Home Security Facts

1. “I have a shotgun . . . .let ‘em try to come in.”

What if you weren’t home?  What if a family member was home, unable to defend themselves?  What if they broke in silently while you were sleeping?  What if they came in with their own gun?  Who would have the advantage?  That’s why you need a security system.

2.  “I can’t afford it.”

Let’s face it, most of us waste massive amounts of money on Cokes, snacks, games, etc.  For about the cost of a Coke a day from the Minit Mart, you can protect your home and family, and it’s highly unlikely your budget will even notice.  The truth is, you can’t afford not to have a burglar alarm, considering how much is being protected so inexpensively. 

3. “We had a burglar alarm at our last home, and we never had a break-in, so we don’t need one.”

No comment on this one, because “duh” would be too rude.  Get the darn security system!

4. “Someone is always home at our house.”

Even if that were true, which it usually isn’t, more and more break-ins happen with the people home!  Usually while sleeping!  Please get the home security system, already. 

5. “We live in a good neighborhood.” 

I always urge folks to follow the local section of the newspaper for a few days.  Why? Because you will then know that there are no immune neighborhoods!  Burglars are everywhere.  Believe me, if you knew what I know (and this is my business), you would have a Home Security System.

A Word About Cost

What’s amazing to me is how cheap home security cameras are now.  It wasn’t long ago that you practically had to be rich to have such a system.  Now they are in reach for almost anyone who wants one.

They range from simple one-camera black-and-white systems which don’t record anything, to very sophisticated multi-camera color camera systems with DVR recording, motion detection, and lenses that pick up the subject in the lowest of light.

Some Decisions:

Hidden or Open

You can choose between cameras that are hidden or “covert”, or you may want to have cameras that are out in the open. 

Hidden cameras are generally used for surveillance, such as keeping an eye on a child’s caregiver, or watching and recording employees who might not be trusted.

Normally, however, cameras are left out in the open, so as to prevent unwanted activity, rather than record it when it’s already too late.  Seldom will someone who sees a camera watching them do things that they wouldn’t want to be seen doing.  Simple logic.

Color and Speed

Most cameras now days are in full color.  The cost has come down so much, and the quality is so much better than black-and-white.  I would highly recommend color for almost all uses.

But speed is still evolving, and more related to cost.  The more “frames-per-second” or “images-per-second” a camera has, the smoother will be the playback of the recording. 

We’ve all seen surveillance camera footage on the TV news, where the perpetrator of a crime seems to “jump” from one side of a convenience store to the other instantly.  Well, that’s because the camera was slow in it’s “frames-per-second”.  Check out the speed for your own use.

Basic Equipment

Normally home security camera systems will have:

- One or more cameras
- A recording device, normally a DVR “hard-drive” unit
- A monitor, which can be watched from another room
- A motion-sensor, so that recording is done only when there is actually a person present

How Important Are Home Security Cameras?

Only you know your needs, budget, and home situation.  Probably the most important advice here is:

Don’t put off getting a Basic Home Security System until you can afford or install a home security camera system.  It’s far more important to have your home secured with door contacts and motion sensor, to deter the ordinary burglar or home invader, than to have camera surveillance.  If they break in while you’re gone or sleeping, cameras will be too late.  Get a basic system as soon as you can.

Home Security Systems are no longer a “cool” luxury. They have become a virtual necessity.

Times have changed. When I was growing up, it was not unusual to leave the door of your house unlocked, day and night. It was not unusual to leave the keys to your car in the ignition, day or night.

But burglaries and break-ins have become common. And they’re scary. You probably already know this. And you’ve considered a home security system, but you may not know where to begin.

Here are five ideas.

1. Determine your budget. There are companies who will provide you with basic equipment at no cost upfront, and all you have is your monthly monitoring, and perhaps a small installation fee.

If you can afford to buy the expensive equipment up front, and if you know you will be in your same home for enough years, you may be able to save on monthly monitoring.

If you don’t plan to be in the same home for many years, you normally will be better off going the “free equipment” route, paying a little more on monthly monitoring, and transferring your account when you move in a few years.

2. Important: It is much better to have a basic home security system than to wait until you can afford the Fort Knox Deluxe Package!

3. Whether to get Hard-Wired or Wireless is a discussion for another article, but believe me, the debate will never be fully settled any more than Yankees vs. Red Sox.

You will have to pick, but it is better to get a system in place immediately than to debate this one ad nauseum. The burglars WILL tend to stay away if you have a system, and they WILL tend to get caught by either kind of system, if they are foolish enough to break in your home.

Bottom line…get a security system, already!

4. The basics of a home security system should include:

- A Touchpad, which you use to arm and/or disarm your system, and usually includes “panic” buttons on it for police, fire, and medical.

- A Motion Sensor, which beams across your home to catch a burglar, no matter how they came in, while you are away.

- Door sensors, which set the alarm off when a door is opened or broken into, the most common way for a burglar to enter.

- A Siren, loud enough so that you won’t sleep through it

- A Phone Connection device, which can be set up with a regular land-line phone, a cable phone system, or even if you only have a cell phone.

- A Control Panel, which is sort of the “computer” of your system. It’s usually built into the keypad assembly or in a box that is placed in a closet.

5. There are a few common “extras” you may want to consider.

- A common accessory these days is a Remote Key Fob, similar to the one you may have with your car. You can not only use it to disarm your burglar alarm as you’re driving up to your home, but take it to your room at night as a “panic” button unit.

- A Monitored Smoke Alarm can be a lifesaver. Not only do they “dispatch” even when you’re not home, but they will dispatch as they are waking you up, if you should be sleeping when a fire starts.

- Window sensors, glass breakage detectors, cameras, etc. are not as statistically necessary as the “basic” equipment mentioned above, but if they are in your budget, as the saying goes, “every little bit helps”.

5a. Bonus Point: L-I-G-H-T! Lights at night that light the front and back of your home, either steady light or “motion-detector” lights, are one of the best things to keep crooks away, especially if it also shows your Home Security System SIGN!