Home Security System Components

It can be overwhelming when you’re first looking at home security systems. From home security camera packages to monitored systems to wireless options, it’s easy to get a bit hung up on figuring out what’s being offered – to say nothing of figuring out what you actually need. Knowing what kinds of components are out there will help you figure out what you want, long before you start looking at what’s on the shelves.

Here are some of the basic home security system components you’re going to find:

• Control panel. Home security systems need a centralized device to bring together all of the information they produce and then do something with it. That control panel might be a literal box that’s attached to a wall somewhere, or it might be virtual – part of an application that runs on your computer. Most home security systems will have some kind of control panel.
• Entrance contacts. These are sensors that go on your doors and windows. Generally, they’re magnetic. When the magnetic bond is broken, it creates a signal that the security system then does something with (depending on your type of home security system). Some sensors may be laser-based, as well. How many entrance contacts your system has will vary, but they all will have some.
• Alarms. A home security system alarm can be an audible siren, or it can be an electronic signal that the system sends to the security company, or it can even be a flashing light. A home security system needs to have some form of alarm if it’s going to be of any use – otherwise, no one knows that there’s been an entry.
• Motion detectors. These are an optional component to a home security system. Typically, a motion detector is set up outside, or perhaps in a hallway. The motion detector can be set to a specific threshold so as to not go off every time a stray cat walks by.
• Cameras. Home security cameras are handy in that they create a record of what exactly is going on. Some record still photos, while others will record video footage. Not all systems have cameras, but many do.
• Glassbreak sensors. These sensors are designed to tell whether the glass in your door or window has been broken. Entrance contacts won’t go off if the window isn’t actually opened, for example, so these give you an added layer of protection.