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July 23, 2026
What Is Thread? Next-Generation Home Security
If you have shopped for a smart plug, a thermostat, or a security system lately, you have probably seen the word “Thread” on the box, next to “Matter,” with no explanation of what either one means. Thread is a low-power, self-healing wireless mesh network for the devices in and around your home. Its defining trait […]
Continue readingJuly 18, 2026
Best Home Security System? How to Spot Paid Review Sites
If you search for the best home security system, you will land on a slick, authoritative-looking page that ranks the top brands, hands out awards, and promises an unbiased verdict from independent experts. Here is the short version before we go deeper: there is no single best home security system for everyone, the right one […]
Continue readingJuly 8, 2026
SimpliSafe vs. Surety Home & nami: The Pro-Grade Alternative
If you are shopping for home security, you have almost certainly run into SimpliSafe. It is the name everyone knows for low cost, easy, no-contract DIY security, and it earned that reputation fairly: peel-and-stick sensors, a setup you can finish in under an hour, and no salesperson at your door. For a lot of apartments […]
Continue readingJuly 1, 2026
The Renter’s Guide to Real Home Security (Without Losing Your Deposit)
If you rent, you may have quietly talked yourself out of real home security. Maybe you assume a serious system is something only homeowners get, or that your lease and your deposit put it out of reach. Neither is true. Renters can protect an apartment, a condo, a townhome, or a rented house like any […]
Continue readingJune 29, 2026
Why You Should Use Z-Wave Long Range in Your Alarm.com System
If you are adding smart locks, lights, switches, a garage controller, or a thermostat to your Alarm.com system, there is now a fork in the road that did not exist a few years ago. Those same Z-Wave devices can join your panel in one of two very different ways: the traditional Z-Wave mesh that has […]
Continue readingJune 16, 2026
Surety Home Opens Early Access to the nami Agile Security System
An affordable, professionally monitored Alarm.com-powered security system with Wi-Fi motion sensing and Thread mesh networking, that you can easily install yourself in an hour or two. We’re excited to share something we’ve been working toward for a while: early access to the nami Agile Security System is open now at suretyhome.com/nami. If you’ve followed Surety, […]
Continue readingJune 10, 2026
Automate Your Exhaust, Whole-House, and Attic Fans with Alarm.com
Almost every fan in your home depends on someone remembering to flip a switch. The bathroom fan stays off through a steamy shower because the last person out never touched it, and then it runs all afternoon because someone else forgot to turn it off. The kitchen fan sits idle while smoke drifts toward the […]
Continue readingJune 5, 2026
How to Automate Landscape Lighting with Alarm.com
Good landscape lighting does two jobs at once. It makes a house look its best after dark, washing the facade, lining the walkway, and lifting a few trees out of the shadows, and it quietly improves security by removing the dark corners that intruders prefer. The one thing most landscape lighting cannot do is talk […]
Continue readingMay 29, 2026
How to Automate Your Pool or Spa Pump with Alarm.com
Your pool pump is probably the quietest expensive thing you own. It runs in the background, hour after hour, on a mechanical timer bolted to the equipment pad, and most of the time you never think about it until the electric bill arrives or the water turns cloudy. According to the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program […]
Continue readingMay 25, 2026
Digital Outputs in Home Security and Automation: Dry Contact vs. Open Collector
If you have spent any time wiring security sensors or home automation devices, you have probably heard the phrase “dry contact.” If you have dug into the installation manual for a Qolsys, DSC, or 2GIG panel, you may have also come across “open collector output” or “PGM output.” Both terms describe a category of electrical […]
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