Your home’s security system is an essential line of defense protecting you, your loved ones and your valuables from the world’s many dangers. A system with such a vital function deserves all the attention and funding you can spare. Check out these tips to help you choose the perfect security system for your home.
Evaluate Your Home
The first thing you want to do when choosing your security system is evaluate your home and its contents. Ask yourself the following questions:
Who do I need to protect?
What do I need to protect?
What threats do they need protection from?
How can those threats get into my home?
How can I stop them?
Your security system will vary based on your home’s number of occupants, the valuables inside, the house’s size and structure, and the community surrounding it. Once you get to the final question, you can determine what features your system will need.
Determine the Security Measures You Need
Your perfect security system will have all the equipment and features needed to address your home’s internal and external threats. With that in mind, you should know the standard security devices and their functions.
Here are the main tools that specialize in protecting against threats outside the home:
Video doorbell
Security cameras
Floodlights
Motion sensors
Door/window sensors
Glass break sensors
Here are the main tools that protect against threats inside the home:
Carbon monoxide detector
Flood sensor
Freeze sensor
Smoke/fire alarm
Some tools and features protect against both external and internal threats:
Nanny cam
Panic pendant
Two-way voice alarm
Professional monitoring
Smart home technology
Estimate Costs
You can calculate a rough cost estimate once you decide which features to add. Your security system’s expenses will come from several different avenues:
Equipment
Installation
Activation
Monitoring
Contract requirements
Equipment costs will widely vary by provider and package. Some require you to sign long-term contracts and others are open-ended. Your provider should be honest with you about any contractual obligations.
Some providers also charge activation fees, especially for packages specializing in handling specific threats. The monitoring method you choose will also substantially impact total costs. You can either pay the provider to monitor your home’s security devices (professional monitoring) or keep track of them yourself (DIY monitoring).
If you choose professional monitoring, your provider will give you three options, ranking from least to most expensive:
Landline: The provider uses the home’s landline to connect to the monitoring center
Broadband: The provider uses your internet to connect to the monitoring center
Cellular: A chip built into your cellphone sends alerts to the monitoring center
All monitoring options operate in a timely fashion, but intruders can easily tamper with landlines, and broadband connections can be unstable. If your home phone loses connection or your internet crashes, so does the monitoring service. Cellular is the best choice of the three and thus the most costly.
You can elect to pay your provider to install the system or do it yourself. Most providers will offer you preprogrammed systems with adhesive equipment, meaning you don’t have to drill any holes or make other structural changes if you DIY.
Use the Right Network
Choosing the right network is paramount to your security system’s success. You can select from two network types:
Wired network: Choose this network if you live in an area with a sparse or unstable internet connection. Landline monitoring systems fall into this category.
Wireless network: Choose this network if you have a stable internet or cellular connection. These systems don’t require professional installation, and you can control the different devices via an app on your cellphone.
Wireless certainly sounds better based on those descriptions, but it all depends on where you live and what equipment you need, so keep your options open.
You Can Find the Perfect Security System
The perfect security system doesn’t exist by default, but you can find a package that fits your conditions. Evaluate your situation, determine the features you need, calculate how much you need to pay and get in touch with your local providers. With all that knowledge at your disposal, you and the security professionals can create a plan tailored directly to your home.