Protect your home for the holidays

The holidays are the high season for home robberies, so let's do all we can to keep thieves out. It's time to protect yourself and your house. Perhaps thieves target our homes during the holiday season because we're away more often, shopping and attending holiday parties or travelling to visit friends and family. Or maybe it's simply that no one can resist all those fabulously wrapped presents sitting under the tree. Whatever the reason, having your home violated is something nobody wants to receive this Christmas.
 
I went high tech to protect my home and family this year, and am now at home with biometric-based, keyless residential security technology. Weiser Lock was first to introduce the SmartScan, a revolutionary idea. Imagine opening a locked door with a swipe of your thumb as opposed to a traditional key. How many times have you had to dig through your purse, looking for keys that have fallen into the deep abyss? Or have had your kids phone you at the office to say they can't get into the house because they've lost their keys? Today you can enter and secure your home with a simple scan of your fingerprint, so there's no more fumbling for keys or trying to remember key codes.  
 
You (and all your family members) simply activate the system by placing your thumb on a sensor located on the underside of the lock system. It's that simple. The sensor recognizes the print and, voilà, the deadbolt opens. You can also give restricted, programmable access to housekeepers or contractors as the system can store up to 50 user prints with three levels of access. There's 24/7 access for family members, temporary access for people, like housesitters and contractors, and restricted access for cleaning service employees. What I love most about the SmartScan is that it is very user-friendly and very thief-unfriendly. The deadbolt is activated simply by swiping a valid fingerprint as SmartScan reads sub-dermal fingerprint patterns located beneath the outer surface layer of the skin (making it unaffected by dirty or worn fingertips).

Biometrics is an emerging technology that can give us an elevated level of home protection, peace of mind and ease of entry. The SmartScan can be easily installed on almost every door and requires no hard-wiring. The system works off a battery that you need to replace approximately once a year (the unit emits a continuous beep when the battery is nearing the end of its life). Changing your door lock may be the perfect DIY weekend project, a pre-Christmas gift for you and your family. The lock is available at your favourite DIY stores and is available in a brass, Venetian bronze or satin nickel finish. Not only does it look good and make life a little easier, it's also very ?James Bondish,' and who doesn't like a touch of Bond at home?