Preventing burglary is often the first thing that comes to mind when considering a home security system. And that makes sense: Home security systems are often one of the first lines of defense against theft and property damage.
In the United States, a burglary takes place about every 15 seconds, and property crimes account for $14.3 billion in losses every year. Burglars are often quick and devastating. They’re typically able to be in and out of your home in less than 10 minutes and on their way with an average of $2,251 in valuables. That doesn’t include the damage to your property (which can be extensive) or to your peace of mind.
Luckily, burglars seek out easy marks, and an up-to-date security system is one of the biggest steps you can take to encourage them to look elsewhere. Evidence shows that it works, too: A report by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology reveals that 60% of burglars are more likely to avoid a home when it has a home security system.
However, today’s security systems can actually do a whole lot more than discourage burglars. Their evolution has kept pace with innovations in wireless technology, smart homes and apps, making them whole-home systems that can empower you to manage many aspects of your home from a simple smartphone app.
From bells and hammers to wireless multitaskers
At one time, home security referred to door locks, barking dogs, armed guards, or even—if you were lucky enough to live in a castle—a drawbridge or moat. However, as technology progressed, a need arose for a reliable, automatic system that could be installed in any home.
The first electromagnetic alarm was created in 1853 by Boston inventor Augustus Russell Pope, and it was truly ingenious for its time. A circuit connected all the doors and windows in the house to a magnet; if a window or door was opened, the circuit would close and the magnet would vibrate, causing a bell to be struck by a hammer. Importantly, the bell would not stop ringing even if the circuit was opened again, hopefully allowing time for neighbors to respond to the break-in.
Later elaborations on this early design added the ability to send a signal via telegraph wires and then, ultimately, to send signals by way of the telephone system. Still, home security systems were meant to do just one thing: Prevent burglaries and home invasions, usually relying completely on telephone wires that could easily be cut or go out of service.
Today, smart home innovation and smartphone apps have revolutionized home security. Modern systems almost always have wireless capabilities to avoid the fallibility of physical telephone wires. New systems (as well as many updated older systems) can also keep an eye on every aspect of your home, allowing you to control heating and door locks as well as view live video from wherever you may be. You can even actively monitor for the presence of carbon monoxide, smoke and heat.
Here are some of the surprising perks to protecting your home with a home security system.
Home security systems can lower your homeowners insurance
Yes, security systems have a monthly fee, but many people don’t realize that the fee can be partially offset by lower home insurance. With a security system, you may be able to lower your monthly insurance bill by as much as 20%.
In general, you will need central monitoring of your system to snag the discount, and you may need to present evidence that you have a security system to your insurance company. More advanced home security systems with monitored smoke and fire alarms, heat detectors or security cameras can save you more than simpler systems. Ask your home insurance provider what types of security options could lower your bill.
Home security isn’t just about break-ins
Many people think of a home security system as a deterrent to theft, and that is certainly true. However, modern systems can have additional and highly valuable functions, including monitoring your home for other types of hazards such as smoke and carbon monoxide.
Without a security system that monitors for these hazards, most families rely on an audible smoke or CO alarm, but these are only useful if you’re actually in your home at the time.
Bundling these functions with your alarm system means extra protection not only for your home itself but for disabled or elderly family members who may need help leaving the building. Home security systems with these functions add an extra layer of peace of mind.
Sadly, pets are often overlooked when thinking about carbon monoxide monitoring in the home, but animals are just as vulnerable to the effects of this potent, odorless gas. A monitoring system can alert you remotely of the hazard, giving you or a neighbor time to respond.
Other remote monitoring features include heat detection, an alternative fire sensing method which can be a great choice in spaces such as attics, garages, and kitchens, where smoke or particulates could can annoying false alarms in a traditional smoke detector.
A smart home and home security system in one
Today, home security systems can offer automation of your home as well. Thermostats can be controlled remotely, allowing you to lower your heating bill while ensuring that you come home to just the right temperature. Pairing your home security system with home automation of your lights allows you to rotate which lights are on when you are away, adding an extra break-in deterrent that is highly recommended by crime-prevention experts.
