What Is A Home Security System and How Does It Work?

A home security system is an ensemble of electronic components that work together to protect a house. You can read our SimpliSafe review or ADT review to get a glimpse of real systems. A home security system typically includes the following items:

Security camera: Wi-Fi is a great option for smart security cameras. We can livestream our system remotely from our Wi-Fi network and receive notifications whenever our cameras detect people, packages, or movement. Many cameras have infrared and color night vision, local or cloud storage, two-way audio, and allow us to talk to anyone on the camera. Many cameras can also integrate with smart platforms such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Motion sensor: A motion sensor should be installed in the main entrance or hallway of a house on the ground floor. They can detect movement and alert us when it is arming. Some motion sensors can be sensitive to pets and won't go off when your dog walks past.

Entry sensor: Also known by contact sensors, these sensors are made up of two pieces: one that attaches to the door or window and the other that attaches to the frame. These sensors use magnets in order to detect when an entrance is open or closed. The sensor will alert us if it thinks that an entry point has been opened. We recommend placing entry sensors on windows and doors on the ground floor. Most are battery-operated and have adhesive backings that make it easy to install.

Glass break sensor: Intruders may break windows open instead of opening them the traditional way to prevent entry sensors from being activated. A glass break sensor detects glass breaking sound and sends us a mobile notification.

Siren: Sirens are part of home security systems. They can be used alone or as part of the base station (which will be covered below). Sires are often activated at the same moment as other alarms. They are designed to alert neighbors and scare away intruders.

Keypad: Security systems require a code to arm or disarm. This code can be entered on a keypad mounted on the wall or on a flat surface.

Key fob: Just like we have keys for our cars, why not have them also for our security system? The key fob allows us to arm or disarm our security system without using a keypad. These are great for those times when we don't want to leave our bed and need to disarm or arm our security system.

Panic button: A panic button can be used to quickly alert emergency services if something goes wrong. This includes the police, hospital or fire department. Panic buttons, like key fobs and other key fobs are not meant to be installed in any particular location, but they should always be available in an emergency. We recommend everyone keeps at least one at their side.

Base station: The base stations sync all connected devices with our mobile app so that we can receive the notifications we mentioned earlier. It's like Grand Central Station. This is the channel through which trains pass (i.e. IoT security device).

Window stickers and yard sign: Security systems often give out yard stickers or window stickers to let people know that they have a security system. These signs are great to have because burglars often turn their heads if they see a security camera.

Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors: Every home should have one. This simple tool alerts us if our home's air quality becomes hazardous.

Security system components can vary widely from one system to the next. Some components may include sensors for certain companies, while others may include all of these components.

There are several types of home security systems.

DIY: DIY systems are self-contained and can be monitored by the user via a mobile app. Some DIY systems may also have professional monitoring so they are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Professional: This can refer to one of two things. It can refer to professional installation. This means that the equipment is installed by a professional. It can also refer to a system that has professional monitoring. This means that someone responds to calls from call centers. Some professionally monitored systems may also be installed DIY or self-monitored, so they aren't necessarily binary.

Wired: A wired system is one that is hardwired to an existing electrical system in a home.

Wireless security systems are wireless. They don't require wires. Instead, they rely on batteries, Wi-Fi, and/or cell backup to connect to the app or monitoring center. While wireless security systems are simpler than wired systems, you will need to change or recharge the battery.

Smart: Smart security systems can be connected to the internet. This allows the user to remotely view and control their system from anywhere.

Local only: Alarm systems that are local, and not connected to the internet, don't have remote control, monitoring, or notifications. Instead, an alarm will sound if it is close enough for you to hear. Local alarm systems can be monitored professionally via cellular backup or landline backup.

Other services are available for many physical systems, including 24/7 professional monitoring, cellular, landline or battery backup. These services keep the system running during power outages.

Most home security alarm systems are not connected to dispatch centers for emergency services. An alarm system's monitoring center receives an alert, which then determines if emergency services are required. The monitoring center will usually place a call to the number on file when they receive an alert. The center employee will ask for a safe word or password to verify that the call was answered. The monitoring center will contact the emergency services dispatch center to provide fire/police/medical aid if the call goes unanswered.

Particularly smart home security systems connect all components to a smartphone application, giving the user remote control. Smart home ecosystems are becoming more popular. They can now integrate with voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant so that users can control their system by speaking only. We set these systems to work only for our voices, so burglars cannot disarm our system.

Check out our list with the top home security systems in 2023 to see more examples.

The majority of home security systems have all components that connect to a central station. They then connect to a mobile app, which allows us to remotely monitor and control all components. Most systems connect to our phones via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or cellular. Some systems may have a backup battery or landline in case of power failures.

Our security system is automatically armed when we go out. We disarm the system when we return to our home by entering our password on a keyboard, voice command, pressing key fobs, or using our mobile app. Our system will not go off if we disarm it. Also, our camera will stop recording automatically when that happens. Our smoke and carbon monoxide sensors, on the other hand, remain on regardless of whether our security system has been disarmed. If our security system is armed, our sensors will turn on and our cameras will start recording.

A mobile app allows us to stream footage from our security camera live, receive notifications from the sensors, speak through 2-way audio and many other features. Smart home security allows us to see what's happening at home from wherever we are, rather than a local alarm system. Local alarms only sound a siren at the house. This is not very useful.

What happens if an armed person sets off our alarm system? Our sensors immediately communicate with our base station. This sends a message back to our mobile app. We receive an email notification or text message depending on what the system and app settings are. We can either livestream the event or use the two-way audio feature of our camera to talk to anyone in front of it. We call the police if we suspect that there is an intrusion.

We are busy and cannot always pay attention to security alerts. This is why many companies offer professional monitoring of their systems 24 hours a day. A professional monitoring team from the monitoring center will be notified if an alarm goes off. They call the emergency services after verifying that it is an emergency.

As we know that nobody can watch their home 24/7, we recommend professional monitoring. Self-monitoring, however, is an option if you want to avoid paying monthly or yearly fees. Many systems can be installed by the user themselves. System that can be set up by anyone, including DIY installers, will significantly lower your costs. These systems are often all you have to buy is the equipment.

For anyone who wants to monitor their own alarms, we recommend that a siren be set up with alarms. A siren should be at least 85 decibels. This is equivalent to a diesel truck. It is important to remember that the siren is louder, the more neighbors will hear it, which is great in an emergency.