Feeling safer

Those of us who have shops containing many thousands of dollars worth of tools, equipment and materials often worry about someone breaking in and making off with some (or all) of it.

Alarm systems are a pretty common defense. In fact, many insurance companies will not issue a policy unless an alarm system is installed. Expensive to say the least and always accompanied by a Machiavellian contract.

I recently installed an alarm system from SimpliSafe that costs a fraction of what a major alarm company will charge. It comes with 24/7 monitoring, police dispatch and remote activity monitoring from a computer or mobile device. One of the best features is that it’s used with a cellular network, instead of a landline, and powered by five-year Lithium ion batteries, so the bad guys can’t cut the lines.

So far there have been a few glitches but the customer support is good. They spent a solid half hour on the phone with me to get a bug ironed out. I'll report back as time goes on but so far, this is looking like a great solution form the small shop owner.

D.D.