We all know that it's important to protect
the things that matter,
whether it's people, whether it's pets,
whether it's your home and property.
But there are a lot of home security options out there,
and so how do we know which home security system
is the right choice for us?
And I'm here to help you figure it out.
By the end of this video,
you'll know how to identify your security needs
so that you can find the security system
that makes sense for your priorities,
your lifestyle, and I think most importantly, your budget.
(light music)
I'm Rebecca, the Lead Safety Reporter
and in-house Security Expert for SafeWise.
I have been working with security systems
for six-plus years.
There are three main things that I think
lay the foundation for everything.
It's what do you wanna protect?
Where do you wanna protect it?
And finally, what kind of budget do you have?
First thing you do is figure out the main thing
that you wanna keep safe.
Is it people?
That can be people entering your home
or people while they're inside the home.
Are there pets that you wanna keep safe?
Is it your property?
It could be a combination of these things.
But identifying your top priority
with what you want to keep safe will help you know
the types of security tools and devices
that are gonna work best for your needs.
Outside your home, your main goals are preventing
someone from getting in, stealing your stuff,
and causing damage.
The security tools that are important include
motion sensor lights that will come on
when someone's entering.
And this could be to keep a bad person away,
but it could also be to make sure when you're stumbling home
after dark with a handful of groceries,
you're not gonna trip on the steps.
Secondly, security cameras are important,
especially if you're not always home
to see what's happening.
Entry sensors are another important thing
that are often overlooked outside the home.
They can let you know if a gate's been opened,
if the door to the shed has been opened,
if you have a pool and you wanna make sure the kiddos
don't get in there unsupervised.
An entry sensor's gonna alert you and let you know
what's going on, just the same way it lets you know
someone's trying to get into your house,
and that adds so much safety to your home.
Finally, I think you want something
that brings all of these tools together
into one mobile app that is going to alert you instantly
when stuff is going on.
No matter where you're at, you're gonna be able
to know what's happening and take the appropriate actions
to keep what matters to you safe.
Next, we're gonna talk about inside your home.
Again, I think that a security system
that uses motion detection
is going to be right up your alley.
And motion detection is a very basic element
that's gonna come in almost any security system
that you're looking for.
One thing that I do recommend,
if you have pets, look for pet-friendly motion sensors.
I know when I'm not home, the cats and dog
are everywhere all over the place.
I would be getting nonstop alert.
So there are security systems
that offer pet-friendly sensors,
and they're not gonna detect things under like
the 45-pound rate.
So unless you got, if you got a giant dog,
it might get more tricky.
But most smaller pets are gonna be able
to fly under the radar of those motion sensors,
so that's an important thing that will help
not drive you crazy and wanna turn off your security.
Also, include security cameras.
Again, cameras outside and camera inside
I think are your number one best security tool.
And inside, what is really helpful is to have a camera
with two-way talk and live video streaming.
Because you can also use it as a way to stay in touch
with like your kids.
If they come home after school and you're still
in the office, you can make sure
they're doing their homework, see how their day went.
They're security, but you're also just upping
your overall quality of life at that point.
So all of those elements, motion detectors,
cameras, your app, your entry sensors, a siren,
are covering the very basics that you can get
from a home security system.
However, there's a lot more that you can do
with a home security system these days.
There are a lot of extras.
You can have sensors and monitors that connect
or listen for your smoke detector,
carbon monoxide detector,
and can send you an instant alert if something
like that is detected.
You can also add sensors that look for things
like water leaks, changes in temperature
that could be warning you that the pipes might freeze.
You can also add other tools like smart locks,
smart lighting, you can hook it up
with your smart thermostat.
And my very, very favorite thing to do
is to hook it all in to my voice assistant.
So I don't even have to hit the button
or raise a finger.
I can just say, "Hey, Alexa, arm the door."
And whether you go with Amazon Alexa
or Google Assistant or some other voice assistant,
I think a security system that works with voice control
is super convenient and very fun.
And now we're gonna talk about self and pro monitoring
before we talk about your budget.
Whether you are more interested in protecting the inside
or the outside of your home or a little bit of both,
is whether you wanna take on the job of monitoring
that security system or you wanna farm that out to the pros,
which I think is an awesome idea.
A professionally-monitored system is going
to give you the opportunity to have a professionally-trained
monitoring center directly contact the help that you need.
If you are monitoring your system yourself
using the app, then you are the person that you need
to rely on to take all the steps that are needed
to get help on its way.
And so it really comes down to whether
you want that responsibility or you want
a little bit of extra help doing it.
Now this is the moment we've all been waiting for,
how much is all of this stuff going to cost me?
I do not think that anybody should sacrifice
financial security for home security.
I really, really want to emphasize
that you need to know your budget,
what you want to spend upfront,
and what you're willing to spend every month,
before you start talking to a home security company.
Because they are smart and they are persuasive, (laughing)
and they want you to be as protected as possible
and it is really easy to get caught up
and end up with much more of a home security system
than you really, really need.
Another thing to think about is,
how do you feel about contracts?
If you're willing to make a long-term commitment,
you're usually going to end up paying a lot less upfront.
Because they're going to lease out the cost
of your equipment over the length of your contract.
If you want no contract, you want to have home security
professional monitoring for as long
or as little as you like,
then you're going to be buying
all of your equipment upfront.
So identify those things before you really dig in
and start going down the purchasing path.
Once you're ready
to start putting your home security system together,
here are a few things that we think
that you need to watch out for.
First of all, watch out for upselling.
A lot of our favorite home security companies offer you
a free in-home security assessment,
which is great.
But they are going to want to put you
in a maximum security home.
So keep in mind your budget and don't stray from that.
(laughing)
Another thing to look out for,
especially if you end up in a security system
that comes with a contract, make sure that you really
are into that commitment.
Because termination fees are very steep.
They tend to range anywhere from about 70%
of the full remainder of your contract to 100%
of the remainder of your contract.
So a lot of people never cancel their home security contract
because they're going to pay for it either way.
It's not always clear until you are digging
into the fine print later.
Another thing, many home security companies,
especially the ones that will give you zero down
or $99 down with that contract,
are gonna be running a credit check
and get clarity on that so that you're very clear
on whether the credit's gonna get run or not.
Now that you know what to look for,
you can find solutions for every scenario
and every budget on safewise.com.
We have done thousands of hours of research,
hands-on testing, to put together tips,
advice, and product reviews that will help you buy smart
and live safe.
So go to safewise.com
and find our home security recommendations
for renters, for homeowners, for DIY addicts,
for college students, for pet lovers, and more.