News
Kensington Home Technology has been featured in The Sunday Times, as their Tech Consultant under the banner 'Ask the Experts':
We have recently bought a second home in the country and want to make it completely secure, for peace of mind. Can we monitor it from our London home?
There are a number of ways to remotely monitor a property in another location. Most simply a text dialler on your alarm control panel will send a message to your mobile phone letting you know when the alarm has been activated, as well as when the alarm has been switched on and off. By giving each key holder their own log in code you will be able to see who has entered the property, which is good if you need to monitor cleaners or contractors for example. The cost of this text dialler will be from about £200 if added to your existing alarm. If you want to see what is happening in and around your property at any given time, it is possible to set up a CCTV system so that you can view your cameras from your PC anywhere in the world ( www.prestigecctv.com 0207 225 7887). Combine this with a text dialler and you will be able to see what is happening at your property when the alarm is triggered. These systems can also be used to monitor specific areas of a property such as outbuildings, wine cellars, offices or safes and can alert you to ingress in these areas even when the alarm is switched off. A remote digital CCTV system would cost from £1500. It is also possible to install flood, fire, smoke and temperature sensors in your property which can be linked to the alarm system, to provide a wide range of remote monitoring. If the property is a long way away it is worth using an alarm monitoring company who can attend the property if the alarm is triggered, or a service such as BT Redcare ( www.redcare.bt.com 0800 800 828), costing about £50 per month, which will alert the Police each time the alarm is activated. A central station CCTV system will monitor your cameras on your behalf and contact you and/or the Police if there is an incident. Make sure that which ever type of monitoring you use, the attending company or Police can be at the property promptly. For all advice regarding the installation and monitoring of security systems you should always consult with a NSI approved contractor (www.nsi.org.uk 0845 006 3003).
Malcolm Stewart is co-founder of Kensington Home Technology, a custom installation company e-mail your questions to propertyexperts@sunday-times.co.uk |