Security window bars and the other products mentioned can help you to have peace of mind. You will know that intruders or other damaging forces, such as flying debris, cant enter your windows. These protective bars dont have to be unappealing to the eye either; you can find many designer window bars that will coordinate with the look of your home. You may also want to install matching security gates and security screen doors. You can find contractors to assist you, or install your products yourself.

Security windows are an important aspect of protecting your family and your home. Whether from humans or nature, we live with destructive forces. Window security film or laminates can stabilize your window glass. If breakage occurs the window security film will virtually eliminate flying glass, harm to occupants or your homes interior.

There are a number of different types of window security films available. Depending on your needs, you can get films which offer greater or lesser resistance to outside forces. Some are intended to prevent the destructive impact of sunlight on your homes carpeting, drapes, and furnishings. Others are stronger and protect against the powerful forces of nature of attempts by intruders to gain entry. If you live in an area with powerful winds, or even hurricanes, you can stop worrying about breaking windows.

Window security film is unobtrusive. It can make your home safer and help protect your homes value in the event of hurricanes, explosions, or attempts to enter by intruders. Wouldnt it be great to weather the storm knowing your home was safe from flying glass or entry from the windows? How about keeping your home safe from storm damage or break-ins through your windows? Window security laminates can give you that peace of mind. Effective window protection is a fundamental component of protecting any structure and its contents from weather, sunlight, or physical force of any kind, whether from storms, flying debris, or human force.

Window security laminates are available in various types, depending upon the application you desire. The thinner laminates, or films, can provide solar control, protecting the interior of you home from UV rays, reducing fading and sun damage to fine furniture, artwork or carpets. You can also use laminates on your windows for purely decorative purposes. Some laminates are designed to deal with graffiti on windows or display cases. At the other end of the spectrum some products are so tough that they resist breakage from flying storm debris. And these products can deter theft, because it is very difficult to puncture through the window, even with repeated blows from a hammer. The glass will splinter, but the laminate will hold it together. Get started on protecting your home with these easy options today!

J.J. Nielson is a successful graphic artist and published internet author. She has worked in the entertainment security field, as well as with private investigators.

For more information and home security resources, visit our site at www.best-home-security-online.com

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

John Richardson is a popular reviewer of consumer electronics and has served as a product development consultant for several consumer electronics manufacturers including Dish Network, visit his website: Big Mouth TV

It has changed the way we communicate and live our lives. Even businesses now use the internet as a tool for making more profit.

A few years ago, we accessed the internet using a modem; this would seem fast for someone who grew up using snail mail, but after the invention of high-speed internet, we now notice how slow a 56kbps dial up internet can be.

You might have experienced using a 56kbps dial up internet and after you typed in the website, it would seem that you can actually go to the kitchen make yourself dinner and after you come back to find out the webpage you typed isnt even finished loading.

Today a speed of 256kbps and higher is considered a high-speed internet, it would seem that 56kbps is puny. It the time of the 56kbps internet, downloading a simple mp3 file could take a long time.

Today, the 256kbps high-speed internet gives you the ability to download full-length movies.

There are so many advantages with high-speed internet. One would be online gaming. It is now possible for people with high-speed internet to play with others from every part of the world with high-speed internet connection.

Another great feature is that you can update Windows protection software half the time a dial up internet can. Since many viruses are circulating the internet, your computer should have updated anti-virus software. The dial up internet is much more prone to viruses because of slow updates.

High-speed internet changed the way we communicate. With this technology, it is now possible for us to communicate not just by plain text but also through video and voice, much like a video telephone. The cost of putting up this technology in our home is very affordable. Almost everyone can afford it.

As the years passes, the demand for high-speed internet connection increases. Because of the growing demand, many companies opened as providers of high-speed internet and created competition. This increase in competition enabled people to afford high-speed internet.

The competition between providers did not only result into more affordably priced high-speed internet connection but it also caused a wide variety of products for high-speed internet connection. Some companies now offer VoIP phones. They also offer different high-speed internet packages that you can choose from to suit your needs.

Choosing the best high-speed internet providers is easy; all you need is a little time and effort.

Here are some few tips to keep in mind before you choose your high-speed internet provider:

Find out what you really need from a provider and estimate how much time you will be using the internet.

Bob Hett has extensively covered the Internet Service Provider industry as an analyst and has researched the various companies for factors based on price, reliability, support and overall quality. Learn more at High Speed Internet Service

However, (refer to my other article: What You Should Know Before You Purchase a Two Way Radio for more information concerning my dreaded howevers)now, where was I? Oh yes, HOWEVERfor most businesses, a can on a string will not do. The good news for you is that there are so many options out there; it would be very hard not to be able to find a system thats perfect for you.

