From Issue #3 , Page #36 | By Sandra Miller

With so many options currently on the market, it’s totally possible to put a price on security.

Every night before going to bed, Dave Miller would pull open the drawers to his dresser, thus preventing the attic door from opening into his dark bedroom. After all, the attic was where the monsters and boogey-men lived, so this simple nightly ritual ensured a safe and happy sleep.

It's been a long time since Dave had to ward off the evils that lurked behind his childhood doors; however, over the years, he has continued to be security-minded. Instead of creatures from the dark, he's now more worried about being an easy target for burglars taking full advantage of his home's rural location. In addition to being security-conscious, Dave was also thrifty. "Why would I want to spend $2,500 on a security system to protect a $250 bicycle?" he asks.

The Logic

There are many reasons people choose to implement home security systems and devices. While protection from theft ranks high on the list, the most commonly stolen items in a home burglary tend to be easily-fenced and replaceable items such as electronics, jewelry, and sports equipment. Another popular reason to install security is to prevent vandalism. There are plenty of vindictive exes out there who would rather destroy the property they lost in the divorce settlement rather than let their former spouse have it. Also becoming standard in home security systems and services is the ability to monitor things such as carbon monoxide, smoke and fire, temperature, water leaks, and medical emergencies. Early detection of any disaster can be well worth the price of the security system itself.

Dropping global positioning satellite (GPS) equipment prices and expanding applications has also added a number of mobile security options such as tracking vehicles, equipment, and even pets and children.

Protection from these scenarios doesn't have to be expensive. Dave set his budget for home security at $500. Some of the ideas he installed were creative and inexpensive.

Where to Start

The first thing to do before deciding what type of security system to install is to specify exactly what needs to be secured. After all, what good is an alarm system on the house, if all the sports equipment is kept in an unprotected, detached garage? On the other hand, an online vehicle GPS tracking system isn't going to do much good in a 1981 Toyota Tercel. Planning is the key to staying within a budget and getting the most out of your money.

Take a walk through the house and take note of what items, if they were stolen or damaged, would cause the greatest amount of hassle. For example, for homes that use geothermal heating and cooling, if a water pipe leaks or breaks, the entire house could be flooded causing thousands of dollars in damage. By installing a system like ADT's PowerHome or the WaterBug Water Sensor, you can detect water in a place where it shouldn't be. Such products would be well worth the price of monitoring, saving both your time and possessions.

Once you've decided on your security aspects, its time to look at systems and devices. Security systems can be either active or passive. Active systems must be physically engaged. This could mean inputting an alarm code into a console or turning a key in a lock. Passive security consists of items that, once installed, function on their own. These include motion-detecting lighting systems, driveway alert systems and home automation control systems that have programmable lighting schemes to give your house that lived-in look when no one is home.

The Monitor Market

Today, the majority of the home security market consists of monitoring services offered by companies such as ADT and Brink's Home Security. Both companies offer a package of installation and round-the-clock monitoring services.

Brink's Home Security offers basic installation for as low as $99. They even received Consumer Digest magazine's Best Buy award in August 2003 for their Standard and Premium systems. ADT is a little higher at $299, but they offer zero-down financing.

While these options appear to fall well within the limits of the $500, think again. First, both require a monthly service contract whose fees will set you back another $340 to $400 a year just for the basic service.

At Brinks, the $99 Standard system package includes a simple keypad, two perimeter sensors (normally installed on doors), one motion detector, one siren, a master control panel, the telephone connection, a backup power supply (battery), the user's manual and some window decals and yard signs. ADT's Safewatch EZ Essential system comes with the same ingredients along with a theft protection warranty.

These services are for burglar alarm service only. If you want to upgrade to detection services such as smoke, fire, carbon monoxide, flooding and environmental controls, start adding fees for both installation of sensors and monthly monitoring. The plans also currently require a three-year contract for their services and the equipment is considered leased. Break your commitment and the wrath of penalties surpasses that of divorcing your cellular service contract before it expires.

In his security project, Dave considered each of these services. "At first, it sounded like a real deal, but I've got a three-story home, so I would have needed to add two additional motion sensors to cover the upstairs and our basement/family room that opened outside," he says. "There are also five external doors on my house, and only two perimeter sensors are included." Dave soon realized that by adding components he needed to outfit his house that the $500 budget had flown out the window.

Do It Yourself

Tony Stewart, security veteran and president of DIY Automation, believes that in today's market, it's totally possible to install a quality home security system for well less than $500. And the key word here is quality. "The bulk of the market out there are low cost/no cost systems, but the sore thumb is these companies compromise on the quality of the equipment they install," says Stewart.

