Comparing Home Security Companies

Turn on the television anytime of the day or night and chances are you’ll see some commercials for home security companies. Brinks, ADT, and Guardian are all pretty much household names in the industry. However, are these your only option when it comes to a monitored alarm system? The answer is a quick no – log onto the internet and do a search for “home security companies” and you’ll get back a wealth of options from which to choose. So if you want to find a company that’s right for you and your home, what do you do? How do you know what features to look for and compare?

Most home security companies will offer twenty-four hour monitoring of your home and alarm. This means that someone is sitting on the other side of a computer screen that will start beeping if your alarm goes off. They will then call emergency services. This process is pretty much the same with all home security companies.

So when comparing packages and services, ask yourself just how many monitoring centers they have. What if power goes out at one, do they have any type of backup system or center? Does your own alarm system get rerouted to another? Some smaller home security companies only have one office or one monitoring station; this can be a problem in case of blackout, natural disaster, or some such circumstances.

Also, how well trained is their staff? No one expects them to hire paramedics or emergency medical technicians, but they should be able to remain calm and knowledgeable regardless of the emergency. Some home security companies pride themselves on the extensive training they give to their technicians, while others perhaps have just a small amount of training.

Of course you will want to consider cost when comparing home security companies, as some will range in price from less than $10 per month to $30 or even more, depending on the number of alarms, the monitoring they offer, and so on. Price should not be your deciding factor of course, as sometimes you do “get what you pay for,” and paying those few extra dollars per month for a company with several monitoring centers and a well-trained staff can be worth it.

And if you’re not very comfortable putting in your own alarm system, you may want to check if these home security companies do installation for you or if they simply sent you a kit and expect you to have it installed yourself. While it’s certainly possible to do it yourself, it may be worth the extra money spent to be sure that you’re doing it correctly.

And the last thing to consider about home security companies is if they want to lock you into a long-term contract. Be sure you read the fine print and understand if there are any penalties involved if you need to cancel early. Many home security companies offer a lot of options that can really help your peace of mind, if you take the time to shop and compare.