Home security equipment
A useful baseline is contacts on every exterior door, contacts or glass-break sensors on accessible ground-floor windows, one or two interior motion sensors, and a panel with a cellular backup path. Per Fixr's 2025 data, equipment alone runs $200 to $1,000; smart locks cost $125 to $300 for the unit, video doorbells $30 to $300, and smart cameras $50 to $2,500.
Prioritize by how burglars actually enter. The ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing reports that about two-thirds of burglaries involve forced entry using simple tools, with side and back doors as common access points, and about one-third involve unlocked entries through windows, basement openings or garage doors. That should shape your device list: the back door, the side door and the garage matter more than the front, and a lot of entries need no force at all.
Entry sensors are cheap and high value. Glass-break sensors cover large windows you would not want to individually contact. Motion sensors catch anyone already inside but generate false alarms if placed carelessly - the ASU research names "roaming pets or helium balloons" among the causes. Pet-immune sensors exist and are worth specifying if you have animals.
Cameras and doorbells are the most-bought and most-oversold category. Per Fixr, video doorbells run $30 to $300 for the unit and $150 to $500 installed, while smart cameras span $50 to $2,500 unit and $150 to $2,750 installed. Nearly all of them come with a cloud storage subscription attached. Before buying, ask how long footage is retained on the free tier, what the paid tier costs, and whether the camera records locally if the subscription lapses.
Smart locks run $125 to $300 unit and $225 to $500 installed per Fixr. They are genuinely useful for keyless access and for logging who came and went. They do not make a weak door frame strong - the ASU research emphasizes forced entry with simple tools, and a strike plate screwed into a stud does more for that than a smart deadbolt does. Do both if you can; do the frame first if you can only do one.
Choosing home security equipment
The judgement calls that decide the bill, before anyone quotes you.
- Cover back and side doors first ASU's burglary research identifies side and back doors as common access points. The front door gets the doorbell camera and the least attention from burglars.
- Reinforce the door frame before buying a smarter lock Two-thirds of burglaries involve forced entry with simple tools. Long screws into the framing and a solid strike plate are cheap and effective.
- Specify pet-immune motion sensors if you have animals Pets are a named cause of false alarms, and false alarms cost you money and dispatch credibility.
- Ask about cellular backup A system that only reports over your home internet stops reporting when the internet does. Ask whether backup is included and whether it carries a monthly fee.
- Check what happens to camera footage if you cancel Many cameras are useless without their subscription. Ask about local recording and retention on the free tier before you buy.
All home security equipment
Door Window Sensors
Motion Detectors
Security Cameras
Video Doorbell
Smart Locks
Glass Break Sensors
Control Panel
Where these figures come from
Sources last checked
- Fixr - Home Security System Cost · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Fixr - Home Automation Cost · retrieved 2026-07-26
- ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing - Burglary of Single-Family Houses · retrieved 2026-07-26
- ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing - False Burglar Alarms · retrieved 2026-07-26
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