Keep an Eye on Your Orange County Property from Anywhere – Home or Away

It’s always important to stay aware of your surroundings and not become complacent when it comes to security. No matter where you live, potential thieves look for opportunities wherever they may be. A home cloaked in darkness at midnight is an easier burglary target than one that is blanketed in protective landscape lighting. Visible security cameras and video doorbells also serve as deterrents to potential porch pirates.

To make protecting your home second nature, consider a security camera installation on your Newport Beach, CA property. Though it may seem like a daunting endeavor, it doesn’t need to be – let us help you! Keep reading below to learn how Launch Systems can implement a security solution that improves your peace of mind and protects those you care for the most.

SEE ALSO: Learn How Security Camera Installations Can Keep You Safe

What Is It Like to Have a Smart Security System?

Imagine synchronizing lighting, shading, intrusion detection, surveillance cameras, door locks, and more into one comprehensive control platform. With the press of your finger on a customized wall keypad, you can orchestrate a smart response from all of these security devices, and from your smartphone, you can even tap into live security camera footage!

The “Goodnight” smart scene sets the following smart responses in motion: Shades lower to provide privacy, lights turn off in sleeping areas, locks and the alarm system are armed, and exterior landscape lighting illuminates your home for an additional layer of safety. If you believe you heard a ‘bump in the night,’ you can view the live security camera feed from the comfort of your bed to reassure yourself and go back to sleep.

Support the Community While Receiving Best-In-Class Service from Launch Systems

You’ve likely heard the phrase, “Shop Local.” This phrase encourages people to buy locally produced goods and services instead of those originating outside of the community. Supporting local businesses helps boost the economy and reduces carbon emissions when we avoid shopping online. The mentality is often showcased with acts such as purchasing food from local farmers and shopping at local retail stores. But the “Shop Local” concept can apply to hiring local security companies, as well. There are several national security companies out there, but how do they compare to your local security expert? Keep reading to learn why hiring a local security camera installation company is the best decision you can make for your Irvine, CA property.

SEE ALSO: Learn How Security Camera Installations Can Keep You Safe  

One-Size-Fits-All Doesn’t Work

While national brand names are easy to recall due to large marketing budgets and commercials, these companies aren’t able to look out for your best interest. Big businesses serve customers nationwide, meaning their solutions are not custom-designed and installed specially for your needs in the Irvine area. Individual preferences you have for your property are overlooked for the sake of providing homeowners with a one-size-fits-all go-to security solution.

Customized Solutions

A local company will provide you a custom security and surveillance installation experience. During the initial personal consultation, Launch Systems will review your wants and compare them to products available on the market. A local company stays abreast of the latest industry trends and takes the time to provide you with the newest and greatest technology solutions. A local company has more to lose than a national chain, so they’ll do their best to support your home. This means you will have the latest high-definition surveillance cameras and software upgrades available to you. The national chain may offer a great deal on a camera bundle package nationwide, but if you have an expansive property, that blanket solution simply will not work for you.

Support Your Community

By supporting local small businesses, you are supporting the community where you live. Local companies create local jobs, hire, and help their neighbors. Shopping locally also reduces your personal carbon footprint, because you don’t have to commute very far to enter their front door.   If you’re ready to make your Irvine, CA home safer and more secure, shop local with Launch Systems. Chat with us below, call (949) 515-7030, or connect with us using this form. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Learn the Difference Between Local and Cloud Storage Systems

Many of our customers consult us for a variety of smart home solutions, and we love hearing from you. From whether or not to invest in a more robust network to incorporating lighting control systems into your home, we’ve learned our customers’ strongest desires relate to simple functionality and high-quality products. That desire spills over into the security and surveillance realm, as well. Several different components can go into a security camera installation, and surveillance cameras are typically the most significant component of many systems. Camera footage storage is an aspect of security installations about which we get many questions. If you’re wondering what the difference is between local storage and cloud storage, keep reading.

SEE ALSO: How Hidden TVs Help Designers Create More Beautiful Homes  

Components of a Surveillance System

Before you install a security system in your Laguna Beach-area home, make sure you’re informed about the variety of solutions available. Beyond cameras, door and window sensors, carbon monoxide detectors, motion sensors, video doorbells, smart locks and more are all components you could potentially incorporate into your own home. From dome to bullet cameras, wireless to wired options, and indoor to outdoor cameras, there are several options available, and each is suited for different needs. A professional security installation company will consult with you, performing a site visit to understand your current setup and clarify your vision for a future security system.  

