Do the Smart Thing and Add Smart Home Features

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With the technology we have today, we are practically living in the sci-fis of the mid to late 1900s. True, we don’t have the hoverboards Back to the Future II predicted for 2015, but our pocket-sized computers and many other advancements would still be mind-blowing to Marty McFly.

Technology is getting better, faster, and smarter. Chances are you have a smartphone, but do you have a smart home? Smart home technology has been gaining popularity in recent years, but if you’re still uncertain if it’s the right thing for you, here’s why you should do the smart thing and add smart home features today.

Smart for Your Wallet

There are many money-saving smart home features, with smart thermostats and smart lights being among the biggest money savers.

Consistently among the top-recommended smart thermostats, the Nest Learning Thermostat is designed to help you use less energy. When you first install your Nest Learning Thermostat, you will need to adjust it like a regular thermostat. Through this, it will learn your schedule to know when you have it on and how you like the temperature throughout the day. This way, you can more easily only use heating and cooling when you need it. It even offers eco settings for additional savings. If your schedule or temperature preferences change, you can easily adjust your thermostat from your phone wherever you may be at the time. 

Nest did a study to show how effective their thermostat is by looking at real energy bills from customers. On average, people saved 10% to 12% on heating and 15% on cooling. That means if your power bill is $81.65 and your gas bill is $47.99, the Utah averages for 2020, you’ll save around $17 per month, which may not sound like much, but it adds up. Just in one year, you could save $204, and in five years, you could save $1,020.00.

To maximize savings even further, you can install smart lights. At WISE Home Solutions, we offer a smart light bulb that only uses 9 watts to achieve a 60-watt brightness, and they last for up to 25,000 hours, which means that if you have your lights on for three hours a day, you’ll only need to buy new light bulbs approximately once every twenty-two years, putting all the money you would have spent on light bulbs back in your wallet.

Smart for Your Safety

Video doorbells are a great way of adding protection to your home. If a potential package thief saw a video doorbell on your home, they would be less inclined to act on their intentions than if they knew they could get away with it without being seen and recorded. More important than protecting your packages, a video doorbell can protect you and your family. You can know who’s at the door before answering, and if your kids are old enough to stay home alone and they open the door for a stranger while you’re gone even though you tell them not to, you can use the two-way talk feature from your phone to make the visitor think you’re home.

Speaking of being away from home, have you ever made it down the street or partway to your destination when you realize you can’t remember if you closed the garage? With a smart garage door controller, you can check an app to see if the garage is closed after reaching your destination or after pulling over—smart for your safety, remember? If you find the garage is still up, you can remotely close it from your phone. 

These are just a few of the many ways a smart home can benefit you. If you are interested in learning more, contact us at 844-904-9473 or request info online.

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Life Is Easier with Ring

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The earliest doorbells utilized a bell installed into the house with a string or chain attached to it. A visitor would pull this to ring the bell—rudimentary, but it served its purpose. In the two-hundred or so years since then, technology evolved to give us electric doorbells, and in recent years, we have seen the video doorbell gain popularity, with Ring as one of the leading brands.

Life is busy, yet we find ways to make it busier. A Ring video doorbell adds elements of convenience and security to make things easier. Say you’re planning a party with friends, and you find yourself at the store buying what you need for the evening the day a package your expecting should be delivered. Your ring doorbell acts as a package thief deterrent since would-be thieves generally avoid stealing if they know they’ll be videoed and therefore more easily caught. It’s not a package panacea, though, so you’ve provided delivery instructions for the mail carrier. You’ve noticed that the drivers don’t always adhere to these, though. That’s where your Ring video doorbell comes in handy.

While you’re walking down the produce aisle, you get a notification that there’s someone at your door. Going into the app, you’re able to access the camera’s live-stream to see who it is. It’s the person delivering your package, and they either didn’t read or don’t care to follow the delivery instructions, but you’re able to utilize your Ring video doorbell’s two-way audio from your phone and politely tell the mail carrier where you would like them to hide your package.

