Burglar Alarm Basics.

A burglar alarm system can help protect your home and property, and provide you with added peace of mind.  But a home security system can cost  from $300 to $1,000 to install and $50 a month for monitoring.  

Given the expense, it’s not a decision you should make lightly.  And there are several question you should ask yourself before signing on the dotted line.

The answer to that question depends on a lot of factors, not the least of which is where you live.  If you live in an area where there are a lot of break ins, your neighbors are transient and don‘t know you, and strangers come and go often, a burglar alarm is probably a solid investment.   And of course, if you have things of value -- works of art, a collection of coins or stamps, or expensive electronics -- you should take the plunge.

On the other hand, if you live in a small town where everyone knows everyone else and you have retired neighbors who are home day and night and actively keep tabs on what’s going on, you may not need a burglar alarm. 

There are all kinds of home security systems on the market today. But whether they’re no frills or have all the bells and whistles, they all work one of two ways. They’re either open or closed circuit systems. Sensors that have an electrical charge are placed around doors or windows. In a closed system, electricity flows from one sensor to the other when the door or window is closed. When the circuit is broken by opening the door, the alarm goes off.

In an open system, the opposite happens. The electrical circuit is complete when the door is open, and when it’s closed, the alarm is activated. Because closed-circuit systems are harder for thieves to disable, they are the preferred type.

Regardless of what kind of system you get, it will likely have a keypad which is connected to the control box, which manages the whole system. You can activate the system, cancel an alarm, or control others variable from the keypad. Some more sophisticated systems have remote key fobs that let you program your system when you’re not at the keypad.

Both wired and wireless systems are available. Many new construction projects hardwire alarm systems into the home. Since adding wires to existing construction involves demolition, it takes more time and costs more money than installing a wireless system.

At first, wireless systems weren’t as reliable as wired ones. But the latest generation of wireless burglar alarms is very reliable.

Most systems also include some kind of motion detection sensors that activate the alarm if motion is detected in a house when the system is armed. Several different kinds of technology are used. One of the most popular is Passive Infrared (PIR) which reads changes in temperature. Because these systems are pet friendly, they’re a good way to go if you have dogs or cats.

The next decision is whether or not to opt for monitoring service. A burglar alarm alone will create a sound designed to scare off intruders and to alert neighbors that something’s wrong. Having a home security system monitor your alarm adds a greater measure of protection. If the alarm is triggered, the monitoring service will attempt to confirm that there’s really a problem and then notify the authorities.

Newer systems that include video surveillance cameras, Internet monitoring, and text security alerts are now available.