Local Storage

Local storage does just that with your footage – your video and accompanying audio is stored locally. In the past, this meant bulky servers or computer storage. That’s a thing of the past, and cameras compatible with local storage have some type of SD or microSD card storage. You can easily access this footage, so don’t think this is some sort of old-fashioned method in comparison to cloud-based storage. Another consideration to make when planning a security camera installation is whether or not you want 24/7 recording or if you only want a recording to take place when sensors detect motion. This preference will affect your storage needs. Local security footage storage is stored in your home and is accessible by you when you need to access the archive. Storing locally keeps your data secure and unavailable to potential cyber thieves. The local storage option is also the generally more affordable option since you aren’t paying for monthly cloud-storage fees.  

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage, on the other hand, sends your security camera footage to a remote, cloud-based server, off-site from your Laguna Beach-area property. The primary benefit to this storage option is the ability to watch your security camera footage remotely, wherever you are, from a smart device app or your computer browser. Launch Systems can protect your home network from cyber threats so you can rest easy knowing your data is secure in the cloud. Security camera installations can accommodate a combination of both types of storage, so be sure to consult with a professional before you make your final decision. No matter your storage decision, a security camera installation can proceed without a hitch in your Laguna Beach home with Launch Systems. Call us today at (949) 515-7030, contact us online, or chat with us below. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Make Your Irvine, CA Home Safer with These Smart Solutions

So, you’ve decided to make your home safer and more secure, but how exactly are you planning to do that? Beyond having an alarm system, intelligent placement of security cameras can improve the safety of your property. Once you’ve decided to go forward with a smart security camera installation, Launch Systems assesses your Irvine, CA property, and inquires about your security system preferences to determine the perfect placement of security cameras and the ideal system for your home. Read on to learn two security camera installation areas you may not have previously thought to consider.

SEE ALSO: Confused on Where to Start with Your Security Camera Installation?

The First Floor

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 81% of burglars enter homes through the first floor, with 34% of those coming through the front door. Some may think video doorbells are a novelty, but they can truly help you surveil your home and potentially deter theft of packages and unwanted entry through the front door. Not only are you making your home safer, but you’re able to add convenience because you can see who’s at the door without before answering. Other ground-level security camera locations include the rear entry, garage doors, and by first-floor windows. Placement is also essential. Wide-angle cameras should be placed to see 75 to 180 degrees without obstruction, while focus cameras should aim at specific areas with around 45 to 75 degrees of viewing space. And of course, be sure to place your outdoor surveillance cameras out of reach, typically about nine feet above the ground.

Detached Structures

There are likely valuables on your property beyond the walls of your home. A tool shed, a detached storage area or garage, and cars in the driveway are all valuables that are often overlooked when homeowners take a DIY route to security camera installation. Often, thieves target these structures due to the lack of visible security cameras or poor lighting. Avoid thieves taking advantage of your home by placing cameras in high and visible locations, and add exterior lighting around your property to deter thieves. Launch Systems has a long history of serving clients in Irvine and the surrounding areas. From our initial personal consultation assessing your needs to security camera installation to post-installation support, we pride ourselves on our work.   Call us today at (949) 515-7030 or use our online contact form to get started on your no-obligation consultation. We can’t wait to help you make your California home safer and bring you peace of mind.

4 Camera Locations to Consider to Deter Thieves

Everyone in the country is spending less time doing typical activities such as going into the office, shopping, or taking the kids to school. Instead, Californians are spending more time in their homes working, cooking, and conducting e-learning with their kids. Likely, online shopping habits have picked up, along with home deliveries, which is a side effect of staying at home and avoiding crowded spaces. Since everyone in your home is busier than ever before for the sake of social distancing, it’s likely that you may not notice packages left on the doorstep before nefarious porch pirates see them or if a car is broken into. Smart home security will help you keep your Newport Beach, CA, property safe and secure while you’re at home on a video conference call or away on a vacation in the future. Read on to learn how a security camera installation by Launch Systems can bring you peace of mind.

SEE ALSO: Confused on Where to Start with Your Security Camera Installation?

Doorbell Camera

We’ve mentioned before that security cameras installed on the first floor of your home are useful since over 80% of burglars enter homes through the first floor. A doorbell camera gives you a view not only on your front porch but usually into your front yard as well, depending on the orientation of your home and doorbell. Video doorbells give you an up-close and personal view of whomever – or whatever – steps on your front porch. From delivery person to the kids coming in from their afternoon walk, the footage is captured, and you’re able to watch, rewind, and replay footage as needed.

Interior Entryway

When you receive the notification and live video feed on your smart device of the delivery person with a package, you can communicate with them. If you’re enjoying music on the back porch with the family yet want to maintain social distance while keeping your package safe, you can remotely unlock your smart locks and ask the delivery person (through an intercom) to drop off the package inside the front door. This ensures the package is kept safe from potential thieves. Security cameras that are installed in the interior entryway of your home will capture this footage. Once the delivery person is done with their delivery, you can remotely lock the front door, then come indoors to safely retrieve the package when you are ready.