When you get home with your groceries, you take the package—safe and sound—inside before continuing your preparations for the party. Part way through, someone rings the doorbell. You’re in the middle of a step, and you don’t want to stop unless it’s important. Thanks to your Ring video doorbell, you are able to check the app and see someone who looks like a solicitor at the door. Glad you saved yourself the time of sending away the solicitor, you resume your task.

The next time your doorbell rings, it’s dark outside, but the night vision camera allows you to see that, this time, the people outside are your friends here for the party. You let them in and spend an enjoyable evening.

The above scenario doesn’t necessarily apply to everyone, but the benefits can. Video porch monitoring, real- time conversations when you’re unavailable to answer the door, and in-app notifications in addition to a regular doorbell are only a few of the benefits. If you are interested in learning more about what a Ring doorbell can do for you, contact us at 844-904-9473 or request info online.

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Why DIY Security Systems and Security Cameras Are the Last Things You Should Buy This Prime Day

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It’s Amazon’s Prime Day, which means that tech sales are plentiful. Many of these sales include do-it-yourself security systems and home security cameras. But are these the best setup for your home? And is your house going to be as secure as you’re hoping by adding these items? Here’s why you should really be looking for professional security deals this Prime Day if you want to secure your home.

 

First, let’s address do-it-yourself home security systems. These systems market themselves as affordable and customizable. They can be utilized on their own, without the need for professional monitoring but also have that option. So what’s the problem with that? Well, not every system and not every monitoring company is the same. 

 

Response Times for Monitoring Stations

Response time matters when you’re in the middle of a crisis—whether that’s a break-in, a medical emergency that you’ve triggered with a medical pendant, or a fire in your home. Some companies have a time of upwards of 60 to 90 seconds. When you use a professional security company, like WISE Home Solutions, whose monitoring station has some of the best response times in the business (around 12 seconds), you know that you’re investing in that service. In an emergency, every second counts. 

 

WiFi vs Cellular Security Systems

Professional alarm services tend to use security equipment that is tried and tested over a long period of time. Not only that, but while DIY systems boast their wireless systems, that’s a feature that’s been part of professional home security for a long time. And a professional system doesn’t count on Wi-Fi to keep you secure. Using cellular technology, you can rest assured that your security system will keep working during a power outage, or if someone were to use a Wi-Fi blocker near your home.

 

With professional home security, If your cell phone is working, your security system will be working. That’s why a professional system is much more secure than a Wi-Fi-based system. And while some Wi-Fi systems use an alarm cellular backup, there can be a minute or more delay before it kicks in, with some reports that alarm cellular backup never kicks in. This leaves your home and family vulnerable during that time.

 

Security Cameras are Not the First Line of Defense

Security cameras seem to be all the rage right now and there’s a company that ran a commercial that summed up this craze brilliantly. The commercial shows a series of people on vacation, at work, and other places away from their homes, watching from their phones as burglars break into their homes, as they beg for them to stop or put things back. While the commercial elicits a good chuckle, it poses a great question: what good is a camera if there’s no one responding to your emergency? Cameras should be viewed as a supplementary device to a complete security system. After your alarm scares off any potential intruder, you can send the video to the authorities for evidence. But don’t depend on cameras to keep you and your family safe.

 

So while it may be tempting to buy a DIY system or security cameras this Prime Day, make sure you’re investing in the right security system for your situation. And consider all the options you have out there. Cheaper isn’t always better, especially when it comes to the safety of your home.

 

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How to Customize the Best Security System

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There are lots of different kinds of home security plans out there and the market is only growing. With all these plans, it can be hard to find the best fit for you and your family’s needs. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to make the right decision. That’s why we have a customizable plan option so we can help you build the best security system for you and your family.

What Are My Options?

