Gone are the days when sound alarms and CCTVs used to be enough for the security of your home. With every passing day, there are new challenges to your home security and to ensure the safety of your household, your home security needs to improve and improvise. When it comes to choosing the right home security system, there are many choices which sometimes make you unable to decide which one is best for you. Self-monitored home security systems are the most common type of home security systems and are fully capable to protect your household.
Today, in this era of super-fast connectivity and cutting-edge technology, self-monitored security systems are gaining more and more popularity. You have full control of these systems and monitor them on your own. These systems make use of motion sensors, silent alarms, sirens, door sensors, and security cameras and send a notification or text on your phone when there is anything shady. If that notification indicates something serious, you can contact the appropriate person or authority to handle the situation. The whole responsibility of things lies on you as you monitor these systems yourself.
Now that you have a clear understanding of what self-monitoring home security systems are, let’s have a look at the pros and cons of these systems.
Pros:
No fees
Companies charge a hefty fee to monitor your home security system on your behalf. As you monitor these systems yourself without any outside help, you don’t have to pay any fee to companies who offer to manage these systems for you. So, you can save some of your hard-earned money.
Easy installation
If you have the basic tech knowledge, you can easily install and uninstall these systems by yourself. You do not have to call the representatives of home security companies for this purpose. This will save you some bucks and you can also add another valuable skill to your resume. Just kidding.
Ultimate control
These systems give you full control of your home. You can be the judge of any situation and take the action according to your own judgment. If something fishy happens in your home, your self-monitoring home security system will notify you and it’s you who will be taking an action. If you are using a company monitored security system, their representatives might end up misreading the situation and act in the wrong way. In this way, it can help you avoid false alarms.
Video recording
In self-monitoring home security systems, camera systems are capable of recording video, which can be very helpful in a police investigation in case of an incident. This feature is usually either not available or comes at an extra cost in a company managed home security systems.
Portable systems
These systems are ideal for renters because they are portable and easy to move from one home to another. They are usually smaller and can be a perfect choice for condos, apartments, and townhouses. If you need to transfer a sensor or a camera from one room to another, it is pretty simple to do that.
Easy customization
You can change the configuration of your self-monitoring system whenever and however you want. You can upgrade, change, or cancel your home security system with ease. If you need to add more security features or cut down some low performing equipment, this system got you covered.
Cons:
Although self-monitoring home security systems are the best choice for most people, they have some drawbacks as well. Let’s have a look.
Unreliability
As your phone plays a major part in monitoring the system, if something happens to your phone, your home security system is of no use. If you are away from home and lose connectivity or your battery dies, your security system would not be able to notify you if there is some security breach at home, making it fairly unreliable.
Loopholes
Nobody has that much time to be on the phone 24/7 to know what is going on in the house. If your system loses connectivity or you miss a notification, you might never know what happened in your home.
No assistance
If you decide to go for a self-monitored home security system, you have to install the system by yourself. Even if you get the courage to do this task on your own, you might end up installing it incorrectly and you will not even realize it until it’s too late.
Lack of fail-safe feature
Self-monitored home security systems don’t come with the fail-safe feature. It means in case you have an intruder forces you to switch off your home security system, you won’t have any way of letting the authorities know that you are in trouble and need of help.
All in all, self-monitoring home security systems are the best option if you have seamless connectivity and there is no danger of losing the connection. You also need ample time to check on the notifications and texts you get from the system and act on those. These provide you a safe and secure home without breaking your bank.