Should You Put in a Home Security System?

There is nothing more important than feeling secure! This could be in the form of financial security, physical security, or both. You should never have to give one up for the other. The reason I’m even bringing up this topic is because the post from a friend of mine on his experience with ADT home security is my highest traffic post each and every day! In fact, I would venture to say that 75% of all the visits this site has ever received are through that post alone. It’s made me realize how important ‘feeling safe’ is to just about everyone. It’s also a topic that I’ve found myself dealing with quite a bit over this year, so I thought I might lend my expertise on the situation.

The last two houses I’ve owned, actually the only two houses, both had security systems in them that were being used by the previous owners. The cheap…errr, cost conscious part of me decided that a home security system just wasn’t worth setup fees and continuous monthly costs. After all, we live in a safe neighborhood, within a very safe city, so why bother? Well shortly after we moved in to our new house a couple of the other homes in our neighborhood were broken into. Fortunately for us our home was spared, but this was the closest to home something like that had ever happened. Hell, I can’t even go 5 mph over the speed limit in our subdivision without fear that a police officer will be waiting around the corner. We have a neighborhood watch program, a police cruiser in our sub at all times, and vigilant neighbors who watch out for each other…but none of that mattered! At some point everyone let’s their guard down, it’s inevitable, and that’s when the unscrupulous people come out of the shadows.

I travel for work, less often now, but it still happens on occasion. Selfishly I was leaving my wife home alone without a security system. In all honesty I feel guilty that I allowed my cheapness to prevail over her safety. I don’t care who takes our belongings, those can be replaced, but if I’m not home I want to know that she is protected at all times. While I never had to learn the lesson firsthand, I was fortunate enough to get a warning when the other nearby homes were broken into. The first thing I did was go online and search out home security reviews, their monthly costs, and the options available to me. Let me tell you, just like everything else in the world there are no shortage of options available. Fortunately for me, I remembered my friends post on here and was quick to avoid ADT for many of the reasons he listed, and some others I discovered online as well. Since I’m no fan of handguns, nor do I want my wife having one when she is home alone, I decided to find other viable options.

I’m not going to say that the fear of a robbery totally cured my entire cheapness, at first anyways! The first home in our neighborhood that was broken into got me to thinking that I needed something other than good luck and a safe city as protection. After quite a bit of research I found the perfect option, Armor Concepts. Here’s a fun fact for you, 85% of home invasions are initiated through an entry door. People that want to break-in to your house don’t want to get caught, which means they probably aren’t throwing potted plants through windows, they are stealthily breaking in through your front door. Armor Concepts has innovative products that protect the weak points of your door…meaning, it’s going to be next to impossible for someone to break them down. If 85% of break-ins are happening via the front and back door, then it’s a no brainer that taking away that option is going to exponentially increase my wife and I’s safety! Not to mention there is no recurring monthly cost for this, it’s cheaper than the setup fees for any total home security system, and it’s a one-time payment. I told you I was cheap, remember? Anyways, I strongly encourage you to check them out, I have included a link below that provides a 10% discount to boot! Save 10% on all orders at ArmorConcepts.com with coupon code ARMOR10OFF. Shop now!

As I said before, the first robbery in our subdivision didn’t really cure my cheapness, but the second one got me thinking. Yep, we had two break-ins within a month or so, and even if I was on the fence about a home security system my wife wasn’t. She immediately had me searching for any home security options offered in our area. There were actually a ton of options, more than I ever realized, even our cable provider offered a home security system! Since I’m still bitter that they can’t even get our cable/internet to work properly I decided against them from the get go. What I did find was a ton of glowing reviews on Vivint. The fact that they are the largest privately held security company in the nation doesn’t hurt either. If I was going to foot the bill for a whole home system then I wanted it done right, so the bigger and more experienced the company the better. Vivint offers a home automation package to boot. It’s pretty crazy, you can lock doors, turn on lights, and set the thermostat remotely while you are away. The cheapness in me only allowed my checkbook to go as far as a home security system, but I do have a friend who went with the works and he loves it.

Another company that interested me was Lorex Technology. They offered a wide array of products, and had a ton of positive reviews online! I always look for that first as I am tired of being burned by crappy companies with crappy products. Lorex has everything from security cameras to baby monitors. You can buy a total home security package and set up everything yourself for a fraction of the cost of most other security companies. For the DIY’ers out there it’s definitely the best bang for your buck, but my limited handyman skills prevented me from using them. Still, you can’t beat their prices and reviews online. If you’re interested I would suggest checking them out here Official LOREX® Website .

Honestly, there are a ton of options out there, but using two of the three products above has helped my wife and I sleep better at night. As far as home security systems it’s as cost effective as it’s going to get, and you get good customer service with it. For those of you out there who have been on the fence about putting in a system, I would stop thinking about it. Don’t be cheap like I was, however small the chance of a home invasion it’s not worth the risk.