• In recent years it seems as though many large technology companies are entering into the home security system market. Companies like Comcast and the satellite TV giant, Direct TV have found there way into the home security market in hopes of making an impact. Home security has gone from being a luxury to a necessity due to the greater awareness of home invasion and burglary in the Miami, Florida area. And so the interest of these companies has been sparked by the potential to acquire new business based on the present need. The question however remains, whether these companies entering the home security market are truly qualified to properly design your home security system. So to better equip you in assuring your home is well protected, I have compiled a list of things to consider when designing a home security system.

    Traditional Systems vs Self Contained Systems
    The absolute most important thing to first consider when designing a home security system is whether to go with a traditional system or a self contained system. A traditional system consists of having an arming keypad near the main entry door and a master control panel at another location such as a closet. A self contained system is an integrated system where the arming keypad and control panel are incorporated into one. So in essence the keypad becomes the control panel.

    With the self contained system you receive the benefit of receiving a system packed with features at a reduced price. Features such as voice annunciation chime and alpha numeric display makes the self contained system a great value. This means that when the alarm system is disarmed and someone opens a door or window, the arming keypad will audibly annunciate the description of the are that has just been opened. Off premise remote access through phone line is also a standard feature with the self contained system. You can actually get a status and arm or disarm the home security system by simply calling into the system at no additional cost.

    Although these features are very impressive they do come at a large risk. The risk is that an intruder can actually come in your front door during the pre programmed entry time and actually disable the home security system. The fact that the arming keypad and control panel are integrated is actually a big security risk. All security systems come set up with a time delay for you to come in and disarm the security system. It is during this delay time that a burglar has a chance to disable the entire system by ripping it off the wall and destroying it, disabling it from sounding a siren or communicating to the alarm monitoring station. With traditional system you will definitely pay much more for these great features but you will be properly protected. It does you no good to have a system packed with features but can be disabled in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately most mass marketing alarm companies out there are offering self contained systems because they are easily and affordably installed. A properly designed home security system will only use a traditional type system.

    Phone Line vs Cellular Service
    Another important thing to consider when properly designing your home security system is whether to use a landline or cellular service for central station monitoring. Phone line and cellular communication are the two most popular ways of communicating to your alarm monitoring central station. In the event your home security system is armed and an alarm condition occurs, the security system uses one of these two methods to send information about the alarm condition to the central monitoring station. The phone line method actually picks up dial tone, dials an 800 number and sends the data over an analog phone line. A GSM cellular communicator does the same thing except it send a text or SMS message advising of the alarm condition.

    The phone line method of communication is effective but has a couple of obvious drawbacks. The first and most obvious is that anyone can actually come around the outside of your home and gain access to the phone box rendering the phone lines inoperable. This means that in the event an actual break in occurs and the phone lines are cut, no one will be notified of the alarm condition. Another draw back is the fact that it takes much longer to pick up dial tone, dial an 800 number wait for three rings then dump information into a central station receiver than it does to send a text message.

    With that said, it makes more sense to go with a GSM cellular communicator than use a traditional phone line. The cost of the monthly monitoring charge is higher when using a cellular central station communicator but in order to have proper protection this is a necessity. In conclusion we can make the statement that to properly design a home security system it is necessary to use a GSM cellular communicator.

    Experience Counts
    Although it does not take a college degree to properly design a home security system, it does matter to have industry experience. Not all homes are created equally and so it takes an experienced security system specialist to know how to properly design your system. Every security professional is to be state certified in some capacity. Do not let anyone into your home to design your home security system that is not at least BASA certified. This certification ensures that the person entering your home is back ground checked and approved to design your home security system.

    If you would like to receive more information on what the proper design for your home security system is then simply call us today at 786-325-7867. One of our certified security system specialists will make an appointment to visit your location and design the home security system that fits your specific needs and budget. Or if you would like you can visit our website at www.miamifloridahomesecurity.com and put your information into the contact page.


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