Citing the legislation and local ordinances that have been enacted by all levels of government that deal specifically with false alarms, Stewart blames the proliferation of cheap installations for creating the epidemic of false alarms. "A cheap alarm is bad when it calls for two or three police patrols. It's really bad when a fire company is dispatched," he says. In addition to charging penalties for false alarms, local governments are also beginning to require all security alarms to be registered and licensed. In some locales, the licensing fee can be as little as a one-time $10 fee and others it can be as high as $50 annually. Factor those fees into the budget.

Stewart says that you won't be able to get a quality professional installation and service for less than $500 anytime soon. But for the competent do-it-yourselfer, it's easy to stay within a budget and get quality equipment. "The most important component you can start out with is a good security panel that can be upgraded to include lighting controls and automation functionality," Stewart says. "Whether you plan to use all the features immediately or not, a good control panel can be as little as $100." Continuing to preach the righteousness of quality, Stewart points out that superior sensors will eliminate false alarms and the costly fines routinely associated with them. Motion sensors can be easily purchased for under $10, but a pet-immune sensor runs around $25. The security sensor highly recommended by Stewart is the ultra-sonic or "glassbreak" sensor. These operate off of the frequency of sound made by a fixed pane of glass breaking. Only one per room is needed.

There are two big advantages to installing ultra-sonic sensors in a home security system. First, when the sensor records a possible break-in, the bad guy is on the outside of the house. An intruder would have to be inside the house in order to be detected by a common motion detector. Secondly, think about how many times you've got up in the middle of the night to get a drink or check out a strange noise. In the fog of sleep, it's a common mistake to walk into a fully armed motion detector, thus setting off your own alarm. That's certainly a rude awakening! Once the ultra-sonic sensors are armed, you are free to walk around safely inside the house without creating any false alarms.

Again, choosing top-of-the-line products will lessen the headache of false alarms caused by lightning strikes and clinking silverware that plague inexpensive models. Expect to pay $40 for a quality ultra-sonic sensor.

By going the DIY route, a quality security system for a moderate home can easily come in under the $500 budget. Many security controls, such as motion, perimeter and water sensors are available for powerline-based X10 systems. Worthington Distribution carries a full line of X10 security components. Don't just limit yourself to the standard door and window sensor-driven security system. X10 allows you to easily add automated or motion-detection-controlled lighting.

Other Issues

Dave's security issues weren't all related to preventing theft. "We like to soak in our hot tub sans swimming suites," he says. "We want a little warning when someone enters our driveway." So one of the items that went to the top of Dave's list was a vehicle alert sensor.

Vehicle alerting devices can come as a stand-alone or as a component of security control panel. The DesignTech Reporter Wireless Driveway Alert System ($79.99) operates via a sensor and a base station. The range between the two can be as much as 1,000 feet and is calibrated to ignore pets and small animals. In addition to vehicle alert, these types of alarms are frequently used to secure recreational vehicles and equipment.

Although Dave had no use for them, he spent a lot of time ogling over the wireless security cameras that transmitted over Wi-Fi (802.11) technology. As processing power and bandwidth has increased, using both cabled and wireless cameras has drastically dropped in price. Anyone who has to visually monitor a specific area, such as a swimming pool or play area can stay within a budget. In fact, for around $200, the Veo Observer Pan/Tilt IP Color Camera ($199) will stream everything it sees over the Internet. Surf the Web from the living room, while keeping an eye on the kids in the backyard. Or vacation in Ireland, while watching out for intruders. The possibilities for these types of cameras are endless and they continue to shrink in both size and price.

So what did Dave decide to do with his hard-earned money? He went all wireless. He started by purchasing a stand-alone weather-resistant motion detector for his driveway for $122. It took 10 minutes to install and doesn't go off when the dog crosses it. For the home, he chose the Visonic PowerMax2 Wireless Alarm Kit ($169) and three extra door sensors ($117). All of this only took about one afternoon to install. He would eventually like to upgrade with four ultra-sonic sensors. He also got wireless KeyFob Transmitters ($84) from Visonic, so both he and his wife could lock and unlock their doors with a click of the button. The only problem it has presented is now they try to unlock the house with their car fob and the cars with the house fob.

Starting with a $500 budget, Dave wound up spending $492 on the entire system—he had money to spare! Plus he has peace of mind, and it took less than one day to install. So even though many think you can't put a price on security, it's easy to have a system, regardless of time and budget.