Home Security Systems
Home security (alarm) systems have gotten extremely sophisticated over the years -- today's systems offer a myriad of optional sensors, signaling devices and home control options that were not available in the past. Most systems offer the capability for the system to dial a "monitoring station", where operators are waiting 24 hours a day to dispatch the appropriate authorities to your house if a break-in or emergency arises. There are fewer and fewer areas of the country where crime is not an issue, so most everyone needs to think about the security of their home and family. In addition, features such as fire or carbon monoxide protection can literally save your life. So, you ask, what do you need know? Here are the basics:
The Basics There have traditionally been two basic choices in home security technology: Hardwired and Wireless systems. Just to add to the confusion, there are now "hybrid" systems that allow both wireless and hardwired sensors -- these offer the greatest flexibility to the homeowner.
All systems will have a set number of "zones" they can handle -- e.g. 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc. This does not mean that you can only secure that many windows/doors -- A single zone can have multiple sensors connected to it. The zones allow the system to determine where or what type of alarm has occurred. For example, in a multiple zone system, zone 1 could be the front door, zone 2 the 1st floor front windows, zone 3 the first floor rear windows, zone 4 the smoke detectors, zone 5 a motion sensor, etc. By segregating areas of the house and alarm types into different zones, the alarm can alert the homeowner or a monitoring station to what type of problem has occurred, either through a keypad, by a different sounding siren, or in the case of the monitoring station different digital data.
Hardwired systems are what I consider the traditional alarm system. There is a main panel that contains all of the basic electronics, which is directly wired to various sensors, sirens and remote keypads around the house. Hardwired systems are generally considered to be the most reliable, but wireless systems are catching up. Hardwired systems are more difficult to install, because wires need to be run throughout the house to support all of the sensors and other devices -- the best time to install a system is when you are building a house (before the drywall goes up). Due to the extensive wiring involved, hardwired systems are more labor intensive to install than wireless. You can add a hardwired system to an existing house, but it may be difficult and expensive; wiring a house under construction may be less expensive than wireless, though.
Wireless systems consist of a main panel that contains the electronics necessary to receive signals from various transmitters that would be placed at doors/windows around the house. The transmitters are battery operated (meaning you must replace them periodically), but most systems use "supervised" transmitters, which means the transmitters report their status to the main panel every few hours, so the panel can let you know if a battery is low or a transmitter didn't report in. Wireless systems are often a cost effective, easy to install option for existing homes. They often can use wireless key chain transmitters to arm and disarm (like a car alarm), which gives them added flexibility.
The hybrid systems offer the best of both worlds. They will have a panel that accepts hardwired sensors as well as wireless signals. These panels are more expensive, but offer the most flexibility. They give you the option of adding new devices at any time with or without wiring, and will enable you to utilize items like key chain remotes. This is what I installed when building my house.
The decision of what type of system to install will depend largely on your situation, your budget and whether or not you are willing to do the work yourself. The main expense in having most security systems installed is the labor.
You will see some national alarm companies who offer low cost or free systems -- these systems are usually pretty basic (they charge you extra for more than a few sensors) and the catch (and how they make money) is that you must sign up for their monitoring service for up to 5 years at a rate of $20-25 per month. In addition, in many cases you do not own the equipment - if you cancel the monitoring service, they will take back their hardware. Just be sure what you are signing up for if you are looking at one of these deals. Central Station Monitoring services can be purchased independently for as little as $10-$15 per month. Do the math before signing on the dotted line.