A Guide to Residential Security Systems

It is hard to put a price of feeling safe in one's own home. There are a number of home security systems that can help to restore a home owner's piece of mind. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's crime statistics for 2005, there were 726.7 burglaries for every 100,000 people in the United States (2). Increasing the number of residential security systems might cause a swift decrease in these numbers.

There are several benefits to having a home security system. Convicted burglars have been known to say that they will not target a house that is obviously protected by a security system (5), so the chances of a burglary occurring have already significantly decreased. Some companies that offer home owner's insurance also offer discounts of 10% or more for home owner that have a residential security system installed. Having a system already on the property can also increase the resale value (3). Pet owners can also feel better about leaving pets at home when there is a security system to monitor the house for intruders and (in some systems) fire. It also helps to have piece of mind, whether away on vacation or sleeping soundly at night (1).

Every residential security system on the market is defined and judged by the features it offers. Some packages offer two-way communication, which allows the home owner to communicate with the company when the system has been activated or triggered. This can prevent the authorities from being summoned to a false alarm (4). Many companies give customers a yard sign to display, and this yard sign is perhaps more powerful than the actual system. The yard sign warns potential intruders that the home is guarded by a reputable home security system provider. As part of the package, some companies will install bars on vulnerable windows. A good number of companies offer surveillance in the form of miniature cameras that connect directly to the home owner's television, allowing the homeowner to observe different areas of the property from a safe location. Door or window "contacts" come with many home security system packages, and these contacts will trigger the alarm if a door or window is opened. In addition, there are also glass break detectors. If the yard sign did not work, then a loud siren and a bright strobe light might do the trick. This feature frightens intruders and alerts the neighbors to trouble. Motion detectors can be installed almost anywhere in the house, but this feature is easy to accidentally activate. In addition to intruder alerts, some companies offer fire detection that automatically sends an alert to the location fire department (5). Few companies offer all of these features.

A home owner planning to have a residential home security system installed must consider the cost. The cost of the actual system varies depending on the company selected and the featured selected, but there are a number of affordable options. One thing to consider when choosing a system is going with a wireless system. Other systems might require drilling holes to install some features in the home, and a small amount of digging in the yard might be necessary for other packages. In some cases, drilling or digging can be an added cost, and that is why some home owners choose to go with wireless systems (1).

Home owners looking for a residential security system have several options available. The features available vary almost as much as the companies providing the services. This is bad news for thieves as more home owners choose to stay safe.

Sources

1. Bryant, Lynn. "Benefits of Installing a Wireless Home Security System." 31 July 2005. Video Surveillance Guide. http://www.video-surveillance-guide.com/3032-wireless-home-security-system.htm

2. Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Crime Rates in the United States 2004." September 2006. http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_01.html

3. Home Alarm Security Systems. 2003. http://www.homealarmsecuritysystems.com/security-system-benefits.html

4. Kelly, Bruce. "Home Security Systems Offer Many Benefits." 2009. http://ezinearticles.com/?Home-Security-Systems-Offer-Many-Benefits&id=1848490

5. LendingTree.Com. The Benefits of Security Devices. 2009. http://www.lendingtree.com/stmrc/rearticle9.asp?bp=