Picture yourself deciding it is time to invest in home security. You embark on a mission to identify the best home security system you can find. But how will you go about it? Reading a handful of promo materials and checking out a few online reviews is not going to cut it. The truth is that identifying the best home security system can take quite a bit of work.
The first thing you are up against are the claims made by every home security manufacturer in the industry. They all claim to offer the best equipment. Yet it is not possible. There can only be one ‘best’ at anything. The big challenge is determining who actually wins.
The good news is that you don’t have to worry about some sort of qualitative or quantitative measurement. What you are really after is the best home security system for your needs. And figuring that out is a lot easier than pitting one manufacturer against another in hopes of determining some sort of arbitrary measurement of best.
Start With Your Budget
One way to begin the search for the best home security system to settle on a brand and then start looking at various components. Allow me to offer what I think is a better way to go: start with your budget. Determine how much you can spend without breaking the bank. Then you can start looking at brands and ecosystems.
Why start with a budget? Because it will ultimately be the single most important factor in determining what you purchase. Let me offer an example by way of security cameras.
Imagine you have established a $500 budget to get you up and running. You will put some more money into the system next year. With that number in mind, you start looking at different ecosystems and brands.
One brand you’re familiar with offers security cameras starting at $50. Out of your total budget, you have allotted $100 for your cameras. If you go with this brand, you will be limiting yourself to two units. But what if you looked at another ecosystem with entry level camera prices at $25. For the same amount of money, you could double your security camera coverage.
Pay Attention to Value
While budget should be your first consideration, be careful not to obsess with the bottom-line price. A lower price might allow you to purchase more cameras to fill out your system, but you might be buying cameras that do not offer enough value. In other words, what you get is not enough to justify the price.
Four cameras that don’t allow live streaming may be less valuable to you than two cameras that can stream. For my money, streaming cameras are worth the extra money. I want to be able to see live video feeds rather than being restricted to only watching stored data later on
Give Some Thought to Future Expansion
Hand-in-hand with the question of value is your ability to expand the system later on. There isn’t much value in an ecosystem that cannot be scaled or expanded. So perhaps it’s worth paying a little bit more to get a system you know you can easily add to as your needs grow.
The most well-known ecosystems currently on the market are the Google, apple, Amazon, and Samsung ecosystems. Go with something like Google or Amazon and you are virtually guaranteed to be able to find compatible equipment for years into the future.
The one thing to remember is that you could wind up locking yourself into an ecosystem from which there is no escape. Start with Google’ Nest ecosystem and you may find yourself stuck with it even if you decide at some point that you don’t really like it. If that is something you are concerned about, consider going with an open-source platform that supports devices from multiple ecosystems. There are several to choose from.
Develop a Security Strategy
Once you decide on a budget, ecosystem, and many plans for scaling, it’s time to start investing in individual components. You would be smart to come up with a security strategy that outlines the exact components you’ll purchase.
Imagine a homeowner looking to combine both home security and automation features. He has settled on the Vivint brand because it supports a handful of home automation devices already compatible with his Google smart speaker.
His strategy dictates investing in a couple of cameras along with window and door sensors for the first floor. In addition, he will invest in a smart lock for the front door and some smart light switches that will allow him to program his lighting. He has a nice, entry level system that offers both security and home automation features.
Maybe you don’t care about home automation. So instead of spending money on smart lights and a smart thermostat, you can put more money into cameras and motion sensors. You might even invest in high-end smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for a medical alert system for your aging parents.
Read, Research, And Ask
Finally, you need to know what other people think about your chosen brand and ecosystem. You need to hear honest opinions about the devices you intend to purchase. Where can you find that information? Both online and by talking to friends and family members in-person.
Websites like CNet and PCMag offer professional reviews of the latest home security equipment. Companies like Vivint and ADT are reviewed online by their customers. Online reading and research can yield a ton of helpful information. As for gathering information in-person, ask as many people as you can.
Determining the best home security system takes work. It goes well beyond reading what manufacturers say about their devices. To figure out what is truly best for you and your family, you need to dig in and uncover the details. You need to come up with a budget, decide on a suitable ecosystem, and develop a security strategy. Only then are you ready to start buying equipment.