The History Of Home Security

In times past, home security was primarily dependent on the vigilance of the man of the house and his quick response to an emergency situation. In 1966, this changed when a woman named Marie Van Brittan Brown invented the first home security system with her husband, Albert. Her idea was to quell rising crime rates through a surveillance system that set the stage for modern security systems.

Brown's system used a camera that captured images from four peepholes and displayed the footage on a monitor. The homeowner could decide where on his property to set up the camera and from what angle he would capture the video footage. The system with all its parts took up a good part of a wall in the home.

Although modern homeowners are indebted to Marie Van Brittan Brown for her foresight and invention, security has gone far beyond the monstrous wall unit and circuit board of that first security system. Now, homeowners can not only view the happenings on their property; but they can also do something about them. More specifically, the system can do something about unauthorized entry and emergency situations such as a fire.

Today's surveillance cameras do not need to be watched by the homeowner. In fact, modern cameras capture images and know what to do with them. Through video content analysis, the camera can recognize unusual patterns in an environment and sound an alarm. Closed circuit surveillance tracks body movement and some systems even use facial recognition technology. Peepholes are not necessary for these systems as they digitally record the footage of abnormal activity for human reference at a later time. While Brown's invention used many circuits and wires, wireless systems transfer crisp video images digitally in homes today.

Jacksonville home security depends on these and other new technologies offered by Certified Security. It is the goal of this company to keep abreast of technology and use it to make area homes as safe as possible. Knowing what is happening on one's property is the first step to getting help when needed.

Although homeowners want to prevent intrusion, a fire emergency is much more likely to occur than a burglary. Although Francis Robbins Upton is credited with creating the first fire alarm product in 1890, his ideas were not used in the market until three years after Mrs. Brown's surveillance system was invented.

Many homes are still behind the times when it comes to a fire alarm. Battery-operated smoke alarms are recommended for fire safety, however due to false alarms many homeowners disconnect them out of annoyance. Still others forget to change the batteries regularly.

Certified Security offers Jacksonville home security from fire as well. Their technicians can install a system that is hardwired to the electrical system of a home rendering batteries unnecessary. Furthermore, alarms will alert the authorities rather than simply the residents of the home.

In the cases of both Marie Brown's surveillance system and Francis Upton's fire alarm, a homeowner had to be present to evaluate and respond to his own emergency. The central monitoring system Certified uses expands Jacksonville home security so that a homeowner is both alerted and aided by capable authorities in record time.

02/20/2012

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