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Do-It-Yourself Home Security?

Posted by Cliff on from the wiring-it-on-your-own dept.

pussycat asks: "Having recently purchased a home in an urban area, I am investigating monitored home security options -- I'll feel better when I'm away, and I'll get a break on my insurance. I am rejecting the big security services like Brinks because of their very high monitoring fees: $25-45+/month. I've found a cheap monitoring service (911Alarm has one for $13/month), but I'm overwhelmed by the choices for hardware. SmartHome has some nifty devices, but the hardwired stuff looks like a real pain to install, and the X10 stuff seems kind of cheesy. Does anyone have experience with setting up a do-it-yourself home security system? I'm interested in reliability (minimizing false alarms) and low-cost." Has anyone wired up their own home security system? What things should one watch out for when tackling a job like this?

2 of 49 comments (clear)

  1. Re:A few suggestions... by Anml4ixoye · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yes, generally speaking a lot of false alarms are generated. And I know that, from working with the fire department, we go on a lot of them. A normal house fire response would get 3 fire engines, a ladder truck, a rescue car, and a batallion chief (at least here). Fire alarms get a single engine- though still emergency - response.

    Does it make sense to do this? Well, while I can only count on one hand the number of these alarms that have turned out to be real - I can count more the number of people who have been killed or lost everything because they didn't have them.

    And since I am ranting :) - If you are going to spend a lot of money for your house - lets say your study is going to be bigger than my apartment - invest in a sprinkler system for your house too. It adds I think about 10k to the total cost, but our response area includes two neighborhoods where 3 million dollar houses are fairly common.

    And yes - you do get charged a fee for false alarms - $30 for each alarm after 3 false alarms within a given time period. Hey, mistakes happen.

    --
    Random Musings
  2. Re:A few suggestions... by MattBurke · · Score: 2, Insightful

    How about picking up a cheap 486, installing it in a secure/hidden place and running a webcam(s) to it.

    You'll be looking at something consoderably more powerful than a 486 for a couple of reasons.

    1. Most webcams require USB ports
    2. A 486 most likely won't be able to do motion detection very effectively.

    but hey, no-name duron/celeron base systems only come in at a couple of hundred quid anyhow :)