Cheap Home Alarms: Hidden Risks Behind the Savings

Are you looking to protect your home from intrusions? Surveillance cameras, motion and opening detectors, indoor sirens... Today, the market offers all sorts of options. But should you be tempted by low-cost equipment? Is a cheap home alarm system really reliable? What’s the point of saving money if quality isn’t up to par?

A good protection system can help reduce the risk of burglary and allow for a quick response if you choose the right one. This article will help you find the home alarm system you need.

The Limits of a Low-Cost Home Alarm

When we think of a cheap home alarm system, we often think of one with no subscription fees. Homeowners install these systems themselves without the help of a professional. They need to find the best spots to position their cameras, detectors, and sirens, preferably wirelessly, for ease (wired alarms typically require more extensive work).

Essential Home Alarm Equipment

A good home alarm protects all entry points and sensitive areas inside and outside the home. For your security, you need to choose and position the following products strategically:

• Opening and shock detector: placed on openings like doors and windows inside rooms.

• Motion detector: to spot suspicious movement or presence within a room, positioned correctly to cover as much area as possible.

• Smoke detector: monitors temperature and identifies smoke particles in the air to alert for possible fire hazards. Installing it away from kitchens, bathrooms, fireplaces, and other significant heat sources is recommended.

• Indoor and outdoor sirens: to alert and attract the attention of residents and neighbors with audible and visual alarms.

• Alarm control panel: to connect all wireless devices and stay in contact with a monitoring center.

• Mobile app, remotes, and badges are essential accessories for remotely controlling the alarm system.

Cheap Home Alarm Systems: What’s on the Market?

You can find alarms for homes and apartments in supermarkets or online. Many sellers offer packages that include several devices. Standard kits vary greatly by manufacturer. They are rarely customized to fit your home and often require additional equipment. You can also build your own cheap alarm system kit.

There is a significant price range: from a few dozen to several hundred euros, depending on the product, brand, and security level. Prices can sometimes be very attractive, especially during sales, but checking the product’s performance before purchasing is essential.

The Compromise on Quality

Are you looking to install an alarm and quickly discover the best online prices? Be careful, as a low-cost home alarm system may not adequately protect your property. Before comparing prices, ensure that the product meets local standards.

The quality of the equipment depends on various factors, including the reliability of the electronic components, the range of the detectors, the resolution of surveillance cameras, the precision of detection, the sound level of the alarm siren, the strength of the GSM transmitter in the control panel, and ease of use. To choose a good, affordable home alarm system, you need to spend time comparing all options.

Missing Essential Features

While researching online or in stores, you might find good value for money, but the alarm system will likely lack essential features.

A cheap, subscription-free home alarm system can be limited. With this type of setup, you’ll need to accept the following constraints:

• You must install, test, and maintain all security devices yourself (control panel, siren, detectors, cameras, remotes, badges, etc.).

• A detector or camera placed in the wrong spot is useless. Without professional advice, you’ll need to find the right positions to avoid blind spots.

• A poorly placed or low-quality detector may trigger false alarms, such as when a pet walks by, or fail to activate during a real intrusion.

• You’ll only be alerted when something goes wrong and must contact emergency services yourself. Therefore, you must always be available, day or night.

• You must go to the site to assess damage, making investigating while you’re not there challenging.

• A faulty device will need to be replaced.

• A Wi-Fi jammer can disable some alarm systems.

• A power or network outage can render your alarm system inactive if no backup solution is in place.

Working with a professional is best for total security in your home or apartment. Our specialists can provide you with a free, no-obligation quote online today.

How to Choose a Good Home Alarm System?

The right home alarm system isn’t the cheapest, but the one that best fits your home. Every home is unique, and so is every alarm system.

You might not need all the opening and motion detectors offered in a typical online package. You may have some areas you overprotect or underprotect. You might place smoke detectors incorrectly, causing them to trigger even when there’s no fire. Only a home security expert can determine the best configuration for your property and help you find the right system.

Wireless Home Alarms: Convenient and Reliable

Today, most alarm systems are wireless. Rather than being connected by cables, they rely on radio communication. All detectors and cameras are interconnected throughout the house or apartment and communicate with the control panel, which is typically connected to the home’s internet box and often has a SIM card (GSM transmitter).

A wireless alarm is easy to install and even relocate. It requires no construction work and is as reliable as a wired system. This is one reason that installation can be done in 24 hours with WEXO.PRO!

Cameras: Performance and Video Storage

A high-resolution surveillance camera lets you see exactly what’s happening in your home and provides reliable photo and video evidence to your insurer in case of a claim. It’s better to be able to identify intruders and see them both at night and during the day. If purchased in stores, the camera usually stores data on an SD card (rarely included). With a professional alarm system, video storage is done on a secure cloud, so the images can’t be lost.

Transmission Channel: No Interruptions

Imagine a power outage during a break-in. That's not an issue with an alarm system linked to a monitoring center. The system uses a secondary power source to remain operational at all times. In addition to the IP connection, a control panel with a GSM transmission module can keep working even if your power or internet connection is cut off.

Zone Protection: Security Tailored to Your Lifestyle

We recommend choosing alarm systems that offer zoning or partial protection. This allows you to activate certain devices while deactivating others, allowing you to move around your home at night without triggering a motion detector.

Mobile App: Remote Control

Some brands connect your devices to a mobile app in addition to the control panel inside your home. This is a convenient way to be alerted of any issues and activate your alarm remotely. The app also lets you view the alert history, check room temperatures, take photos remotely via a motion detector with a camera, and configure the home alarm system.

Remote Monitoring: Continuous Security

Remote monitoring is an integral part of a good wireless home alarm system for all the reasons mentioned earlier (being available, needing to go to the site in case of an alert, no device maintenance, etc.). In addition, experts regularly check the proper functioning of the equipment.

In an emergency, our monitoring center receives the signal immediately, verifies the situation using the cameras, and contacts the appropriate authorities. This is the fastest way to respond correctly and in accordance with the rules. You’ll get the police or emergency services involved as quickly as possible without triggering false alerts. With remote monitoring, you’re protected 24/7, whether you’re home or not.

By entrusting the installation of your alarm system with remote monitoring to a professional, you ensure:

• Deterrence for burglars outside, with signage on your door or gate.

• Scaring off burglars as soon as the alarm triggers, alerting neighbors, residents, and the monitoring center immediately.

• Speeding up the intervention process by emergency services if the situation is confirmed and avoiding false alarms.

WEXO.PRO: Your 24/7 Security Partner

You can find a cheap home alarm system and install it yourself, but it will have its limitations. It may send intrusion alerts via SMS and show you video footage... but it will require you to be constantly available or even present at the site. Why not work with a professional for installation, maintenance, and remote monitoring?