Home Security
Protecting your house doesn’t have to be complicated, but you will have to decide between a do it yourself home security system versus a home security service. Both are viable options that can keep your valuables away from thieves – but how do you know which one is right for you? Let’s take a look at what’s involved with each type of system.
It’s true that alarm systems are no longer so confusing to install that only a professional can figure them out. It’s true that wireless is now one of the top, most installed systems in homes today.
It’s also true that monitoring services can protect your home – but it’s also true that even a monitoring service is not theft-proof. Because of the cost of a professionally installed and monitored system, many homeowners are now choosing to take care of their home’s protection themselves.
Getting the necessary supplies is as easy as ordering the systems online and having them delivered. One of the main perks is that you’re going to save on the equipment and also the cost of paying for a professional installer’s time to set up the system.
Setting one up is as easy as being able to read – if you can read the directions, you can accurately put in the system. There is one challenge with the do it yourself home security system versus home security service, and that is the wiring.
If you decide that you want to go with the hard wiring, unless you’re an electrician or have successfully installed a system into a home before, then you want to pay to have the installation done.
The reason for this is because the potential to mess up your home’s wiring is there and you can cause all kinds of additional problems (and incur wiring repair expenses) that you don’t want.
The good news is that if you do decide you want to install your home’s system, you can easily order a system that’s ready to go right out of the box. Plus, you don’t have to buy any extras unless you want more sensors than what came with your package.
This type of system is affordable on any budget and you can add features to your security system as time goes by, rather than having to come up with the entire cost all at once. When you buy a professionally installed system and opt to go with a service, you’re going to pay a lot. Plus, you’re going to get locked into a contract and then have to pay the company to keep an eye on your system so they can call if there’s a problem.
In the battle of do it yourself home security system versus home security service, what many users don’t know up front is that the hard wiring can be thwarted by a savvy criminal if he cuts the phone line.
This can deaden your system and render it useless. Having someone watch your system and call if the alarm sounds a warning can be effective if the authorities are notified in an expedient manner. But professional thieves know just how long it takes police to arrive and can make off with your family treasures long before help arrives.
Home Security Alarm
Even if you live in a thickly populated subdivision, and even if your neighborhood is friendly and has a crime watch, your home can still be targeted by thieves. As the economy worsens, criminals are becoming more and more bold – some even breaking into homes in broad daylight or doing home invasions with the owners in the house!
Those who are fortunate have insurance to cover the loss of their material goods. But no amount of insurance can replace the feeling of having your personal space violated. You might think that because someone’s always home, you’re at less of a risk for a break in but you would be wrong.
When thieves get desperate enough, encountering a homeowner doesn’t bother them. Which means you or your loved ones are at risk no matter who’s home, no matter what time of day it is. Having a home security alarm can help stop intruders before they cross the line into what you feel is your safe haven.
Even though thieves have become more brazen over the years, what most of them don’t want to do is to get caught by watchful neighbors. They don’t want to get hauled into jail by police, which is just one reason that alarm systems that employ an earsplitting sound when they’re set off can be a great crime deterrent.
However, if your home doesn’t have any close neighbors, an experienced thief will ignore the noise and keep looting your stuff. One of the most popular home security alarm systems is one that’s hard wired into the home.
These systems become wired in electrically to your home, so if you ever decide to sell your house and buy another one, you have to start all over with a new system, too. Buying this kind of system usually costs a lot more than a wireless system.
Some good systems to get will use either motion detectors or detectors that can sense a person’s body heat. You want to find an alarm that protects both the perimeter and the interior of your home.
Though it sounds like something out of one of the Mission Impossible movies, some alarms use photoelectric sensors. These are sensors that beam a thin thread of light and if that light is interrupted by someone walking through that beam, the alarm will go off.
You can also get systems that can tell when the glass on an entry point has been broken through. This system ‘hears’ by the motion or movement of the glass breaking, and sounds the alarm. With a built-in motion sensor, the light turns on automatically when motion is detected at night. Protect your house with SANSI LED security lights.
Having a home security alarm won’t do you any good if you don’t use it. This tends to be an area where many homeowners get lax. It doesn’t matter if you buy the most expensive system on the market or if it has all the bells and whistles.
It can’t protect if it can’t connect. Don’t make it easy for an intruder to get into your home. Buy a system and then use it faithfully to protect the ones you love as well as your valuables.
Home Security Camera Surveillance
Your home should be your refuge – the one place you can go to rest, recharge and relax – but all of that can change in a moment. When a home is broken into or robbed, you can lose not only your possessions, but your sense of security as well.
It’s easy to think that it happens to others and won’t happen to you, but research suggests that home thefts are on the rise and have been for the past several years. Your home could very well be a robber’s next target.
You don’t have to live just hoping an intruder won’t drop by one day. You can take active steps right now to prevent a home theft from happening to you. A vital part of preventing a home theft and even recovering your things in the event of a home intrusion is using home security camera surveillance.
There are several factors and features about security cameras that you’ll want to take into consideration before making a purchase. The first consideration is whether your camera will be indoor or outdoor.
Some people prefer to place cameras outside of their residence, while others prefer to place a camera in a strategic spot in their homes such as a bedroom or office – and a select few will use both indoor and outdoor cameras.
