Home security comparisons

DIY versus professional installation. Fixr describes wired systems as "typically less expensive than wireless system components" while requiring professional installation, and wireless as higher upfront cost but "easy to install and set up by the homeowner." The real difference is not the money, it is placement. A badly positioned motion sensor or a door contact with a gap generates false alarms — and the ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing attributes roughly half of all false alarms to user error, with poor installation as another contributor.

Self-monitoring versus professional monitoring. Self-monitoring means the alarm pushes a notification to your phone and you decide what to do. Professional monitoring means a center receives the signal, tries to reach you, and can request police dispatch. Professional monitoring is worth real money if you travel, sleep heavily, have a household that will not reliably check phones, or want the insurance discount. It is worth less if you are always reachable and your main concern is knowing what happened.

Contract versus month-to-month. Fixr notes most standard contracts require three years, with month-to-month available at a higher upfront equipment cost. Month-to-month is almost always the safer purchase for a homeowner who is uncertain, because the downside of being wrong is one month rather than thirty-six. The three-year deal usually looks cheaper monthly because the equipment cost has been buried in it.

Cameras versus alarms. They do different jobs. An alarm is intended to interrupt and summon; a camera records and, sometimes, deters. The ASU research is direct that burglars are "less likely to gain entry when a house has two or more security devices," and that "visibility and accessibility are more important than vulnerability or security" — meaning lighting, sightlines and locks often do more than another camera.

How to choose

Choose month-to-month unless the discount is large and certain

The multi-year deal is priced for the company's certainty, not yours. Compute the total both ways before deciding.

Pick self-monitoring only if someone will actually respond

An alert nobody sees is not security. Be honest about your household's phone habits.

Fix the basics before adding devices

ASU's burglary research puts visibility and accessibility above security hardware. Trimmed sightlines, solid locks and lighting first.

If you DIY, test every sensor before arming

User error and bad installation drive false alarms, and false alarms cost you fines and credibility with dispatch.

Compare equipment ownership, not just price

A cheap contract with leased gear locks you in. Owned equipment keeps you free to switch monitoring providers.