4 Types of Home Security Systems

4 Types of Home Security Systems

Home is where you put everything worth to you, from your precious little photo album that may not be much for someone else to your new, shiny smart TV.

For this kind of place, you will want an assurance that there is nothing bad happening to it. You will want to make sure that your home is safe and secure.

You don’t have to worry too much about it nowadays. With the help of technology, different types of home security systems have been invented.

They range from the most basic tools like security bar for door to the most modern equipment like motion detector.

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Photo: Flickr

Best Home Security Systems

Here, we will show you different types of home security systems that you can consider as options. Every type has its own benefits and disadvantages.

All you have to do is to match them with the kind of security that you want.

So, what are these different types of home security systems?

1. Security Bars

This is the most basic tool among the different types of home security systems. From centuries ago, people have been using a block of wood or a metal stick to bar their door.

By barring their door, even when someone from outside try to pick the lock or break the door using violence, the door will be more resistive from intrusion. The bar is usually put horizontally across the door, where it is secured by two handles on each side.

Nowadays, security bar is still as useful as ever, although it has developed from its older, simpler version. Security bar right now is usually made from steel to offer more strength and durability.

Also, it is usually extendable, so every person can adjust the length of the bar according to the height of their door handle. The modern security bar isn’t placed horizontally across the door, but diagonally from the door handle to the floor.

The features in modern security bar are usually including extendable bar to ensure every customer can use it for any type of their door. Grip-lock system on the upper side of the bar to ensure it is connected to the door handle tightly, and also anti-slip below the lower side of the bar where it makes a contact with the floor so the bar will be stronger and stands more stable.

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Photo: Wikimedia

There are various companies who specialize in making security bar. Just to name a few, there are Master Lock, Cocoweb, Improvement, and Brinks. If you are looking for one yourself, then one of the best-seller security bar in Amazon is Master Lock 265DCCSEN Dual-Function Security Bar.

Its strength lies in the extremely strong and sturdy steel as its material and it also offers additional feature that can improve the strength of the bar during breaking in attempt. The padded foot and the rolling ball joint are its features.

The padded foot make the Master Lock 265DCCSEN Dual-Function Security Bar more stable as it prevents the bar from slipping on the slippery floor while the rolling ball joint ensure that the bar can lean to the door in the best spot possible.

The Pros of Security Bars

-Security bar is one of the cheapest among the all different types of home security. Typically, a security bar costs from as low as $20. Compared to the monitoring camera which easily cost around at least $100 with medium quality; then security bar is very much affordable.
-Security bar is simple to install. For elderly people who may have difficulty using more advance technology, security bar is not a problem. It doesn’t require a lot of setting or the use of software. All you need to do is to adjust the length and put it on the door handle.

The Cons of Security Bars

-Among all the different types of home security systems, this tool offers the lowest safety. It’s not to say that security bar isn’t safe, but if the intruder has a very strong physique or brings another equipment to help them break in (for example, a heavy iron ball to smash your door), then security door can’t really stop them from entering.
-You can only use this when you are at home. The security bar should be set up from inside the room so other people from outside can’t push their way inside. However, if you leave your home, then it means you can’t put this security bar on your door.

2. Alarm Systems

This is the second tool out of all the different types of home security systems. After security bar, alarm system is the second security system invented.

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The alarm works like this: if there is an attempt from outside to force the door or window open, then an alarm will turn on and notify you (or your neighbor) that there is someone on your door.

The modern alarm systems provided by security companies are usually connected straight to them and when the alarm blows off, they are ready to call the police immediately and asks their help to check the situation and make arrest (if necessary). However, this type of alarm can be quite expensive.

For cheaper, but still effective option, you can buy your own alarm system without needing to install it and subscribe to the service from a company.

The alarm will usually run on battery and you will put it under your door. When someone tries to open the door from the outside, he or she will press the alarm and it will ring, alerting you that someone is opening the door.

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Photo: Wikimedia

The features provided in this kind of portable door alarm are usually not complicated. All the features it needs are actually on the alarm itself, with loud volume that can be easily heard by you or your neighbor.

There are many companies providing door alarm systems to prevent unwanted intruder, some of the most famous ones are Sabre, General Electric, Vigilant, and Blink.

If you are looking to buy one for yourself, then Sabre Wedge Door Stop Security Alarm gets the best review in Amazon during the time this article was written.

According to the reviews from users, Sabre Wedge Door Stop Security Alarm is one of the best door alarms in the market. It strength lies in the extremely loud alarm that can be heard up to 300 meters radius. It also adds extra security with non-skid pad in its bottom, so the door can’t be opened when the alarm is ringing.

The Pros of Alarm Systems

-Portable door alarm is cheap. It is even cheaper than security bar. The cheapest portable alarm door can cost you only $10.
-Portable door alarm is simple to install. For elderly people who may have difficulty using more advance technology, then security bar is not a problem. It doesn’t require a lot of setting or the need to use software. All you need to do is to put it either on the door handle or on the gap between the door and the floor.
-It is portable, so you can even bring it during vacation to ensure nobody can enter your villa.
-You can leave your house empty while going to a vacation somewhere. With door alarm, your neighbor can notice that something bad is happening to your house and you can ask her or him to call the police.

