When you’re living in a home, besides feeling comfortable, nothing matches feeling secure. Feeling like you’re protected and knowing that nobody can do anything that would affect your home is important. A major role in this feeling is currently being played by home security systems.
Home security systems should be a part of every home. Security systems come in many forms for different buildings and complexes such as weapon detection technology or stadium surveillance, but everyone needs some form of security camera system for their homes to keep them and their families safe. They do make quite a significant difference, and with the latest technological advancements, they’ve also become pretty affordable to the everyday user. Whether you go for an extensive system, or just cover the basics well, you should definitely invest in home security. There are tweaks you can do for the outside of your home that can all add up to full security, including, window security film which can deter would-be burglars if they cannot get in.
So, how do you protect your home and family with a security system? What kind of difference does it make? Well, we’ll answer that, and then some, so read on as we take a look at what safety systems are made of, how they work with each other, and why they’re more than worth it. If you live in multi-family housing or an apartment block, you may want to convince your landlord to implement some of these safety systems or even put up fire exit signage in the relevant locations just in case of an emergency.
What Does a Security System Consist Of?
While you’ll definitely come across some universal answers to this question, the truth is that this can vary quite a bit. It can vary depending on your home, it can vary depending on your budget, and some more factors. That being said, what are the basics?
Security Cameras
The first thing you should absolutely have as a part of your security system is surveillance cameras. Note that we don’t say one, but multiple. Not to say a single camera won’t make much of a difference, but you won’t get the effect you want unless you go with multiple cameras.
Now, security cameras can differ quite a bit from one another. We won’t get into the nitty-gritty of them, and we’ll leave the specs out, but we’ll talk about two main differentiating factors. One is indoors vs outdoors cameras, and the other one is hidden vs visible cameras. These things are what have quite an impact when it comes to choosing your camera.
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The indoors vs outdoors argument is a pretty simple one. You should decide whether you’re going to be using the cameras inside your home, or outside it. Or both, it’s up to you. The main difference is the durability and weather resistance of the cameras. Ones meant for indoor use are a touch more fragile, whereas outdoor cameras come with ingress protection ratings that keep them safe from the elements, and an overall more rugged build. To add to that, when you’re choosing an indoor camera you have a lot more “concealed” options to choose from.
Speaking of concealed, the other thing you’ll want to note is whether or not your camera is hidden. When you’re getting an indoor camera, you often have the option to buy a small, inconspicuous camera that’s easy to hide in your home and almost impossible to spot. There are some hidden ones that are rugged enough for outdoor use, too, but they’re a bit more expensive. Or, you could go the simple route and get bigger, obvious cameras that you won’t even try to hide. Yes, a burglar will be able to spot them pretty easily, but in that case, you have the addition of said camera working as a deterrent.
Whichever one you choose, you should definitely have security cameras as part of your safety system. Not only do you have evidence if something does happen in your home, and a clear indication of who is to blame, but you also have a pretty strong deterrent.
Smart Home Devices
The other thing that you’ll find is being used pretty often when discussing security systems, are smart home devices. Up until a few years ago, there weren’t too many of them, but that all has changed now and you have a vast variety of options out there for you to choose from. What are some notable examples?
Motion sensors are the first thing that springs to mind. A motion sensor is a small unit that you put inside, or outside your home, and whenever someone (or something) passes in front of it, it triggers an action. The most common uses are lights and security cameras. For example, on the outside of your home, you can have a motion sensor on the porch stairs. You can also have a security camera pointing towards said stairs. If someone passes and triggers the sensor, the camera will instantly start recording. Connect to this a smart doorbell, and you’ll instantly get a notification on your phone that someone is about to knock on your door.
The other thing that’s pretty popular with smart home devices is smart locks. They’re often used for your entrance door or your garage door, and they give you the ability to lock or unlock the door with your smartphone, or a fingerprint, or a pin. What they also do is give you a complete overview of who entered your home, when, and how. This goes a long way towards security. Such locks also often allow you to have a separate entry PIN for each family member, so you know exactly when your kids came back from school, for example. Oh, and if you forgot to lock the garage door but you already left home, such a lock will send you a notification, reminding you that you should lock a door that could potentially let someone inside your home.
Last but not least, we have home automation devices. Home automation is something that’s rapidly picking up steam. We’re talking about a combination of the motion sensor, smart lights, smart home appliances, etc. You could basically have your coffee maker start brewing you coffee as soon as you leave the office and head home. You could leave your lunch in your oven and have it turn on and start warming it up when you’re almost home. The possibilities are endless.
Security Systems Have Two Main Functions
A security system needs to do two things, and it must do them well. The first thing is to prevent something from happening in your home, whereas the second one is to provide critical evidence in case something does happen.
When a burglar is casing your home, they often check for indications of a security system. They look for cameras, they look for alarm panels, and they look for other indications that your home is secure. In case they do notice that your home is secured, they’ll very likely back off instead of risking being caught. This means that the security system did its job of protecting your home, and any family members that might be inside it.
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The other thing is if a burglar doesn’t see the security system, or they think they can outsmart it, the security system will give you evidence that could prove to be critical when you’re trying to go after the person responsible. Whether it’s surveillance camera footage, or something else, a security system exponentially increases the chances of you catching the person responsible.
All things considered; best home security systems can both protect your home and your family members who might be inside. Hence, it becomes crucial for all homeowners to get one by all means.