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Homes all across the world are becoming increasingly smarter, thanks heavily to the plethora of apps available for smartphones and similar devices. These apps control lighting, air conditioning, heating, utensils, appliances, and electronics, providing a further protection on one’s home and energy usage. These apps may be helpful for increasing the safety of one’s home by alerting homeowners of certain threats and by helping owners take immediate action.

Here are the top 11 smart apps for any homeowner, regardless if they have a smart home or not:

• Appliance controllers. There are a variety of apps available that help you control how appliances, security, and the home behaves. Most are free and use a cloud-enabled computer system.
• Device controller. Helps to control any device that plugs into the wall, like alarm clocks, television sets, and even landline phones. If it’s plugged in and left on, it can be turned off with these apps.
• Automation. A home automation system app can be installed on a smart phone or smart tablet device to help automate many of the home’s main features, like air conditioning and security.
• Lighting control. Some apps are able to connect to common devices in the home, acting as a remote control for lights and appliances.
• Alarm control. The alarm control apps help homeowners activate and deactivate their alarm system when they are away from their home.
• Home webcam. If you have webcams or security cameras installed in your home, you can often find a free app that connects to these cameras so you can keep an eye on your home at any time of the day.
• Air conditioning and heating control. A smart thermostat app helps you control the temperature of the home. This can help save money on heating and air bills by controlling indoor temperatures when homeowners are away from their residence.
• Complete control apps. Some paid-for apps gives homeowners almost complete control over entertainment, lighting, and energy usage in the home.
• Cable apps. Apps connected to a television cable plan can act as a remote control of sorts for when homeowners are away from home but wish to manage their television recordings and other entertainment options.
• Indoor mood lighting. There are some available apps that can control the hue and mood of indoor lighting, perfect for people wishing to set a certain atmosphere for a party.
• Home comfort apps. Another thermostat app, home comfort apps allow users to control temperature settings no matter where they are. It allows users to see their heating and air usage and adjust it accordingly when they are on their way home.

Securing your home takes more than just installing a security system and pressing the ON button. A lot of planning needs to go into your system in order to make good use of its features. There are a few questions you should answer to help determine what you need for your home.

Do you live in a secluded area, or a busy neighborhood?

Regardless of the location, security is always helpful; however, if you were to live in a secluded area where you don't necessarily see your neighbors, perhaps you should consider a more robust security system, than one you may need if you were to live in a neighborhood. The one thing you should realize if you do live in a neighborhood is that you constantly have the eyes of a lot of neighbors keeping watch for things out of the ordinary. If you are lucky enough to find a neighbor who is trustworthy and caring, you can be sure that anytime you are out and about, he or she will be keeping a close eye on your home should anything suspicious come up.

Do you go on frequent vacations, or do you mainly stay home?

Vacations allow you an opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of day to day life and relax. Vacations can also be problematic if you do not plan accordingly from a safety perspective. If you are planning on going away on vacation, be sure to take every precaution necessary to see that your home is buttoned up tight.

Do you wish to have control of your utilities away from your home?

This question is unique in that not all security systems offer this feature. Being able to control your thermostat and lights from your Smart Phone or computer is truly an amazing feature that some high end systems provide. If you have the capability of setting your thermostat to a timer to kick on to a certain temperature before you return home, or if you have automatic lights that pop on to brighten up the house, you are able to adjust the temperature before a vacation.

For more information, visit us at http://www.tascosecurity.com

We are making a move to a new Central Monitoring Station that will give our loyal customers even more reliable security coverage.

There is an app for everything these days, even for home security.

Napco recently introduced its iBridge app that links your home security system and Z-Wave home devices with one convenient management and messenger service. There have been alarm systems with remote arming capabilities on the home security market for some time now, but this new trio of devices brings home security to a whole new level.

It was a record warm December, but winter has now arrived and that winter get-away to somewhere warm may be calling your name. The unfortunate fact is, most break-ins occur while homeowners are away on vacation.

As the title suggests, Tasco Security truly believes that all homes, no matter the size or quality, are worth a security system. We aren’t saying this just to get you to buy a security system from us. We believe in protecting homes, not just houses.