The Cons of Alarm Systems

-Like security bar, this tool can prevent any intruder from going inside your home. However, it doesn’t actively stop the intruder from entering. In fact, even after the alarm rings, the intruder can still come inside your house if he or she isn’t afraid of the incoming police.

3. Biometric Sensors

If there are alarm systems to prevent any intruder from passing through the door, nowadays there are even better technology that can alert you from any intruder who is passing through your yard and driveway.

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The technology is simple. You can put the sensor detector anywhere you like; outdoor etc. Maybe you want to put it on the house terrace? Maybe you want to put it on the driveway? You can put it anywhere, as long as it is close enough with the object that you want to keep safe.

Once you’ve placed the sensor detector, it will receive or detect various biometric information from the surrounding environment. From the weather of the day, to the change in temperature, when it detects significant changes that indicate a human is entering the area, it will either ring an alarm or send you alert via a mobile device.

This is one of the newest technologies among all the different types of home security systems, especially because it uses PIR (Passive Infra Red) to detect various biometric signals. This type of security systems is interesting because PIR technology is still rare.

Aside from the advanced technology, a sensor detector will usually feature several pieces: a sensor detector itself, which you should put around the area you want to protect, and also a small mobile device where you can get an alert from the detector.

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Photo: Wikimedia

Despite its use of new technology, there are already several companies that release sensor detector products in the market. Some of them are 1byone, Fortress, Aeon, and Guardline.

If you are looking to try this type of home security system yourself, one of the best-seller sensor detector in Amazon is 1byone Wireless Home Security Driveway Alarm.

According to the review there, 1byone Wireless Home Security Driveway Alarm is one of the strongest outdoor sensors for home security systems in the market.

Its strength lies in the extremely sensitive sensor that already uses the PIR technology and can catch biometric signals such as light or movement. Another charm of this product is that it offers variance in volume and ringtone can help the user to categorize which alarm sets off which ringtone.

The Pros of Biometric Sensors

-Despite its advanced technology among all the different types of home security systems, the price for sensor detectors is quite affordable, even cheap. You can get one of these from price as low as $20.
-It is really helpful for protecting an area without a wall or fence, like your open front yard or your driveway.
-You can leave your house empty while going to a vacation somewhere. When the sensor detector is on, your neighbor can notice that something bad is happening to your house and you can ask her or him to call the police.

The Cons of Biometric Sensors

-Like door alarm, this device doesn’t actively stop the intruder from entering. In fact, even after the alarm rings, the intruder can still rummage through your yard.
-While the installation is quite easy for most of us; for elderly people who are not familiar with mobile device and software, the setting up process can be a challenge.
-The sensors can be extra sensitive and send out false alarm only from a passing stray cat or falling leaves.

4. Monitoring Camera

This is the ultimate device among all the different types of home security systems. With this technology, even when you are away from home, you can still get a real time visual of your house.

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It almost feels like you’re not leaving home. Using monitoring camera, when you notice that there is something wrong with your house, you can immediately call for help or instruct people about what they should do.

How the monitoring camera works? It is a simple system.

First, you can start by placing your cameras in strategic places in your house. You can put several cameras in different rooms.

Second, this camera will record everything that happens and saves the file in a pre-decided storage. Some products gives you free cloud storage to store all the recording, while some other products requires you to prepare your own storage, like a memory card.

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Image: Pixabay

Third, when you want to look at the feed in real time, all you need to do is access the application from your phone that is connected to those cameras, and using Wi-Fi they will send the feed to your phone.

When you purchase a set of monitoring cameras for your home security system, it usually will include features such as these: a monitoring camera, a temporary storage to save the recording, and application that you can download to your phone.

There are many companies that provide monitoring camera to the market. Some of the most famous ones are Blink, YI, Nest, and D-Link. In Amazon, one of the best-seller products in this category is Blink Home Security Camera System.

According to customers, Blinks Home Security Camera System is one of the best home security camera systems in the market. Its strength lies in the motion detector and the wire-free design. If you want to feel secure leaving your house for a long time, this device is enough to give you reassurance of what is happening in your house through its alert and real time feed.

The Pros of Monitoring Camera

-You can get the real life visual of your home even when you are away from it.
-You can get the recording from the camera for the time you are away from it.
-You can leave your home feeling secure because now you can watch it 24/7.

The Cons of Monitoring Camera

-This device doesn’t actively stop the intruder from entering your house. But, it will send a message when it notices someone entering from their sensors, so you will still need to call other people to help taking care of the intruder.
-It is understandably more expensive than the other different types of home security systems, but not by much. You can gets a camera starting from the price as low as $40.
-The installation is actually easy, but maybe for non-technical or elderly people, it can be quite confusing.

Does any one of these home security systems interests you?

More than your interest; choose the type that you need the most. If you are going for a long vacation and you want to keep your house secure, then maybe security bar is not the option for your house (although it is an option for the security of your hotel room). If you stay at home most of the time, then maybe monitoring camera is not really necessary.

May your house always be safe and secure!

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One thought on “4 Types of Home Security Systems

  1. Thank you for talking about the different kinds of home security systems that are available on the market. The idea of having multiple home security options available to me is really interesting since I could use them in different ways to be able to achieve full security at home. I’ll consult a home security expert to see which appliances work best for certain parts of our house.

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