Your two main options are, or at least the options that will be discussed here are: Two-Way Radios and Cell Phones. They both have their advantages and disadvantages, depending on the type of business youre in. You probably already knew that; but youre reading this article to find out exactly what those advantages and disadvantages are. Youre in luck, because Im going to share some of them with you. In the interest of brevity, this article wont include all Id like to say. If youd like more information, stay tuned until the end for contact information.

Cell Phones:

To begin, we will look at cell phones. Today, some cell phones even have a walkie-talkie feature. This has bridged the gap between cell phones and two way radios, but there is still a lot of space in between. Currently, cell phones are the closest thing to the ole can on a string analogy mention above.

If you only have a few people working for you and they are sometimes on the go, cell phones are great. Usually, theyre pretty cheap to buy and maintain. If you get the phones for free, the only thing youll really have to worry about cost-wise is the monthly fee, say $40-$50 per month per phone roughly. For reliable communications, this is a small price to pay.

If you have 5 or more people working for you, I would begin to look for other solutions aside from cell phones. The reason for this is not because I have something personal against cell phones. Rather, it is because cell phones have something personal against us and its already been mentioned: monthly fees.

Not to name names here, but one provider of walkie-talkie cell phones charges roughly $50 per month for the first phone and around $30 a month for every additional phone on your plan. If you have 10 people working for you, you may have gotten your cell phones free from the provider, but over time they will certainly make up the difference. Youre paying around $800 per month, a whopping $9600 per year and thats assuming you never once went over on minutes. Ouch, talk about a waste.

Monthly-fee issues aside, there are a few other things to consider concerning cell phones. The first one is a minor issue that can easily turn into a major issue. Cell phones, unlike two way radios, can be abused. Users can call whoever they want, racking up minutes that could end up costing you. Theres also a productivity issue with this as well. As workers are racking up minutes calling mom to make sure everythings okay, what are they not doing? Theyre not working, and even if they are working, they arent paying much attention until after that call is done.

In addition to productivity issues, there are control issues. A lot of business owners like to have control. I mean, its probably one of the reasons theyve started a business in the first place. One thing cell phones dont give you a lot of is control. You have no control over what kind of customer service you get, and from what Ive heard its sometimes very poor. You also have no control over your system if it were to die on you and you have no control over when the phone company will be able to get it up and running again. (Are you sick of reading the word control yet?)

Summary:

So, where do I stand with cell phones? The truth is I dont stand anywhere with them. Dont get me wrong here, either. I deal with two way radios but I do admit to more than a few occasions where it makes more sense to use a cell phone. For personal use, they are the best. For business use, they can work very well, depending on the type of business. Smaller businesses will find them more practical and possibly more cost effective than alternatives but larger businesses will no doubt require more from their communications.

Two-Way Radios:

After looking at what cell phones can do for you, its now time to look at one of the alternatives, two way radios. Just like cell phones, sometimes it makes sense to use them, sometimes it doesnt. As per my mention earlier, if its just you and Frank the assistant manager needing to communicate, use a cell phone. Ive said this before and you may be asking yourself why. Are small businesses not worthy of two-way radios? Of course they are, but heres why I say what I do.

If your company wants to use a two-way radio, you must first purchase a license from the FCC if you do not already have one. The licenses are typically a little under $500 depending on your situation and are good for 10 years. For two people, this may not be worth it. However, for medium to large companies, this is worth every penny and can actually end up saving you hundreds if not thousands of dollars per year.

Lets continue to use the example I gave you above in the cell phones section. Say you have 10 workers needing to communicate. Your cell phone system will be costing at least $9,600 per year and lets say you need this for about 4 years, which is very typical, especially since cell phones require contracts. Over 4 years, your communications system has cost you $38,400.

Now, lets say these 10 people are to be given the 4 channel Motorola CP200 UHF model. The average price out there is around $400, you can contact me for a more exact price if you like. 10 people get 10 radios at $4,000 plus well say $450 for an FCC license, which over 10 years is only $45 per year! So, not only will you save about $34,000 over 4 years, but think of everything else youll be getting as well.

For starters, you get your control back Mr. Business Owner. You have purchased the radios and the license; therefore you control your airways. The only way the system will crash is if your radios crash and Motorola radios typically last at least 7-10 years. Heck, there are radios still in use older than me and Im in my mid-twenties.