Door lock controls, too, are becoming more popular. These controls allow you to lock and unlock your door through your smartphone, enabling you to let in visitors or kids while you’re at work. This feature pairs perfectly with outdoor camera feeds accessed through your home security smartphone app.
You can even use your app to let trusted individuals such as dog walkers or cleaners into your home while you are away. This convenience eliminates the need to use keys which can easily be misplaced or create security issues. (That’s right: That fake rock with your house key underneath it is no longer the height of technology!)
Cellular backup boosts reliability
Older home security systems relied on landlines to send a signal to the alarm monitoring company. However, this left homeowners exposed to danger if the lines were out of service or cut by the burglars.
That vulnerability is becoming a thing of the past with cellular backup. Cellular backup uses cellular signals to communicate directly or indirectly (such as through the cellphone provider) with the company monitoring your alarm. The system can send a signal wirelessly even if the landline stops working. It’s also a perfect option for the increasing number of homes that have no landline installed.
Even better, alarms that work through cellular signals provide a strong deterrent to would-be thieves. There are no phone lines that can be cut to disable the alarm, and interviews with real convicts have revealed that they are much more likely to pass over a home with an alarm system that can be activated wirelessly.
Convicted thief Michael Shayne Durden, who was interviewed in 2015 about his 20-year career burglarizing homes in Texas, said, “It’s easy for an individual to walk to the outside of a person’s home and pull the wires out from the box that goes to the alarm system, that’s wired into the telephone system, cut those wires… but with a cellular system, it’s hard to get the things that you need to defeat the system. Just the threat of just having someone having wireless will make me step away from the home.”
Keep an eye on the home front
Many security systems can be set up to connect with an app on your smartphone to provide you with video of your home wherever you are. Multiple cameras can be added, including indoor, outdoor, and doorbell cameras. These features give you an unprecedented level of security.
Interestingly, many thieves interviewed have reported that, in their effort to avoid encountering residents, they will knock on the door to see if anyone is home. A camera at the door is a great deterrent to this type of casing activity by would-be burglars.
In the rare event that a burglar should get inside your home, real-time footage from an indoor camera can be used to identify and arrest thieves; in some cases it has even allowed police to apprehend the criminals while they are still inside the home.
While its most obvious use is to deter and identify would-be burglars, security camera video footage can also help you in more everyday situations by showing you who is at the door and even providing a window into what your teenagers are up to (or who they’ve brought home with them when you’re not at the house.) Watch for deliveries, mail, or indoor/outdoor pets at the door, right from your smartphone.
Protect your family from violent crime
While burglaries are more common when nobody is home, burglars can and do invade occupied homes as well. This is often among homeowners’ worst fears. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that during 28% of burglaries, a resident is already in the home. Unfortunately, some of these invasions will involve a violent crime against a household member.
Having a home security system and arming it even when you are home (and teaching other family members to do the same) will help prevent the worst case scenario of someone being harmed during a burglary.
The impact of a burglary isn’t just financial
While the most obvious result of a successful burglary is the loss of valuables and damage to your home, burglaries affect residents of a home in myriad ways.
Psychologically, burglaries are violating and may lead to trauma, anxiety and sleeplessness. A 2015 survey by MoneySuperMarket reported that 43% of burglary victims feel “violated” and 44% live with fear that it will happen again. Researchers who conducted the survey found that victims took an average of about two months to emotionally recover from the crime.
Beyond the emotional effects, items that were lost or damaged could include precious heirlooms, sentimental treasures and data such as photos and files on hard drives. In recent years, recovering from a burglary can also involve protecting yourself from identity theft stemming from the burglar’s access to your documents. And after the burglary, your insurance premiums will probably rise—potentially permanently.
Police report that it is not unusual for burglars to create additional wanton destruction while they are in the home, resulting in some serious property damage. Even after receiving an insurance payout for the value of jewelry, electronics and home damage, there remains the painstaking task of replacing items, cleaning, and mourning the loss of irreplaceable treasures.
The best way to recover from a burglary, then, is to never experience one to begin with. Home security systems offer a big piece of the puzzle, providing a powerful deterrent when they are kept current and monitored. When paired with newer home automation and monitoring features like smoke and carbon monoxide detection, cameras, thermostat control and automated door locks, they become not only a partner in security but a way to enjoy your home even more.
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