Sometimes the best fit is a standard plan that we already took the liberty of making for our customers. Such as our Wise Choice plan, which is the basic starter pack with devices we recommend for every home. We also have our Energy Plus plan which is our energy-efficient focused home security plan. It features the Nest Learning Thermostat and smart lights to conserve energy. Lastly, we have our Smart Home Automation plan. This plan is an automation focused plan for those who are looking to bring more convenience into their daily routines. That being said, we also give our customers the freedom to dictate what they want with our Design Your Own plan. 

Where To Start

With every customer in the market for a home security plan, we start by assessing your needs. What are you looking for? Do you want to secure and protect your home? Are you interested in adding home automation for convenience? Or are you concerned about conserving energy? Who knows, it could be a combination of all those factors. Either way, it’s best to know what your primary concerns are to help you build your plan. And if you still are unsure, we are always happy to give you recommendations.

How to Customize

Next, we discuss the different areas of your home and build the best security system plan to fit your exact needs accordingly. This way you can get all the devices you want and none you don’t! It’s also important to know a little bit about the neighborhood that you live in. Specifically, what kind of crimes are being committed in the area. Knowing what has happened around you can better prepare you for what you want to protect against in the future.

For example, in Draper, Utah where our headquarters are located, property crimes made up 92% of all crimes in 2019. The chances of being a victim of a violent crime were 1 in 704 while the chances of being a victim of a property crime were 1 in 54. As a Draper resident, it would be wise to add security devices like outdoor cameras, door sensors, and smart locks to your home security plan.

 

So, if you’re ready to build the perfect plan for your family’s needs, call WISE 1-844-904-9473!

 

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Kid-Friendly Arizona Home Security

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It’s no secret that parenting is hard. It’s the most rewarding job in the world, and it passes you by in the blink of an eye. With constantly changing schedules and moods, we need all the help we can get. Phoenix, AZ has a crime index score of 8, meaning it’s safer than only 8% of other U.S cities. Adding smart home and home security devices to your home can help make things run smoother and give you much more peace of mind. Here are some of our kid-friendly Phoenix home security device recommendations. 

 

Sensors 

Door and window sensors are a no-brainer. Placing sensors on entry points in your home is like having eyes in the back of your head…and on the side and on top. You’ll know which doors or windows are opened and when. So you’ll know if someone is sneaking out of his window late at night when he should be sleeping. And you’ll know if a window accidentally was left open by one of your children before you leave for a family trip.

 

Indoors Cams

Indoor cameras are great because they give you a peek into what’s going on without you actually having to be there. You can see your kids playing in the basement from upstairs in your kitchen. Easily check on your new puppy at home for the first time while you’re at work. You can make sure the studying that needs to be done is actually happening, even if you aren’t there. 

 

Smart Locks

The icing on the cake would have to be smart door locks. They are a game-changer! These are a staple for your Phoenix home security plan and peace of mind. In 2019, Arizona was ranked 14th in the nation in order of most burglaries. According to research conducted by home security experts, most burglars just use your doors to get into your home. A shocking 34% of burglars use the front door and 22% use the back door, as these frequently aren’t even locked. Let’s change that immediately and switch over to smart locks! They can have up to 30 different customizable access codes so you know which child is going in and out of your house and when. They eliminate the need for hidden or spare keys altogether, which is much easier for forgetful children. 

If you want to make your job as a parent just a little easier give us a call at 1-844-904-9473!

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How To Choose The Right Security Company

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You should know what you’re getting when you sign up for a home security plan. There a lot more companies out there now and the choice can be daunting. So, here is a little guide to help you know the right questions to ask a home security company to make sure you’re getting the best coverage possible and the most bang for your buck.

Budget

Outlining a budget is an important step in every new endeavor including picking a home security company.  It’s hard to put a price tag on what your security is worth but most everyone prefers to get the best bang for their buck. Your family’s security is important but it should be affordable. 

 

Monitoring

Depending on which home security company you choose, the monitoring coverage can be drastically different. Some companies don’t offer to monitor at all; they call these “self-monitoring” systems. This means that when an alarm is triggered it notifies the homeowners and no additional emergency services. Conversely, professional security companies like WISE offer 24/7 monitoring 365 days a year.

