Do you ever remember driving along in your car listening to one of your favorite tunes when all of a sudden it was interrupted by a jarring, scratchy alarm sound? That sound was then followed by a deep, official-sounding voice stating, “This has been a test of the Emergency Broadcast System.” Though it was only a test, knowing that the government has quick ways of letting the public know about national emergencies has always been somewhat reassuring.
In recent years, as people have started connecting to the internet more and more on their cell phones, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are starting to conduct additional warning signals. These Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and an Emergency Alert System (EAS) send alert messages directly to cell phones across the United States. These notifications can be used for everything from natural disaster or terrorist attack warnings to Amber Alerts for missing and endangered children.
As alarming as it can be to get one of these alerts on your phone out of the blue, it’s comforting to know that there are channels in place to make sure you will be warned of an emergency if it’s every truly necessary. After all, being prepared for an emergency makes good sense. So what other measures could residents take to be prepared not just for national emergencies, but for personal ones? X10 has a wide selection of products that can help you be ready for an emergency at your home or office.
X10 Big Red Wireless Emergency Button
Many businesses are equipped with buttons that can quickly contact the authorities in case of an emergency. For example, banks are typically equipped with secret buttons located discretely under their tellers’ desks that can contact the police in case of a robbery. These panic buttons are normally pushed after the robbers have left the building so that police can try to quickly apprehend the crooks as they leave the scene of the crime.
X10’s Big Red Wireless Emergency Button works in a similar way, but there are some differences. It’s a button that requires two AAA batteries and is mounted to the wall of your choice using strong double-sided tape. You could place it by your bedside and connect it to your X10 alarm system. It can actually be set up to connect to any X10 receiver. With a wireless range of 100 feet, this button can provide you with an extra layer of security.
The X10 Big Red Wireless Emergency Button includes a feature that will trigger your home’s X10 alarm system when the button is held down for four straight seconds. If you use this feature, a would-be home invader may turn around and run when they hear your ear-piercing alarm and see the system’s flashing lights. That’s not all. If you have your system set up with a monitoring service, the four-second holding down of the button will send a message to your monitoring system to send help. This product is definitely a smart option for someone interested in being ready for an emergency!
When it comes to natural disasters, break-ins, or other potentially dangerous and even life-threatening situations, it’s always a good idea to be as prepared as possible. In our next article in this series, we’ll take a look at another X10 product that could end up making a huge difference for you in the case of an emergency.
X10 Home Automation & Security
X10.com is the everyday person’s best source for home automation. Since 1976, we’ve been providing excellent home gadgets at reasonable prices. Visit us online at x10.com and find out what you’ve been missing!
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