Cost of Installing Home Security

Introduction to Home Security

You need protection for your home and family, but everyone has different needs for home security. Although it is difficult to pinpoint an average cost for a home security system, there are plenty of cheaper options to choose from if considering which option is best for you.

When considering home security prices, bear the following points in mind:

1. Analyse your home for vulnerabilities, get a home security company in to give you a free quote to help you decide on your hardware
2. Software: do you want a smart system? 24/7 monitoring? Cameras with facial recognition?
3. Check out reviews, price and cost-effectiveness, before choosing which security company to employ to install your chosen system.

How Much Does It Cost to Install Home Security?

A custom smart home can cost anything, depending on your needs and budget. It can start from as little as £150 rising to thousands of pounds.

Whether you want the upheaval of a wired security camera system and all that installation entails, or you'd rather go for the wireless home security camera, the choice is yours.

To highlight the different price ranges, here are some custom packages for home security costs:

The average starter pack will be around £150, but they are worth it. Top-quality starter packs come with smart hubs.

For a One-bedroom Flat Not on the Ground Floor

A single motion detector in your hallway with an entry sensor on your front door will be enough to alert you if anyone tries to break in.

Your home type isn't considered low risk and isn't targeted as often as ground floor housing.

A One-bedroom Ground Floor Flat

A ground-floor flat means you're twice as likely to be stolen from than a first-floor flat. Because they are easier to access, 65% of all flat burglaries happen to ground-floor properties.

So, it's worthwhile investing in two entry sensors – one at the front of your property and one positioned at the back, together with a motion sensor for your hallway.

You could also get an indoor camera fairly cheaply that will alert you of an intruder, stream live footage, and save images for the police.

A Two-bedroom House

Two entry sensors on the ground floor, one around the back and one at the front, together with six motion detectors would be an ideal package.

Place one motion detector at the back, one at the front of the ground floor, add another in the hallway. Position one in each of the bedrooms and another in the hallway.

Also, get two outdoor cameras to go at the back and front of your home. You can also add to this system with an indoor camera, but it's not absolutely necessary.

A Three-bedroom House

Houses with three-bedrooms are among the most at-risk properties in the UK. A monitored system can cost as little as £13 per month. You'll need approximately eight motion detectors, coupled with two or three entry sensors and two outdoor cameras.

As with a two-bedroom house, you'll need a motion detector for the back and front of the ground floor and also one in the hallway.

Place one in the living room, one in each bedroom, and one in the upstairs hallway. It's also a good idea to buy two outdoor cameras for your home's back and front.

How Vulnerable is Your Home?

Analyse how vulnerable your home is, then get at least one security company to do the same for free. Then, perform a sweep of your home while thinking about how you would rob it to highlight the security measures you need, then get a specialist to do the same thing.

Monitored vs Unmonitored

A monitored system provides the best security level because you put your home in the hands of security professionals. Monthly fees range from £15 to many thousands.

If alerted when any of your sensors, cameras, or panic buttons are triggered, they will immediately call the police and alert you.

There are no monthly fees for an unmonitored system, but all the responsibility for spotting break-ins are yours.

Smart Security Systems

A smart security system will allow you to turn on or turn off your system, receive alerts, and watch footage from wherever you are.

Smart systems also have the latest security features, like facial recognition, two-way audio, and the ability to sync up with smart speakers like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistants.

Types of Home Security

Before buying a home security system, do your research and explore all of the options. To help, here's a quick summary of the different elements of any good home security system. You may not require them all, but you will certainly need some of them.

Alarms

Alarms are effective. Studies suggest that they are a great deterrent, with burglars avoiding properties with noticeable alarm systems.

Sirens

Modern sirens are extremely loud and generally emit 110dB – the human pain threshold. They blare out loudly when an intruder is detected, alerting everyone within the vicinity which, naturally scares off any intruders. These days siren systems are often combined with a camera and floodlight.

Silent Alarms

Silent alarm systems don't make a noise. Instead, they send an alert to you or the monitoring centre looking after your home. Then, either you or the monitors can call the police once the break-in has been confirmed as genuine.

Cameras

Security cameras now come with high resolution, night vision, and two-way audio. They are simple to install, and you can view and hear intruders. A loudspeaker lets you shout warnings or make loud noises to deter intruders or scare animals away.

Wireless

Wireless cameras are connected to the internet, so you will need a smart camera is needed. It is worth the investment as you can access and control the system from anywhere.

These cameras run on solar energy or batteries and alert you when the batteries are low and need replacing. Most wireless cameras can connect to 3G and 4G if your internet connections are poor.

An outside wireless security camera can transmit at a range of 250 – 500 feet in an open space. An indoor wireless security camera can cover a range of 100 – 165 feet.