 

WiFi vs Cellular

It’s important to know how your home security system works before you buy it. Nowadays the most commonly used systems use either Wi-Fi or a cellular source to operate. WiFi-based systems use your internet connection to send you alerts and give you real-time access to the devices in your home. It works great, but the system is not entirely reliable. If you don’t have a battery backup, a power outage can lose access to your security system and leave your house unarmed. And even if you do have a backup battery, there are devices that can temporarily jam WiFi signals that burglars can use to disarm your system and gain access to your home.

Cellular-based monitoring systems are the most reliable method of home security.  They use encrypted codes to send signals from your control panel to the cell towers. Be sure to ask the reps you’re talking to about which monitoring system they use.

 

Choosing A Plan

Lastly, there a couple of things you should ask about when choosing a plan. The most important being is there an option to customizing a plan. There is nothing more annoying than a salesperson pushing products on you that you don’t need. Having an option to customize and build your own plan is great because it gives you, the customer, complete control. This way you can pick exactly the devices that you need and nothing you don’t.  You should also ask if there is an option in the future to upgrade your plan. Maybe you decide later on that you want to add some home automation devices to your home security plan. You should in advance if that option is available to you.

 

We’re happy to chat about any questions you may have for us, give us a call at 1-844-904-9473!

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How To Build Your Energy-Efficient Home

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April showers bring May flowers. In other words, it is officially spring! Soon we’ll be prepping our gardens and getting back to doing the yard work we all love to do so much. But before all that, we’ll celebrate Earth Day! In its honor, we wanted to highlight how home automation devices can make your house an energy-efficient home are a win-win for both you and the planet. They save you money, which is a win for you, and by using less energy, it lessens your carbon footprint which is a win for the planet! Yay, go you!

 

Utilities

Each household is different and therefore uses more or less energy depending on a few different factors like location, size, number of occupants, number of electronics, and so on. If you live in an apartment in the U.S., the average utility bill is between $100-150 each month.  If you are a homeowner, your utility bills will be closer to the $400/ per month give or take. Some utilities like sewer, trash, internet, and cable are billed as services and do not depend on energy usages. The average cost for energy in US households is $1411.80 per year. Luckily, swapping some of the typical household features in your home with smart devices can help lower that number and put you well on your way to becoming a more energy-efficient home! 

The Savings

So what devices can save you the most money? Great question, reader—we were just getting to that. Nest Learning Thermostat on average saves you 10-12% on heating and up to 15% on cooling. According to Move.org, nearly half of the average energy bill every month goes toward just heating and cooling. Switching to a smart thermostat alone will save you hundreds every year. Next up would be replacing the light bulbs in the most frequently used rooms in your house with smart light bulbs. Traditional light bulbs are about 60-watts at least and only last between  750-2000 hours. Smart lights only use 9 watts of energy that mirrors a 60-watt brightness and lasts 22,000 hours. That’s 22 years of use at 3 hours per day! Adding motion sensor lighting to the exterior of your home, running your dishwasher, washer, and dryer at night are other minor things you can do to conserve energy!

 

If you’re ready to start building your energy-efficient home call WISE today at 1-844-904-9473!

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How Home Security Can Increase Your Home’s Value

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Have you noticed how the real estate market has been booming lately? If there was ever a time to sell your home, it is now. Ready or not, we have officially entered a seller’s market. In fact, the National Association of Realtors has named the Provo-Orem, Utah market one of the top ten markets in the nation in 2020, despite the pandemic. They also predict it will be one of the most successful markets after the pandemic. So how can you capitalize on this and get the most value for your home?

 

The Appeal

According to a survey conducted by realtor.com, 4 in 10 Americans expressed they were more interested in adding smart home features to their homes. Having home security already installed in your home can set your home apart from other listings. As of March 2021, the average sale-to-list price is 100.1%. This means that the average home is selling for above its initial listing price. So, any perk or advantage can be the difference between a buyer choosing to buy your home or going with someone else’s in this competitive market. 

