Home Security Options?

[Rams]

Seriously considering installing some kind of home security system in our new home in Southern Mississippi.   We're currently renovating and adding on to the house.   New windows, doors, moving walls, new flooring, you name it, it won't be the same home when we're done.  So, I'm thinking it's time to install some kind of security system.

Things I don't want is anything that is only battery operated, back up battery systems are OK.
There will be no cameras or listening devices within the interior of the house although, there are window breaking sound devices out there we are considering.

Looking for any advice those of you may have.   The "Spousal Unit" has friends who use Simply Safe as their system.   I'm still not sure what I want.   ADT offers a lot of options but, I'm not sold on them either.   What should I be asking and looking at?  

I do want porch cameras and will have sufficient lighting for good video.   Would also like to include my planned shop into the system.   Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My friends Smith and Wesson are available to assist with home security but, a little advance warning is always a good idea.   I've also got a very large dog most folks don't want to mess with, 170 lb. English Mastiff.   I believe he sleeps with one eye open and hears everything going on.   Tends to wake me up most nights when he thinks there's something worth investigation. 

Thanks in advance.

Rams

[Robert]

I recomend one of these, the advatages are powered with self contained battery back up. Upgradable to any configuration including wifi, cell, or cable, calling to central station. Can install it yourself and self configurable if you have somewhat a mechanical inclination. You dont really need screen or glass breakage if you have motion which you can add in almost any amount to either system. You can use central station or not and its the system that many pros use. Coupled with a variety of sensors that do different things and you can build it to the system you want or just keep it simple. Central station monitoring can be as low as 10.00 per month.

https://www.geoarm.com/honeywell-lynx-touch-wireless-security-systems.html

https://www.geoarm.com/honeywell-lynx-touch-l5210-wireless-security-systems.html

Scroll to the bottom of this page to see all the sensors available.

https://www.geoarm.com/honeywell-lynx-touch-l5210-wifi-wireless-security-system-kit.html

[Chrisj CMA]

Home security



Never mind the dog!

[JimmyG]

Ron, I did my own this past fall. I just started with a 4 camera system and a Terabit  drive. It's wired, so always works unless power goes off. It covers entry areas to our property and behind property a little.  Easy to do. Cameras are very clear, high res.  Color during daylight hours and black and white at night,(infrared).
You can set up wifi to see your property on your phone, set it up for motion detection or special areas,etc. Lots of features.   I spent  around $300.00 for it, 4 cameras expandable to six. You can get more.
I also got a wireless motion detector for my driveway, so I can hear or see when someone enters property.  I'm thinking about making up some signs next, like ,"your on camera".   
We live in country and we have been," cased out", once, but me getting the old pea shooter out and shutting down all lights outside spooked them off when they saw me slip out a side door.
Druggies and thieves are everywhere looking for an easy score.  Here is what I would do different. Upgrade cameras for panning, and for being able to scroll close ups.

[Serk]

I'm cheap and I like to tinker. I've got Wyze cams set up all around the house.

They're cheap.

$25ish each, $35ish for the PTZ version.

Simple. You can put SD cards in them for more storage, limited cloud storage is included for free.

They do two way audio, great picture/video quality. They can be set up to alert you via different mechanisms for sounds, alarms, motions in specific zones, etc.

They're not natively weatherproof, but you can get relatively inexpensive weatherproof enclosures.

They use WiFi, so you'll need to have WiFi coverage in the area of the cameras. They require a single USB cord for power.

Cons:
Not an active monitoring solution beyond the basics.
No computer/web browser way to monitor the cameras (Yet!), it's phone/tablet only (Although there are some work arounds if you really wanna get the cameras running on your computer, I keep a view of my front door up at all times on my laptop.)

Just an option to consider if you like to tinker.....

Example view of one grouping of my cams right now:

[carolinarider09]

When I built my house I installed a security system as part of the construction process.  Since this was in 2012, more or less, my system was purchased sometime around 2012.  It is a GE Concord 4 system.

It accepts both wired and wireless alarm devices. All windows are monitored by wireless devices.  Remote sensor battery life is over 5 years (just did some battery replacement).

I purposely used some wired devices for specific reasons.  They consist of the connection to the homes fire alarms and glass break sensors (among others).  Other wired devices were considered for the future use of several outbuildings since the wireless devices do have a distance limit.  But I have not wired them in yet (lazy).  The wireless sensors have good range (at least 100 plus feet).

My system is monitored using a land line.  While cellular devices are available, they are easily jammed which will prevent operation (See link below).  The monitoring company has always responded in timely manner.  

Glass break sensors and interior motion sensors should also be installed.  My system has two modes, Stay (occupied and monition sensors do not cause an alarm) and Away, all devices active.  

There are delays for allowing entry and exit of about 30 seconds.  

My daughters house was broken into a few years ago by some local kids.  Then broke a large window to get in.  I don't remember if she had glass break sensors or the security system at that time. Since that happened I have armored my large windows to make breaking more difficult.  I forget the cost but, since I am in a rural area, I think the price was reasonable.

The system has an internal battery backup power supply which lasts over one hour.  It does cause an alarm and the monitoring company will respond to make sure I know about the issue if I am not home.

We have three wired alarm panels, control panels, for activating and deactivating the alarm system and making changes.  One is located just inside the bedroom so you don't have to go far if an alarm is triggered.