You also dont have to worry about poor customer service because youve probably purchased your radio from an authorized dealer. Unlike phone companies, most dealers have actual live human beings answering their phones. Plus, youre connected to a consultant whose job is to work with you every step of the way to ensure your satisfactionsomeone like me.

Summary:

There are features that many two way radios have that cell phones do not. These features can be pretty important for most business owners and dispatchers, such as priority scan and stun, but we wont go into deal about that here. Contact me if you would like more information about any of these features. Also, just as cell phones have added a walkie talkie feature to catch up with radios, radios have now begun to go digital. Digital means it has the ability to send more information, such as text messages; once again bridging the gap.

If youre still undecided on which way to go, do a simple ROI calculation. Calculate how much it would cost to have cell phones over a 2-4 year period and how much it would cost to have two way radios over the same period. In most instances, its more cost effective to buy radios. However, as Ive said before, cell phones have their place. Youre best bet would be to contact an authorized two way radio dealer and explain your situation. Then, after youre armed with knowledge and you do your ROI, you can make a smart choice. Thanks for reading!

Eric O’Connor is a communications consultant for Delmarva Communications. If you like to contact him, his e-mail is: e.oconnor@delmarvacom.com. Or, visit Delmarva Communications on the web at: http://www.delmarvacom.com. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Lets take a look at four main categories of defense items: pepper sprays, stun guns, personal alarms and firearms.

Pepper sprays. The active ingredient in pepper sprays is oleoresin capsicum, commonly referred to as OC. OC is a natural, oily, resin-like substance derived from hot peppers, the same peppers used to “heat up” spicy foods. Pepper sprays induce an almost immediate burning sensation of the skin and a burning, tearing, and swelling of the eyes. If spray is inhaled, the respiratory tract becomes inflamed resulting in a swelling of the mucous membranes lining the breathing passages and temporarily restricting breathing to short, shallow breaths.

Many people ask what’s the difference between mace and pepper spray. Mace is just a brand name. The company Mace International manufactures self defense sprays and security & surveillance devices. There are other companies that manufacture pepper sprays but in my opinion Mace has the most powerful spray – Triple Action pepper spray. It combines OC pepper and CN tear gas which causes profuse tearing, an intense burning sensation to the face and disorientation. CN tear gas is an extremely strong irritant.

Self-defense sprays have been around for more than three decades and were used mostly by police officers. But in the past 10-15 years pepper sprays have seen increasing use by average citizens. Self-defense sprays are probably the best devices for personal protection. They are inexpensive, small, don’t require any special training, have a good range to keep an attacker away and stop assailants instantly without causing any permanent harm.

Stun Guns. The way a stun gun works is by interrupting the communication signals from the brain to the body. A stun gun does not harm a person permanently; it only temporarily disrupts the way our body functions. A stun gun won’t cause damage in the long run because the electricity that it delivers into a person’s body is very high voltage but low amperage electrical charge. In this way, the charge is not intense enough to cause any long term damage to the person. Voltage range is between 80,000 and 900,000 volt at a rate of three milliamps.

So when you press the stun gun against a person and deliver the shock to them, a few things happen contributing to their following [stunned] condition. The electric shock delivered by the stun gun will combine with the electric signals from the brain and this will confuse your body and make it hard to move. Another effect the stun gun can have is causing a person to do excessive amounts of work directed towards nothing in a particularly short period of time. This will use all of the persons energy so that they will temporarily be unable to do anything.

When triggered, the stun gun emits a bright electrical blast that is quite intimidating and makes a very loud popping noise that will attract the attention of anyone within earshot.

But stun guns have one disadvantage: the probes must be touching the assailant to be effective. This means the victim has to be much closer to the attacker. Further, stun guns require batteries to provide the electrical charge. And as with all battery-powered gadgets, the possibility of battery being discharged is always present.

Personal alarms. Personal alarms are electric or aerosol devices that emit an extremely loud screech or siren sound. The alarm distracts an attacker and makes him afraid of the attention. The most obvious disadvantage of personal alarms is their inability to disable an assailant. The alarms might help in some cases but if the attacker is determined, he can continue despite the loud siren of alarm.

Firearms. Most handguns are purchased for personal protection. But they are not a good option for self-defense. Their use can have serious consequences for the user even in a perfectly justified situations. Most people don’t know when to shoot and when not. Even if you have a special training, it’s hard to make the right decision. Also there is a possibility that children could get their hands on a handgun with a tragic results. And most people simply don’t need the power of a firearm, especially considering the effectiveness of self-defense sprays.

