot of the clients are coming from the city where they have buildings with doormen. Most people are concerned with the environmental aspects out here, a lot of insurance companies are requiring homes of certain values to have an environmentally-friendly solution.” Cole explained that some of the aspects related to home security and environmental solutions are directly related to automation. He walked me through a system where the home alarm triggers after a water leak begins to occur. The alarm system in the house is capable of measuring just how much water is filling the house before shutting the water main off. “Some of those features are being incorporated into your basic security panel. Thermostat control, light control, stuff like that—being able to manage things remotely has a huge benefit,” Cole said.
I was curious to know what the reason was for everyone to purchase a home security system. In the end, both experts stated that peace of mind was worth every penny. Knowing one’s house is protected by a state-of-the-art alarm system is important, whether one spends only half of their time on the East-End or happens to be a full-time resident. “It’s a big investment out here into your home. There are parts of the Hamptons that are pretty secluded. Some houses are completely out of view from the street, houses could be burning down, could be flooding,” Cole said.
“An alarmed security system goes a long way in protecting your assets,” Amendolare said. “If an alarm condition occurs, a sensor alerts the company and the company will send out the proper authorities. It’s that simple.”