Video cabling is not necessary for a wireless security camera.

Wired

Although initially cheaper, a wired camera will need professional installation, which will be expensive. Once it's in place, you will not be able to move a wired camera's location.

Wireless models can be placed anywhere in your home, installed on a DIY basis, and easily re-positioned.

Indoor or Outdoor

Indoor cameras used to be less powerful, with a lower resolution and an inferior night vision capability, but they are improving quickly.

Outdoor cameras may have a built-in floodlight and are more likely to have a siren – but naturally, there are always exceptions to the rule.

In terms of security, two outdoor cameras, one positioned at the front of your property and one at the back, is usually enough for most houses. You can install both indoor and outdoor cameras for continual coverage.

Night Vision

The Office for National Statistics states that 62% of burglaries happen after 6 pm. Most modern security cameras come readily equipped with night vision, usually effective over a distance of up to five metres.

As previously noted, most burglaries occur under the cover of dusk or darkness, so any camera without night-vision capabilities will be almost useless for capturing clear images and, therefore, useless for identification purposes or for helping the police find the intruder.

Smart Home Security Kit

As well as cameras and alarms, smart home security packages come with an array of add-ons:

Hub

The hub is the control centre of your system. It's also a smart speaker which you can control with your voice if you're close enough.

Key Fobs

These popular little key fobs will allow you to arm or disarm your system when you're in your home or close by. Many also incorporate a built-in panic button.

Entry Sensors

When armed, your system will alert you if anyone opens a door or window. The sensors are usually placed on either side of doors and windows. Once they are opened, an alert is triggered. You or your monitoring centre will be alerted to the intrusion.

Motion Detectors

Placed in the top corner of hallways or main rooms, a motion detector will monitor the entire space for movement.

Clever systems will ignore any household pets, so the alarm will not be triggered when "Bonzo" or "Tiddles" decides to move from the couch!

Broken Glass Sensors

These are sensors that notify you if a window gets smashed.

What Does Home Security Installation Involve?

A security system is a system made up of components and devices used to protect your home from intruders.

Security systems typically include:

• A control panel for the home's security system
• Door and window sensors
• Interior and exterior motion sensors
• Wired or wireless security cameras
• A high-decibel siren or alarm
• Warning signs outside and window stickers.

Some home security systems are too complex to install yourself, so use a contractor. However, many are sold in kit forms and are a simple DIY job to install.

A closed-circuit system is connected to a key switch, alarm bell, and batteries. The three electronic parts in the solid-state switch of the alarm sounder are mounted on a circuit board.

A coil and plunger that strikes the bell or activates the electronic sounder are situated under the circuit board. Under the coil are breaker points that make the plunger vibrate, activating the noise.

Installing the Components

Once you've decided where to locate your alarm, install the sounder first. If you want to mount the sounder outdoors, you'll have to drill a hole through the wall for the wires.

A protective metal box will be required to be installed to protect the sounder from the weather. There is a bracket Inside the box to mount a tamper switch that will activate the alarm system should anyone try to force open the alarm sounder box.

Inside the box is the key switch that allows only a key-holder to activate, service, reset, or deactivate the alarm system.

None of this will be necessary if the sounder is to be located indoors.

To install the device, follow these steps:

• Take off the nut and separate the backplate from the sounder. Using wood screws, toggle bolts, or other fasteners, fix the plate to the wall and position the sounder exactly where you want it. Do not connect the sounder to the backplate until later. The protective box for an outdoor installation will contain a built-in backplate.
• Install the door and window switches next. The magnet section attaches to the door or window, and the switch will need to be positioned on the window frame or doorjamb. The kit will include the mounting screws to attach the parts. Position the parts of the switch close together.
• Fire sensor switches can also be included in the loop of entry-detection switches. Use a fire sensor switch that breaks the loop should the air temperature reach 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Locate the fire sensor switches where you feel they will be most effective. You can one or more sensor in every room simultaneously as you are wiring the security system.
• Current-conducting window foil tape designed to trigger the alarm if the glass is broken in a door or a window can be added for additional security at this stage. During installation, when sticking the foil to glass, make sure there are no breaks in the foil; the tape must be continuous. Self-adhesive foil terminals or connectors at the ends of the foil tapes let you connect the wiring. A flexible door cord allows you to open a foil-taped door or window without setting off the alarm system.
• After the sounder back plate has been mounted and the switches, fire sensors, and window foil have all been installed, the system needs wiring together. A thin (nearly transparent) two-wire cord the wire for the entry-detection switch loop. It will be almost inconspicuous when you run it around your rooms.
• Starting at the point furthest from the sounder, use a knife or wire stripper to strip approximately 3/4 inch off the wire ends. Loop each wire under a separate terminal screw on the switch or door cord. Without cutting the two-wire cord, route it to the next device. Keep the wiring neat by using small staples to keep them in place but be careful not to damage the wire when you insert the staples.
• At the second device, use a knife to split apart the conductors a few inches. Cut the copper-coloured wire only, do not cut both wires. After baring about 3/4 inch of the copper wire ends, connect them to the terminal screws.
• Repeat this running the wire to all the entry-detection switches and fire sensors. Finally, run the two-wire cord to the sounder back plate.
• Attach the copper-coloured wires to the switch terminal screws. Twist together the two silver-coloured wires, and affix a small connector. Run the wires back to the sounder but do not connect them yet.