So what to choose? For jogging, walking on the streets I’d say pepper spray, since it’s more compact than a stun gun and easy to carry. Cell phone stun gun can be used if you don’t want anyone to know you have a self defense device. If you are in a car, stun baton can be useful, since you can stick it out the window into an attacker’s face. Most crimes happen in the dark and in that case flashlight stun gun with alarm can be used. Pepper foam is good for indoor use because it produces less fumes than pepper spray.

While the percentage of errors is high, billing errors usually account for only a small portion of total savings during telecommunications audits.

Nevertheless, it is a good idea to be familiar with the most common errors that will appear on your local telephone bills. Keep in mind that errors may take the form of “overbilling” and/or “underbilling”.

Routine examination of your local phone bills will, sooner or later, turn up the one or more of the following most common types of errors:

#1 – Intermittent Errors

Intermittent errors are just as the name implies – they appear on a non-regular basis. This type of error is usually associated with the “Other Charges and Credits” pages of the phone bill. Examples of intermittent errors may include:

Other charges and credits for installation or changes are often found to be incorrect, especially for services provided under many negotiated deals or contracts.

Incorrect applications for refunds or credit adjustments is another typical intermittent error. Surprisingly, you may find this error soon after your carrier representative has agreed to the refund or credit!

Charges for uncompleted calls are sometimes found on billings from two types of vendors-resellers using feature group A connections to carrier central offices, and vendors that are reselling service from a virtual private network.

Facility malfunctions can result in you being charged for lines that are not working resulting in higher charges for usage forced onto other lines or services.

#2 – Recurring Errors

Recurring errors are the result of incorrect information and data in the vendors’ customer service records. These types of errors can be very costly simply because they appear each and every month until they are corrected.

Examples may include: inventory discrepancies, contract discrepancies, differences in tariff or rating regarding grade of service, mileage charges, enhancements, etc.

Recurring errors are not as easily uncovered as are intermittent errors. This type of error can only be corrected through a thorough audit of customer service records. A routine examination of phone bills will not reveal all recurring errors.

#3 – Tax Errors

Tax errors are most commonly associated with exemptions or incorrect taxing districts. When facilities are taxed incorrectly, the associated usage charges may also be taxed incorrectly. Examples of tax errors may include:

-Taxes being collected after exemption has been filed (a copy of the applicable exemption certificate or earlier exempt billing will verify the overbilling)
-Exempt account without authorization
-Taxes applied for wrong jurisdiction
-Taxes applied despite statutes or rulings exempting them

#4 – Metering and Database Errors

These types of errors are commonly associated with local and long-distance calling charges. They can occur through metering malfunctions or clerical transcription errors. Examples include:

-Double metering (easy to identify since each call is shown twice and in complete detail)
-Charges for incomplete calls .
-Usage from a different subscriber (another easily identifiable error-charge for another individual’s line number will appear on carrier bill)

#5 – Telecom Agent Errors

Agent errors continue to be a problem as more and more agents are accepting either partial or end-to-end responsibility for service segments provided by vendors.

Agent misfeasance occurs when a supplier orders or assumes responsibility for service segments provided by several different carriers or vendors, then fails to exercise responsibility for those services. Examples may include:

-Local lines ordered and installed by equipment vendor or IXC. (In the event those lines are no longer needed, the agent is nowhere to be found to cancel the unused lines and services!)
-Excessive or sub-optimum facilities installed
-Promises of credits or changes that fail to materialize

Telecom billing errors will never disappear. However, even a little knowledge in what kinds of errors to look for can go a long way in reducing telecom expenses.

About the Author

Karen Thatcher is President of TelCon Associates, a 32 year old telecom consulting and management firm. TelCon Associates helps companies gain control and reduce telecom/IT spending through a guaranteed cost-reduction consulting process. For more information and free resources to help you reduce telecom spending visit: http://www.telconassociates.com

So Jimmy installed a surveillance camera that calls the police department during break-ins. Staring at the sensors and the controls, he wondered if it was enough.

He mounted his surveillance camera facing his front door and his bay window and set it to capture an image every fifteen seconds.

Months later, Jimmy took his family to the movies. They drove right past the construction site, where a backhoe had severed a fiber optic cable. Jimmy didn’t know it then, but his entire neighborhood had lost their phone service!

Meanwhile, a plain white van parked in front of Jimmy’s house.

