Busy schedules often mean that family members are not always able to arrive home from work or school at the same time. The “latch-key kid” phenomenon is hardly a new one – children and teenagers have been beating their parents back to the house after getting off the school bus for decades – but advances in home security systems mean increased peace of mind for moms and dads concerned about the safety of their offspring.

Some modern home alarm systems are capable of providing parents with remote alerts each time people come in the door – whether they’re welcome guests or unexpected intruders. This type of alert can be adapted so children can virtually “check-in” as soon as they arrive at their homes. By assigning individual access codes whenever the alarm system is deactivated, parents can receive text messages indicating the time of entry as well as the identity of the person who entered the house.

The entire process is automated, which means kids just have to punch in a simple code and enjoy the rest of the afternoon knowing that their parents have been informed that they’re safe and sound. Any smartphone can be connected to this type of system, which means you won’t have to change your current cell phone provider in order to take advantage of features like this one.

Home security systems are also flexible enough to let mom and dad know when a child has not come home within a specific window of time. Some can be programmed to send text message alerts if a particular access code isn’t entered by a certain time of day, letting parents know if a child hasn’t arrived at the expected hour. These types of alarms can also let parents know whether the system is active or not at specific intervals during the day, which can be useful should one accidentally forget to set the system on the way to work in the morning.

The potential uses of this type of automated notification system expand far beyond simply keeping an eye on the kids. Being able to assign individual codes to pet sitters, housekeepers and guests allows homeowners to keep track of exactly who has been accessing their dwellings, and when. This makes it easier to keep track of whether or not scheduled appointments are being kept. It also means homeowners won’t be surprised by unexpected visitors when they come home after a long day at work. Not every home alarm system offers these important features. Please get in touch with us here at American Alarm if you would like to find out whether your current alarm installation can be upgraded to include text message alerts, or if you would like to find out more about this particular safety technology.