Home Security
A home security system is a set of sensors, cameras and alarms tied together by a hub, with or without a monitoring service behind it. The hardware choice matters less than how the system is monitored and how it behaves when the internet or power fails.
Professionally monitored systems bring a monitoring center into the loop and usually a monthly fee. Self-monitored systems send alerts to your phone and cost less, but nobody else is watching.
Availability
Hire Best Pros is not connecting people with home security professionals yet. This page is here as background reading while we work on it. Everything we do cover today is listed in our service directory.
What people usually need
- Door, window and motion sensors
- Indoor and outdoor cameras and video doorbells
- Professionally monitored alarm systems
- Self-monitored do-it-yourself kits
- Smart locks and keypad entry
- Smoke, carbon monoxide and water leak sensors
What to weigh before hiring
Contract terms
Monitoring is frequently sold on a multi-year agreement with equipment financed inside it. Read the term length, the cancellation cost, and whether the equipment still works if you leave the provider.
Connectivity and backup
Ask what happens during a power cut or internet outage. Cellular backup and battery backup are the difference between a system that works in an emergency and one that does not.
Privacy and video storage
Find out where footage is stored, for how long, who can access it, and whether cloud storage carries its own fee.
Common questions
- Is professional monitoring worth the monthly fee?
- It is worth it if you want someone to respond when you cannot, such as during travel. If you are always reachable and comfortable calling authorities yourself, self-monitoring may be enough.
- Does a security system lower home insurance costs?
- Many insurers offer a discount for monitored systems. Confirm the specifics with your insurer, since requirements and amounts vary.
Related reading
- Home security basicsHow physical security, lighting, cameras and monitoring fit together, and which improvements come first.
- How to lower your home insurance costs without losing coverageDeductibles, discounts, bundling and shopping at renewal all move the number. Here is how to cut cost without quietly cutting the protection you are paying for.
- Electrical upgrades that make a home more efficientLighting, controls, panel capacity and load planning. The electrical work that reduces waste, and how it fits alongside insulation and HVAC improvements.