The internal alarm is a small speaker mounted high on a wall.  It is loud and when it goes off, you know it.  

I did not add an outside alarm horn.  

You will get notifications on the system if the batteries in the wireless sensors reach a specific voltage.  I do not remember how often they are "checked".

I did my on alarm system programming.  It takes some time to read the material and set the system up.  Its not "intuitive" but can be done.  My family members have their own individual codes for when they are here.  

I will add more later.

Link to item referenced above.

https://www.jammer-store.com

[carolinarider09]

Several years ago, I also added a wireless video monitoring system to provide indications of events outside the house.  I elected to use a system by Netgear called Arlo. 

My Arlo system has one major issue and that is it requires a wired internet connection to work as intended.  For me, that was not an issue since when I built the house I wired it with CAT 5 (the best at the time) cable to various areas to allowed for wired network connections. 

It also does not have a battery backup for the Arlo Hub device but that problem can be solved by the installation of a standalone UPS.  If you have an alarm system that knows the power is off, you will know that your Arlo system has only a finite time before power goes.

Arlo works well.  In the alarm mode it sends messages to my phone when alerts occur (motion detected).  Otherwise, while not in the alarm mode, you can still view live videos from your devices.  The link below shows our return from a trip around Lake Superior. 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ufc9zrcgkwfkh42/1569524131664.mp4?dl=0

The idea is to allow advance indications of motion around the house when we are not home.

The battery life in the cameras is between three and six months depending on how often they are used/accessed.  The units are well constructed and mine have been outside for several years and still work well.

[Alberta Patriot]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpvBDFMFqys

[Oss]

What I like about the simplesafe is the transmitters for the water leaks

I had one under the water heater that gave me immediate notice when it started to leak.
Also have one under the sink in the kitchen where we have a water filter   Use motion sensors and door/window sensors you can customize to what you need.

There is also one that will alert you if the house temp drops below a certain range (I think 40 but not sure)

And there is the signs that you put up which are probably as useful as the alarm itself    in deterrence

Serk my daughter uses camera to keep an eye on her dog and property
Cheap and easy

Heck even the smart doorbell is better than nothing as far as alerts

[Rams]

Lots of good information here, thanks.   Will take me some time and research to make any decision.

Appreciate all the shared wisdom.

Rams

[Patrick]

Way back when/after we were broken into  [ stole a lot plus 29 guns] long before there was any of this fancy tech stuff, I installed some touch pads under certain places in the carpet hooked to a fire siren mounted in the attic along with a few free roaming geese. Geese are the best, better than dogs.
Now, its just 4 simple cameras. I need simple.

[carolinarider09]

When considering a "security system" the first thing you have to ask yourself is what is the reason.

In my case it was a two-fold reason.

1.  To provide an immediate alert that someone had entered my premise while it was unoccupied. 

2.  Provide information that would lead to the identification and arrest of those involved in the unauthorized entry.

To do that you need two types of systems. 

One that provides an instantaneous alarm upon un-authorized entry.  A central alarm station monitors my security system.  If I tell them I am away from home, the local authorities are their first point of contact.  They are pretty quick.  The rest is up to the local authorities.  A false alarm once resulted in a 5 minute or so elapsed time frame for alarm to arrival on site.

The second system has to provide video or still picture images of those involved in the un-authorized entry.  This will help the authorities identify and locate those responsible for the unauthorized entry and provide appropriate punishment. 

Inexpensive trail cameras can also be used.  They are not easily seen and work well.

One other security item I did not mention was what is called my some a proximity alert alarm.  I have two.  They use the MURS frequencies to send a signal back to a base station (or a hand held device if you desire).  Mine are provided by Dakota Alert.  They can also be used for two way communication although I do not use mine that way.  They also provide an alert when the UPS or Fedex or USPS driver enters the driveway.  I am rarely surprised by a "knock at the door". 

https://www.dakotaalert.com/store/murs-alert-products/

[shadowsoftime]

I have the wize cam and it keeps turning off, which is no good as it does not alert you and can go all day off and you don't know it.Been talking to wize about this and still have the problem.

[cookiedough]

I know a lady who showed me her ring doorbell,   pretty neat idea but not cheap and only does the front of your house wide angle but not the back or sides, etc of your house of course.  she gets an alert on her phone everytime someone shows up nearby it such as the UPS or mail man and even can talk to them if you so desire thru an app on your cell phone.  like said though, only good for front of your house if that is where your doorbell is.  good video and sort of neat idea. 

However, I like the Mastif dog idea best!   

[shadowsoftime]

I know a lady who showed me her ring doorbell,   pretty neat idea but not cheap and only does the front of your house wide angle but not the back or sides, etc of your house of course.  she gets an alert on her phone everytime someone shows up nearby it such as the UPS or mail man and even can talk to them if you so desire thru an app on your cell phone.  like said though, only good for front of your house if that is where your doorbell is.  good video and sort of neat idea. 

However, I like the Mastif dog idea best!   

What if someone throws a poisend stake in your yard, just thinking.

[Rams]

The more I learn about this topic, the more I realize I am not technologically qualified to install my own security system.   Will be talking to a local security company.   In the mean time, seriously considering a pack of miniature Pinschers and a flock of Guineas.   Ankle biters and alarm birds.  

Rams.

[Skinhead]

I hear peacocks make good alarm systems.