Perimeter Cameras

When school is out or people find themselves with more time on their hands than usual, crime rates increase. Installing security cameras on the perimeter of your Newport Beach-area home can do two things – deter potential thieves and provide footage if anyone tries to trespass. Any motion detected by these expertly installed cameras trigger your security system. You are then notified via text or push notification and can view the live footage immediately on your smart device. If the incident occurs at night, remote security monitoring services can notify law enforcement for you.

Modern Security Cameras Require an Expert System Design & Installation Team

Several aspects of homeownership require an eye for detail: gardening and landscaping, interior design, maintenance…the list could go on! Another component of owning a home you should never overlook is having a security system.

Installing cameras that you found at your local big-box retailer will provide some protection, but a comprehensive security camera installation on your Newport Beach, CA property – one that includes a well-designed system that incorporates an alarm, video analytics, motion sensors, and more – will keep your home and your family protected. So whether you’re all at home sleeping in bed or are away for a vacation weekend, you’ll be able to monitor and manage your Orange County home.

Keep reading below to learn what features are included in a customized security and surveillance system from Launch Systems!

SEE ALSO: 3 Ways to Use Your Security System That You Hadn’t Thought of Yet

Futuristic Features

A security system that recognizes the difference between a neighbor walking their dog past your yard and a suspicious idling car near your driveway may seem like something straight out of a science fiction movie, but it’s not. Modern security cameras have several innovative functions, and having a professional team like Launch Systems handle the system design and installation ensures every feature is maximized to its utmost potential.

Get peace of mind with a professional home surveillance system

Security cameras are an essential part of a home security system. A professional installation helps you make your smart home more secure while allowing you remote access to your home surveillance. Home surveillance cameras can be installed in indoor and outdoor spaces, depending on the level of security you require for your residential space. Read on to find out how a security camera installation can make your home in Huntington Beach or Orange County, CA, more secure for you and your family. 

Reduced System Failures

You can reduce system failures when you get surveillance cameras installed by professionals. Our team of experts ensures that your security cameras are functional and continue to provide footage of what’s happening inside or outside your home. If your security cameras stop functioning, the whole point of adding a home security system is undermined. But that won’t happen with a professional camera installation.

Energy-Efficiency

You can integrate motion-sensor cameras that only recond when movement is detected. It eliminates unnecessary footage, and if an incident ever occurs, you can easily find the crucial parts. Moreover, sensor-based cameras help reduce energy consumption, making your home security system energy-efficient.

Remote Monitoring

You can remotely view real-time footage of what’s happening at home at all times. It is possible to connect the home security system to your smartphone to get 24/7 access to your video surveillance. From anywhere with an internet connection, you’l be able to pull up live footage. Check that kids have make it home from school while you’re at work or check in during a vacation for greater peace of mind.

Prevents Crimes and Vandalism

Getting your security cameras installed in visible spots is an excellent way of stopping criminals and vandalizers in their tracks. Most thieves and robbers break into homes without security systems. When your outdoor camera is in plain sight, it will automatically deter criminals from entering your home.

Integrate Your Security System with Smart Home Automation for Total Peace of Mind

As home automation integrators for over a decade serving the Orange County area, Launch Systems has been fortunate to be a part of the growing landscape of smart homes. These are homes that prepare themselves for us in advance, lighting our way in the dark, unlocking the door before we arrive, and streaming our “Relaxing” playlist as we walk in the door. It’s been a truly remarkable experience sharing this technology with our many lifelong clients. 

Not surprisingly, a smart security camera installation is one of the first systems our new clients want to learn about. While controlling your entertainment, lighting, climate, and more with one tap is life-changing, knowing your loved ones are safe brings unparalleled peace of mind. Like all things “smart,” these systems integrate with the rest of your smart home devices, creating an ease of use that defines smart living. Let’s explore the possibilities and if a smart security system at your Laguna Beach, CA home might be right for you. 

SEE ALSO: Boost the Fun in Your Backyard with an Outdoor Audio System

At Home Miles Away

Many people enjoy the benefits of interior and exterior security cameras. This enables them to check in on their homes and family members no matter where they are in the world. Integrating the system with your Control4 home automation system lets you view live or recorded security camera feeds on your designated touchscreen, laptop, or smartphone. In addition, our certified technicians can set up the system to automatically pull up your security cameras on every TV should the system detect something or someone out of the ordinary.

You can receive a notification if your children get home before you do. Check in on them via the touchscreens in any room and make sure the new caretaker is doing their job—caring for your kids.