 

Savings

Hopefully, you’re taking advantage of saving on home insurance with your home security system, but in case you aren’t this is your reminder.  Most insurance companies will give homeowners with a home security system a discount of up to 20%. You are less of a liability to them with your system, therefore, you pay less. This lowers the financial burden of being a homeowner. Then, when you’re ready to sell your home, you get both the appreciation value and the savings from home insurance.

 

Convenience 

Lastly, have a combination of home security and home automation devices in your home add a level of convenience that you simply cannot have without a security system. These devices save you time and money and give you a level of security that is invaluable. 

Call WISE today if you’re ready to add more value to your home! 1-844-904-9473

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3 Reasons Your Arizona Business Needs Security

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Arizona is home to about 7.2 million people and over 500,000 small businesses. No matter the size of your home or business, it’s always a good idea to get protection. With the hustle of the ever-busy Grand Canyon state, something like business security may get overlooked. Read on to find 3 reasons why we think your Arizona business needs security.

1. Crime Index Score

Phoenix, Arizona is known for a lot of things like its beautiful desert gardens, southwest dining, and culture. It also comes with some not-so-nice things like a crime index score of 8. That means that it is only safer than 8% of U.S. cities. Even in a great state like Arizona, there is bound to be crime; violent and non-violent, residential and commercial. That’s why we offer protection not just for your home but for your Arizona business too!

2. Property Crimes

Did you know that 82% of all the crimes annually committed in Phoenix are property-related crimes? Based on the population, you have a 1 in 30 chance of being a victim of a property crime in Phoenix. Those odds don’t seem too appealing. Needless to say, it would be to your benefit to invest in security for your Arizona business. 

3. Crime Hotspots

Especially in Phoenix, the crimes compared to square mileage are shockingly high. There are 131 crimes per square mile in Phoenix, compared to the rest of the state’s average of 28. For whatever reason, having your Arizona business located in Phoenix makes it clearly more vulnerable. Granted, not all 131 of the crimes per square mile are property-related, but the statistic is still concerning.

 

Despite all that, the Cardinals are your team and Phoenix is still your home so what can be done? Our suggestion is to get prepared. Having a business security system can be a game-changer! We have plenty of camera packages, door sensors, monitoring options for you to choose from. Whether your business is big or small, you can get what you need and better protect yourself and your Arizona business. Call 844-405-1943 today for a quote!

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Everything You Need To Know About Home Surveillance

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There are many reasons why one should consider home surveillance; keeping an eye on pets, knowing when a package you ordered has arrived or just making sure no unusual activity is happening around your home. Whatever your reason is, it’s probably a good one and we commend you. Here’s why we think you should add home surveillance to your home security plan.

Indoor Home Surveillance

Indoor cameras are a great idea for added peace of mind. You can set them up to check on your kids, pets, babies, and the overall state of anything going on inside your home. Indoor cameras have a two-way audio feature that allows you to optimize your monitoring experience and intervene when necessary. Whether you need to keep your pets off of your furniture or you just want a layer of added protection, indoor cameras are a great idea.

Outdoor Home Surveillance

One thing we know about home invaders is they don’t always use the front door. In fact, only 34% of burglars use the front door as their main access point. The rest utilize back doors, garages, windows, man doors, etc. There are a number of ways to gain access to a home but the number one deterrent for home invasions is a comprehensive home security system. On average, a home without a security system is burglarized three times more than a home with one. Not to mention, home surveillance cameras are also great for keeping an eye on things outside your home while you’re away. 

Adding outdoor cameras to your home minimizes the risk of theft or damage of things that aren’t safe inside your home as well. This makes your own home safer and also adds to the overall security of your neighborhood!

If you’re ready to add more protection to your home security plan, call WISE today at 1-844-904-9473!

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