Costs Involved With Home Security Systems

If you’re currently looking at home security systems, price is probably one of your primary considerations.  There are a number of security systems currently available, so finding the right one to protect your family and home might be a bit challenging.  Just remember that the most cost-effective home security systems are the ones that will monitor and protect the entire perimeter of your home.

The reasoning is that if a burglar gets stopped before entering your house, then there is less likelihood that he can harm you and your family or steal your belongings.  So you want to look at one of the home security systems that keeps the perimeter guarded around the clock.  Perimeter-protecting systems provide the best security for your home because the alarm is triggered the moment an intruder tries to cross over your property.

The newer, more sophisticated home security systems can be programmed to identify intruders by their shape and weight, so if a child crawls out onto the lawn or fruit falls off of one of your trees, the alarm won’t be triggered.  Additionally, if you own a larger home, are gone a lot, or live in a fairly remote area, you might want to consider installing one of the monitoring systems to provide you and your family with more security.

The least expensive home security systems cost around $200 and include certain standard components such as:

• surveillance cameras
• door sensors
• window sensors
• control panel and keypad

As the price of the system increases, the level of sophistication increases as well.  Remote monitoring is another consideration because the company who monitors your home and system will call the police department should the alarm get triggered.  Monitored home security systems can cost up to $1,000 plus you will have to pay a monthly fee of roughly $30 for the monitoring service.

They also require that you sign a contract with them for up to 3 years.  In terms of maintenance, you will probably spend an average of $300 annually to keep your system operating properly.  You may want to talk with your insurance provider as they have built relationships with many home security companies and know which ones offer the most services for the best price.  Another one of the benefits of installing one of these systems is that your homeowner’s insurance will be discounted, saving you money over the year.

Photo via Tracy O