DIY defense: Self-installed home security systems offer lower prices and more customization
By Casey Phillips, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Tenn. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
In the last two years, all-in-one solutions from companies such as Oplink Connected, SimpliSafe, SmartThings and Wink have hit shelves, turning affordable home security into more of a do-it-yourself affair with kits starting as low as
These systems are designed to be easy to set up and can be controlled remotely via a smartphone app. And because they are monitored by owners instead of an outside company, they sidestep the monthly fees charged by contracted security services such as ADT or Xfinity Home,
Last year,
"We have dogs and [my dad] has got a gun, but that really doesn't help if you don't have anything that can show you what actually happened and get pictures of faces," he explains. "I really like having the video system a lot better. I feel like it's better because you can see what's happening rather than just hearing what's going on."
TAKING SECURITY TO THE BANK
According to a 2013 study by global electronics industry analyst IMS Research, the residential market for home security systems in 2012 was worth
Analysts suggest much of the future expansion in DIY home security will be tied up in its ability to seamlessly integrate the features of security systems into existing "smart" home networks alongside devices such as Bluetooth-controllable light fixtures and automated locks.
It's all leading to a shake up in residential construction.
"It used to be that you would have to wire a house for a security system, but that's something that's trending out," said
To some extent, the home automation and home security markets already are starting to intertwine. In 2011,
Not all DIY systems are "smart" enough to store their video footage off-site, however, and that's where
Since opening his doors in October, King says he's installed dozens of systems around the region and that there's a "definite upswing" in interest in self-installed systems, a trend he attributes to lowering prices and ease of use. And, with the advent of cameras that record in 960H, a new high-resolution standard, video cameras in some high-end kits are more effective that ever, he says.
"That's the new hot thing right now," King says. "The quality of the picture it's recording has significantly increased. Every now and then, you'll see someone on the news with videos that look like they were shot by a camera from the '80s, and it's still possible, if you buy a cheap system, to get bad quality like that."
Even more than a high-quality picture, however, King says customers want to make sure their security system is as smart as their other devices.
"The biggest thing is that everyone wants to be able to view it from a smartphone," King says.
SMARTER SECURITY
Because of the increasing automation of the home security market, however, the ability to remotely monitor video cameras barely scratches the surface of what DIY systems are capable of.
Most self-installed kits are built around a central hub or base station, which serves as a kind of nerve center for the home, coordinating the functions of components such as sensors that detect when doors are opened or triggers alarms when a window is broken.
Users with systems made by
With the recent formation of competing home security manufacturers, there are now about a dozen competing protocols -- think Macs versus PCs -- in the marketplace. Some standards are more specific --
The compatibility list for SmartThings'
The Wink hub, an
Thanks to the increasing automation of DIY security systems, once a homeowner establishes their defensive parameter, King says, they can all but forget about it.
"DIY systems are designed to be self-supporting, so you don't have to do very much once they're installed," he says. "There's actually no upkeep required, except to occasionally check your cameras to make sure they're not covered by spiderwebs or things like that."
NO-CONTRACT? FEWER FEATURES
Most of DIY systems are contract-free, but some manufacturers require optional monthly service plans to access some features.
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-- SimpliSafe's kit functions as a local alarm, by default, but in order for the system to send text or email alerts, users must opt into a monthly subscription that's a minimum of
-- The Iris Home Management System, which has major backing from Lowe's, sells kits for as low as
INSURANCE DISCOUNT
According to a 2014 press release from the
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THE BENEFITS OF SECURITY
Home security systems, both monitored and self-installed, have long-established links to a reduction in the risk of break-ins.
According to a 1992 study conducted by
More recently in 2009, researchers at
For two years, researchers analyzed five years of crime statistics in
Just as otherwise-harmless insects scare off potential predators with their vivid coloring, burglars say even the hint that a home might be protected can be an effective deterrent.
Of 30 active burglars interviewed by the
The study even showed that alarm systems can have an area of effect beneficial to the entire community. According to the study, neighborhoods with a high-density of alarms saw fewer burglaries than those with fewer alarms.
"Street blocks or small sectors of [
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