burglar

How to Keep Your Empty Nest Safe from Criminals

Burglars search for vacant homes that would make easy targets. If you plan to go away for a while for work or vacation, take steps to avoid making it obvious that your house is unoccupied and to deter potential thieves.

Make Burglars Think You Are Home

If you will be gone for a few days or longer, have the post office hold your mail and have newspaper delivery suspended until you return. An overflowing mailbox and a pile of newspapers on the front steps clearly indicate that the owners are away.

If you will be out of town for a relatively long period of time, have someone handle your lawn maintenance. Tall grass and a garden full of weeds can tip off burglars scouting the neighborhood that you are not home.

You might think that closing the blinds or curtains would deter thieves because they wouldn’t be able to tell for sure whether someone was home, but it would actually be a good indication that the house was empty. Instead, leave some curtains or blinds on the second floor open and set lights to turn on and off with a timer. Avoid a clear pattern to create the illusion that people are home. Having a neighbor park a vehicle in your driveway or garage can also make your home appear occupied.

Secure Your House

Before you leave for your trip, inspect all the doors and windows in your home, including the garage. If you notice any malfunctioning locks or damaged windows or doors, have them repaired by professionals before you go away.

Keep the exterior of your home well lit. You can program outdoor lights to come on at dusk and/or install motion-activated lights. If a burglar is on your property and the lights suddenly come on, that can attract the attention of your neighbors.

If you don’t have a security system, consider installing one before you go on your trip. If an intruder is detected, the police can be alerted immediately. You might even be able to monitor your home with an app on your phone for peace of mind.

Let trusted neighbors know that you will be out of town and ask them to keep an eye on your property. If they notice anyone behaving suspiciously, they can notify the police. If you trust an individual enough, you can provide a key and ask that person to stop by your home periodically and check for any signs of a break-in. Potential thieves will think twice about targeting your home if they realize that a neighbor has a key and could show up at any time.

Keep Your Home Safe While You Are Away

Break-ins can occur in any neighborhood. If you plan to take a trip, avoid making your home an obvious and easy target. If you need to have a lock or door repaired, contact All American Locksmiths today.

man driving in a new car

New Car? Lost Keys? This Locksmith Has a Fix!

As automobile technologies progress, the cars we drive today have far more capabilities than those people used to get around in the decades past. From better audio technologies to wireless capabilities in the car and even sensors to keep you safer on the road, there’s something for everyone to love when it comes to newer cars.

If you’re lucky enough to own a car that was manufactured in the last two decades or so, then you probably are familiar with how different your car key is from those of long ago.

New Transponder Keys

Instead of a regular nickel key that resembles what you’d open your front door with, they have evolved into transponders that communicate with your car’s internals using an rf transmitter. These keys can send a signal to the car to start it, open and lock it and even disable the engine.

While these keys offer a multitude of benefits, your salesman might have also advised you that if you lose the key, it also costs significantly more to replace. That’s because each key is programmed to work with specifically manufacturer programmed components within the car.

How a Locksmith Helps with Lost Keys

A locksmith might be the first person you think to call as soon as you realize you’ve lost your car keys. Deepening on the issue they could help you rekey the locks or the ignition in hopes of getting you back into your car and driving.

When it comes to newer transponder keys, there is another tactic an experienced locksmith can use to help you gain access to your car without putting you at risk of theft.  And the best part: You can get back into your car without having to go through an entire ignition swap!

This process involves cutting the same key but with a different transponder code so that the old key can turn the ignition but it cannot start the car.

If you’re having trouble with your car keys?  Get in touch with All American Locksmiths. We go above and beyond to get you back into your vehicle. We also offer prompt lockout services, new locks and more throughout Connecticut and Westchester County, NY.

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parking lot

Lost Keys in Parking Lot? 3 Ways to Keep Calm

With the holidays now past us, you’re probably tired of seeing parking lots and running around to stores doing last minute gift buying. Maybe you were able to navigate this last season with success, maybe you’re still traveling around making returns on those items you were gifted and don’t like. Or, maybe you experienced the terror of lost keys this last season.

Not only is it frustrating and scary to realize you’ve lost your car keys but add a big, dark parking lot to the mix and it can feel like a scene right out of a scary movie.

If you’ve lost your keys in a parking lot here are 3 tips to keep you calm.

Backtrack

The first thing you want to do is start backtracking. Think about the last time you recall seeing or holding your keys. Were you at a particular store? Did you put them down when you grabbed your sales receipt? Start walking back the same way you went earlier and see if they may have fallen to the ground mistakenly or are still where you ended up leaving them.

Check Lost & Found

Even if you come up with nothing after backtracking, that doesn’t mean that someone else didn’t stumble upon your keys and did the right thing by handing them over to lost and found. If you were at a shopping mall, be sure to check with lost and found and customer service desks to see if anyone has turned in your keys before you start to worry about next steps.

Contact a Locksmith

If your attempts to locate your keys have come up empty handed and if it’s late with no one around, then you need to call a professional locksmith. Those that offer emergency services will come out to you and assist you with gaining access to your vehicle. Be sure to check reviews and choose a trusted company to avoid scams and overpaying for locksmith services.

All American Locksmiths provides emergency lockout services, new locks, and more throughout Connecticut & Westchester County. We’ve been serving Connecticut and New York homeowners for many years. That means we know these states; we’ve driven up and down both I-95, I-91, and Route 8 numerous times. We’ve gone from Armonk to North Haven multiple times in 1 day, and guess what? We love it! Why? Because we love what we do. We take great pride in helping our neighbors get back into their cars. That’s right: It doesn’t matter if you’re near the New Haven Green in New Haven, the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford, or the Bush-Holley House in Greenwich–if you need us, we’ll be there to help you day, night, rain or shine.