By: Joseph D'Agnese
Published: November 12, 2010
Understand how a home security system works and how to choose professional installation that best fits your needs and budget.
Every 23 seconds, a house is burgled in the United States, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Each break-in costs home owners an average of $2,200 in stolen personal goods and possessions.
A $250 to $700 home security system can provide a powerful deterrent: it sends the message that your house won´t be an easy target, and gives crooks a strong incentive to pick another place.
A $250 to $700 home security system can provide a powerful deterrent: it sends the message that your house won´t be an easy target, and gives crooks a strong incentive to pick another place.
How a home security system works
A home security system works like this: a keypad in your house´s entryway communicates with sensors and motion detectors around the home. The brain of the system—the control panel—is installed in the attic or utility room.
If an intruder breaks a window or kicks in a door:
- The sensor sends signals to the control panel, which typically uses your phone line to contact an off-site monitoring station.
- Simultaneously, it sets off an ear-splitting siren within the house.
- Staffers call the house immediately and ask for a password.
- If there´s no response, or if the person who picks up the phone gives the wrong password, monitors will notify the police.
Once you´ve elected to invest in a home security system, you´ll need to decide whether to go with a national installer or a local company. Security experts recommend choosing a company with at least ten years´ experience. Either way, you´ll spend $35 to $75 per month on monitoring fees.
- National firms boast that their call centers are fully redundant, which means if a center in Oshkosh loses power, the Vancouver center will pick up the slack.
- Local installers are going to be close by, and those companies have an incentive to do a great job in order to maintain their reputation in the community.
- Full service companies—ones that operate and control all aspects of your home security system, from installation to service and monitoring—generally provide good personalized care and attention to detail.
- Talk to neighbors who own a home security system about their installer; if you´re new in town, ask firms for letters of reference.
- Choose a company that offers 24-hour repair service.
- Finally, educate yourself online before making a call; websites such as www.alarmsystemreviews.com offer useful information about home security systems.
No comments:
Post a Comment