On Wednesday, February 10, 2016, we sponsored the Central Minnesota Builders Association (CMBA) monthly membership meeting held at the Grands at Mulligans in Sartell, MN.
We started the evening visiting with other association members during the social hour.
Then it was time to talk! If you weren’t able to make it to the meeting, we explained that Heartland Security is a local company, locally owned by 14 electric cooperatives in central, western, and southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, and has a local monitoring station.
As well as installing new systems, we can take over old systems. We offer many features for home security, business security, ag monitoring, and medical alerts.
We wanted to explain how a basic security system consists of 2 door/window sensors, a motion detector, and a keypad. We also covered what happens when an alarm is triggered.
Smart Home Security
We wanted to talk about a growing part of the security industry, smart home security. With smart home security devices, you can use your smartphone, tablet, or laptop to control your lights, locks, garage doors, and thermostats as well as view live or recorded high-definition video. By connecting smart security devices, you can, for example, disarm your system and then your doors will automatically unlock and lights turn on.
You can also receive text and/or email alerts with video clips when any kind of activity occurs, such as when the system is disarmed, a motion detector is triggered, or a liquor cabinet is opened.
Smart thermostats give you the home automation you’ve been looking for. You can set up schedules and manually adjust if you need to vary from the norm.
Cameras
Another popular option with security systems is video surveillance. They are used in both businesses and homes, and the quality has gotten a lot better in the last few years upgrading from analog to IP cameras. You can now store your video in the cloud as well as on-site with 7-day, 30-day, or 45-day storage options.
We also spoke about our cameras that use cellular communication rather than internet for remote locations such as gravel pits, pole yards, and construction sites where certain areas or equipment need to be protected.
Why should you get a security system?
We hear that question a lot! No matter whether you have stickers, signs, guns, dogs, nosy neighbors, or a do-it-yourself security system, unless you have a professionally monitored security system, you may leave your home, valuables, and family vulnerable. Besides, 3 out of 4 burglaries happen when no one is home!
How much does a security system cost?
We’ve covered the average price of monthly monitoring for a security system and average security system prices in our blog before, but we wanted to give the members of the CMBA a better idea with exact figures. We’ve found that price isn’t something most businesses want to be open about, but honesty and transparency are important to us.
In our coverage area, monthly monitoring ranges from $14/month to $69/month with the average cost of a basic system around $1500-$2000. We’re not the cheapest and we’re not the most expensive. We know our systems aren’t for everybody. But if you want a quality product with local service and reliable, trusted 24/7/365 monitoring, contact us today.
Is a security system worth the money?
We’ll leave that decision up to you. What we hear the most from our customers is how our security systems make them feel. From peace of mind for the widow newly alone on her farm to the satisfaction from the business owner whose siren scared burglars off and notified the police, our job is to make you feel secure in your home or business.
We offer a free no-obligation in-person analysis to work with potential customers on a customized security system to suit their needs. For more information, contact us today!
After our time to speak, attendees were puzzled and delighted by questions from the evening’s entertainment, Trivia Ninjas. After the contest, it was time to give away prizes!
Keeping with our Academy Awards/movie theme, we gave away gift bags with Oscar statuette replicas and $25 Marcus Theatres gift cards.
Thanks to everyone who made it to the meeting, including our great employees!