Best Home Security System

Best Home Security System Guide


Visonic Wireless Security System Bundle

Published October 2nd, 2008 in Best Home Security System Reviews | No Comments »

This certainly isn’t the top security system on the market.  As in, it’s not top of the line, but at the same time, it doesn’t sport a top of the line price either.  So three’s trade offs that we can look for when trying to purchase a cheap home security system that still does what it needs to.

There are things about this system that I don’t like, though.  First, the door sensors and window sensors are fairly bulky.  That’s usually a turnoff for homeowners that want to keep things discrete and not make their home security system the center of attention.  Of course, I’ll always complain about the number of door and window sensors that come withe these packages, but that’s not so much a flaw as it is a cost issue.  They could include more sensors, but that would jack the price up proportionately.  This can always be remedied by going out and buying them yourself.  Home security system components are very modular.

The motion sensor that this unit comes with is an infrared sensor with some pretty advanced features for the price.  It has several layers of false alarm algorithms that removes all but the most likely false positive readings.  The company claims that it can distinguish between people and animals up to 85lbs, so if you have a pet that’s bigger than this you’ll want to think twice before buying this system.  The motion sensor will be effectively worthless unless you crate your dog while you’re away.  The range is 40 feet at 90 degrees, which is pretty standard.

The magnetic sensors that it comes with, despite their large size, have some features that make them worthwhile.  They are both wired and wireless.  That is, you can use them either way, so if you happen to already have wires run to the sensor area you can attach them easily in that manner.  To give you some peace of mind, they report to the base station every hour with their status, telling it things such as battery viability and some basic built in circuit tests.  This is the method by which you’ll know if something is wrong with it or everything is functioning fine.  And, of course, you can get more and add them to your system for around $30.00 each.

The bottom line is that this is a decent system with some nice features that will be a perfect fit for some, but completely inadequate for others.  It’s all dependant on your situation and the size of your property.  If you believe this system fits your needs, there is no reason why you shouldn’t buy it.

The Best Home Security System

Published September 20th, 2008 in Security System Selection | No Comments »

Let me start by setting expectations for this post, and by extension the website as a whole.  If you’re looking for a single answer, including make and model, of the single best security system, you’re not going to find it here.  I could tell you which system I have and send people flocking out to the stores to buy it, but that would be not only inaccurate, but also a little irresponsible.

So what will you find here?  That’s simple.  You’re going to find objective information on a variety of different home security systems, including their strengths and weaknesses, best and worst applications, and any other information that you need to make an informed decision on what system will best meet your needs.

You see, home security systems are as different as the houses that they’re installed in.  And every family has different needs and goals for their systems, so there is no cookie-cutter answer.  The best way to approach the issue is to have a framework with which you can organize information.  That information will include both your own personal security goals and the specifications of different systems that are on the market today.  Once those two information matrices are blended together, you can pretty quickly see what systems you need to spend the bulk of your time researching.

As a teaser to both get you headed in the right direction and introduce the next article, start out your evaluation by asking yourself what you what to protect.  Is it people?  Is it possessions?  Both?  Do you want to keep people out of your house, off your property, out of certain areas of your house, or something different?  Once you have the answers to those questions, we can start working.