Three men wearing hooded sweatshirts sauntered up the lawn. One produced a crow bar from his sleeve and smashed right through that beautiful bay window.

Before Jimmy’s neighbors heard the alarm bells, those felons had vanished. With no landlines, the alarm system could not contact ANYONE.

Giggles turned to gasps inside Jimmy’s station wagon when they pulled up to their home behind two police cars. Never losing his cool, Jimmy led the detectives to his television, it had been too heavy for the thieves to snatch’and activated the remote control for his surveillance camera.

Even with no lights on, the infrared lens captured everything: the broken window, the first thief climbing in and opening the front door for his companions… everything.

It even captured all three of them, taking off their hoods, staring DIRECTLY into that lens.

Not only did the cops know exactly who they were dealing with, but the surveillance camera Jimmy was using put a time stamp on each frame. Now the investigators knew exactly WHEN the crooks made off with Jimmy’s things.

That date stamp came in handy the next day, when Jimmy’s insurance adjuster looked at the tape Jimmy made by connecting the surveillance device to a VCR. The agent always hated tracking down receipts and evidence for homeowners’ insurance cases. This time, he could see who was aking what items and when.

Jimmy got even more good news that week. One of the ringleader’s so-called friends saw his picture on the evening news. That friend wanted the small reward from the neighborhood watch association, and he told police where to find the burglars.

Even the fanciest lawyer could not talk his way around that powerful image of the crooks, with their hands on Jimmy’s things, stamped with a time and a date for everyone to see.

Jimmy’s insurance company fixed the window and replaced all of the stolen goods.

This all goes to prove that having an effective surveillance camera can be usefull in recovering stolen personal property.

Glenn Freiboth is a writer for Self Defense news and lives in Illinois. Self Defense and Surveillance products can be found at http://www.selfdefensegearco.com

In todays world, you would probably want a high-speed internet to improve your way of life and your business. This is possible by using a broadband internet connection.

With the broadband internets popularity growing, it becomes more and more affordable and available for everyone. You would probably want to switch into a faster and reliable internet connection to catch up with the demands of present living.

Fast and reliable internet access is not the only advantage in getting broadband internet connection. There are many more benefits from this technology.

Here are a few examples of broadband internet benefits:

With broadband internet, you can download or upload files and software faster than a dial up has to offer. With broadband connection, you can also send large files like movie clips to your friends, family or your clients who wants a video presentation of your product.

If you are a student in need of a research, you no longer have to go to your local library for it. The internet itself is a library. With broadband internet connection, you can research faster and you can research more websites. With dial up, this can take a while; even waiting for a single webpage to load is often slow with dial up.

This technology changes the way you play multiplayer games. With the recent boom of the massively multiplayer online role-playing games, you can play RPG games with other people from all over the world and at the same time lets you talk to them. You can play either online game through your PC or gaming consoles. Some examples of these are the Playstation2 or Xbox.

One of the best benefits a broadband internet connection offer is you can easily view web cams with faster refresh rates around the world.

This means, if your family or friends have web cams you no longer have to just email them, but also chat either through voice or text and view them in real time. The best thing about this, it is free.

Broadband internet can enable you to watch streaming videos in the internet such as, internet TV, watch your favorite music videos and other online short films. In dial ups, this is possible but often results in choppy video.

Buying and downloading music is easier. With broadband internet connection, you can buy music singles or albums much cheaper than your local music store. All you have to do is visit a website that sells music downloads and you can directly download the music file, fast.

With broadband internet connection, you can now use your computer as your personal phone. With VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol, you can call you family and friends with little or no long distance calls.

You can also use VoIP for video conference meetings, fax, and other features free that traditional phones charge expensive fees for these features.

The internet can also be a radio station, you can now tune in to internet radio faster and without interference. With dial up, you can also play the internet radio but often encounters problem like choppiness due to low speed internet.

There are so much more uses for broadband internet connection, whether you use it at home or work the possibilities are vast. More innovations to benefit with this technology are being developed. Organizing your life and work is easier with broadband internet connection.

Since there are so many types of broadband internet services in the market today, it is up to you to choose which package that will suit you best. Research and compare broadband internet providers.

Bob Hett has extensively covered the Internet Service Provider industry as an analyst and has researched the various companies for factors based on price, reliability, support and overall quality. Learn more at Broadband Internet Service

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Russ Snapper has been in the prepaid market for over 10 years. His company Cheap Phone Cards offers prepaid callingcards, mobile refill airtime, and prepaid cell phones.