Once you’ve decided which type of home security surveillance camera will best suit your needs, you’ll want to consider if your camera should be equipped with night vision capabilities.
If you work the late shift, this might be a good idea to keep the burglars at bay. You’ll also want to decide how many cameras you’ll need and where they’ll be placed. For instance, the first place an intruder will go to in your home is usually the master bedroom. Money and valuables are usually stored here, so it’s only logical that a criminal would visit your bedroom first.
Another consideration for those purchasing a security camera is whether to get a camera that records in black and white or color. While color is more expensive, the advantage is that it’s easier to view what’s happening in your home in real time more accurately while black and white can be a bit distorted.
You also want to go with a high resolution camera. It can be tempting to use a camera with a lower resolution and the accompanying lower price tag but don’t be fooled. These cameras are seldom as good as the high resolution version.
Once you’ve selected a camera, make sure you check out the storage limits. Will the camera store twenty-four hours worth of data? When the data limit has been reached, what happens?
Will the data be sent elsewhere or will the camera record over it? Remember, the ultimate benefit of home security camera surveillance is the peace of mind you and your family will gain from having one.
Home Security Systems
Did you know that every twenty seconds, someone discovers a stranger in their home or returns home to find a stranger has ransacked their belongings? All you have to do is turn on the television to see that crime can happen to anyone at any time.
No one is exempt from a home break in. From everyday citizens to celebrities, senators, even police officers, a home is burglarized without consideration for who lives in it. If the homeowner is lucky, the only things the thieves take are personal possessions that can be replaced.
But once someone has stolen your peace of mind, that’s a lot harder to get back. Home security systems can make sure that your security needs are taken care of. Make sure that you know which system you want.
Most companies require a signed contract, and you want to read this very carefully to see what you’re committing yourself to before you buy. Not all systems are built alike. You can find some that will encompass all of the entry points in your home (windows, doors, basement, etc.) and you can find others that will cover only a few entry points where you have to choose which ones are covered.
For example, if you have a three-story home, odds are, you won’t need the third floor windows to be wired into the system. If you have a way for an intruder to gain easy access to a third floor window (such as having a fire escape), then you would want those windows wired in as well as the lower floor windows. Then if someone opens any of those entry points, the alarm is activated.
With home security systems, you’ll get a main control pad and then, depending on your security plan, you’ll get additional keypads to place at different points around your home. The type of watch system you’ll get on your monthly plan will depend on whether you go with one where your home is observed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week or whether you go with a less expensive service.
Depending on which type of security company you sign on with, you’ll also get fire monitoring and some extras, too. If you decide that you want to have a motion detection system, you’ll need to first take into account your family’s activities.
If you have someone who gets up to go to work in the middle of the night and doesn’t get to the alarm control in time, it could wake the household. Or if you have teens that come and go at all hours, a motion sensor system might not be the best choice.
Home security systems are going to cost you based on the level of protection you buy. If you buy a plan that also monitors the outside of your home as well as the inside, you can expect to pay anywhere from $400 on up for installation, plus whatever monthly fee the company charges.
t when selecting a home security system. Two of the most popular systems are one that is wired into your home (hard wired) and one that isn’t (wireless).
The one that’s been around since the invention of home security products has been the type of system that’s hard wired. But many homeowners didn’t like the fact that they paid a lot of money for security and then didn’t get to keep it if they wanted to move.
Wireless Home Security
For the protection of your home, you have more than one option to look at when selecting a home security system. Two of the most popular systems are one that is wired into your home (hard wired) and one that isn’t (wireless).
The one that’s been around since the invention of home security products has been the type of system that’s hard wired. But many homeowners didn’t like the fact that they paid a lot of money for security and then didn’t get to keep it if they wanted to move.
They had to begin again – and with some companies, they still had to pay the remaining months on the service contract as well as paying for service at the new residence. Wireless home security in many cases can offer the user better terms and the freedom to keep the system if they change residences – making this system great for those who live in apartments, too.
The wireless is similar to the wired-in system in that both have a main control center – the heart of the system. They also allow for sensors to be installed at the entry points that you choose (the windows, doors, etc.).
These sensors are easy to install, easy to understand and can quickly tell whenever an intruder has entered. The sensors have a connection that’s broken whenever the entry point is opened and the sensors will alert the system to sound the alarm. What happens next depends on what type of service you have.
Some of the wireless home security systems also come with motion detectors. The amount of entry point detectors you have and whether or not you get additional sensors again will depend on the type of system you buy and your monitoring service. A wireless system is much easier for a do-it-yourselfer to install than the installation required for a hard wired system.
With this type of service, you can set the system to do automatic calling of the fire department or police department, which is basically what you’ll be paying for if you have a monthly monitoring plan. So you have the potential to save a lot more money by using a wireless system over a hard wired one.
The wireless home security system works via a radio frequency, which can sometimes be a con of having one because of the various causes that can make the alarm activate. However, even the few false alarms that might occur is minor compared with the pros of having this type service.
Many of them are less expensive than hard wired services and more often than not, your service contract will move when you do, which means you won’t have to get a new contract and buy a new wireless system. Most of them have remote activation as well as the ability to activate the system with a simple finger touch so that you don’t need help making your house safe.