Home Security Options from Simple to Spectacular

When it comes to protecting your home and your family, you want the very best you can afford. Of course, not everyone can afford a personal team of bodyguards to protect their castle, day and night. Not everyone wants a high-tech monitored home security system, either. Fortunately, various home security options are available, from relatively cheap and easy to expensive and elaborate.

Here are some of the ways to protect your home, from basic to extravagant:

1. Home security system stickers and signs. You can plop down a few bucks and make it look like your home is protected. This is probably the cheapest home security option and, while it’s more effective than nothing, it won’t stop any criminal who’s determined.
2. A guard dog. Rover’s size or bite doesn’t matter nearly as much as his bark. As long as he’s a light sleeper and a loud barker, he can scare many would-be burglars away.
3. A do-it-yourself home security system. You can purchase systems off the shelf, take them home, and have them up and running in minutes. They’re better than signs or stickers, but not as effective as some of the other options.
4. A professional monitored security system. These systems come with a monthly fee, and they will alert your security company if any of the alarms are tripped. If it’s in your budget, this is probably the right solution for most people.
5. Fences. Physical barriers like fences can help deter criminals. On the other hand, if the fence is close to the house, you may have just given the potential burglar access to the second story windows. Set apart from the house, however, they make a decent deterrent.
6. Personal guards. If you can’t seem to keep the paparazzi away, armed personal guards can do the trick. Just make sure you choose a reliable security company, and that your personal guards follow all of the appropriate state and local ordinances.
7. Lasers. High-tech, advanced security systems are prohibitively expensive, but will do nicely to guard your priceless collection of 16^th-century Polynesian folk art.

At HSS Net, Madison Parker has been researching and evaluating home security companies and their products as well as analyzing hundreds of videos and documents from actual robberies. Her advice and findings are a great way to understand the ways in which you can improve the safety of your home.