The sensor wiring is now complete.

You will need to buy two 6-volt lantern-type batteries or a rechargeable battery pack to install the battery circuit.

• Connect the positive (+) and negative (-) battery terminals to the sounder to make switches operate properly. The bell wire ends are also black and red, which helps when wiring the battery to the sounder correctly. A black and a red wire from the sounder needs to run to the battery location.
• Connect up the red wire of the positive terminal (+) of one of the cells and the black wire to the other cell's negative (-) terminal.
• The last step is to connect a wire between the negative (-) terminal of the first cell and the other cell's positive (+) terminal. Leave the between-the-cells section of wire out until last to avoid accidentally touching the two and wasting the charge.
• To connect the sounder, join the black wire from the battery to the sounder's black wire using connectors and the red wire from the battery to the sounder's red wire. If a key switch I included, run the red wire first to the key switch and the sounder. Cut the red wire and insulation at the strip, then fasten each cut end under a separate screw terminal on the switch. The key switch will now open and close the circuit in the red wire.
• Connect the wire ends from the switch loop to the two smaller wires on the sounder. Fasten and tighten the sounder to its back plate. Lastly, with the OFF position switch, attach the short wire between the two battery cells.
• Shut all windows and doors in the loop to close all the entry-detection switches. By turning the key switch on, the circuit should now be in operation. To test it, simply try opening a door. If installed correctly, the alarm will sound. The system should now keep sounding, even when you shut the door.
• Shut off the alarm by turning off the key switch. When the key switch is turned back on, the alarm should remain off until the loop circuit is interrupted again.
• Test the system briefly every week to ensure that the circuit is still in working condition and the batteries haven't died.

One of the advantages of having a home security system is that your home is three times more likely to be stolen without one.

You can remotely arm and disarm your security system from anywhere in the world via a web-enabled device. You can monitor who arrives, leave your home, and use a panic button with an instant response from your alarm monitoring company.

Also, insurance companies offer discounts when you have a home security system.

DIY Home Security Installation

Do-it-yourself security setups are ideal for budget-savvy shoppers. They will save you money on installation charges and subscription fees.

DIY systems are very quick and simple to install and are sold in kit form, which configures to your needs. You can order additional sensors and more components, pairing them to the system in very little time.

Basic entry-level DIY systems might only support one or two wireless protocols with a limited selection of add-on components.

More expensive DIY systems support multiple wireless protocols and offer you dozens of add-ons. DIY systems can be self-monitored, but if a break-in or fire occurs, you will have to alert the authorities yourself.

Potential Problems and Pitfalls

More and more people are using technology for the security of their homes. Sales figures of security systems are skyrocketing as people believe that these systems can add a layer of security and safeguard their business, but these systems have also become a target of cybercriminals.

The prevalence of break-ins has installed a sense of insecurity in individuals and business. People are installing affordable security systems in their homes and offices as the first layer of defence against security threats. People are doing what they can to make sure that potential threats do not reach them. Corporations and individuals are now investing more heavily in network security.

These systems must work as expected. Adoption of security systems has become commonplace and are responsible for safeguarding business, homes and possessions. Manufacturers and vendors claim that these security systems are foolproof, can be installed without expert help and are simple to maintain.

These claims, whilst sounding promising, may not all be as efficient as their creators claim.

The most common problems associated with security systems are:

• Maintenance charges, monitoring subscription fees, price of parts, battery replacement, contract termination fee, all of which are extra costs.
• Sometimes the elderly or those who feel computer challenged may not install a DIY system themselves.
• A security system does not guarantee protection. Criminals know how to disarm them, and if they want to, they will get into your house or business regardless of any systems in place.
• Security systems like surveillance cameras will only record the incident and cannot do anything to prevent it.

Sometimes security systems are falsely triggered. This is one of the major shortcomings, and no-one appreciates being woken by a noisy alarm in the middle of the night. Repetitive false triggers can make people ignore the alarm even though a real incident is taking place.