Is there such a thing as a "basic" house/residential alarm?

You may be considering an alarm for your home. Like most products, you have a number of different options to consider. For example, you can have a system that is hardwired or wireless. You can have a system that monitors for burglars only or monitors a number of different home risks such as burglars, fire, flood, temperature, carbon monoxide, etc.

When it comes to selecting an alarm for your house, many alarm companies offer residential packages. Often, the package will include something like an alarm panel, keypad, (2) door/window contacts, a motion detector, an audible sounder, and alarm monitoring. You may say that this list of items constitutes a "basic" system.

Still, "basic" does not always mean adequate. Take my house, for example. My house is a ranch of approximately 1500 square feet. I have four exterior doors, 12 first floor windows and a partially above-grade foundation with 6 basement windows. Finally, I have a detached garage.

The alarm package that I described above, while better than nothing, does not provide the kind of coverage that I would prefer. The two door/window contacts leave at least two doors and 18 windows unprotected. While the motion detector is useful, it only covers about one room/hallway. If I put the motion detector on the main floor of my house (as well as the two door/window contacts), my basement is entirely unprotected. Also, my detached garage (where I store valuable tools and machinery) is not protected at all. Finally, the single keypad is not ideal because I use multiple doors to enter my home. Also, I want a keypad in my bedroom where I can arm the system before going to bed.

Your home may be like mine and you may want more than what a "base" kind of package can provide. This is where working with some people with knowledge in the alarm industry can really be beneficial. Here are some solutions to my home that could be utilized at yours:

1. Increase the number of motion detectors and door/window contacts.
2. Place physical barriers to entry at likely entry points. For example, my basement provides numerous, easy access points to my house. Mounting a rigid metal bar across the windows makes entry through the windows almost impossible.
3. Utilize alarm screens. An alarm screen looks like and functions like a normal window screen. However, it also will activate the burglar alarm if it is cut/torn/removed.
4. Utilize an "overhead door contact" for the garage. Like a door contact, which activates an alarm if a door is opened by an intruder, the overhead door contact activates an alarm if the garage door is opened. You can't get big ticket items out of my garage easily unless you open the garage. With the overhead door contact, I'm really adding a lot of protection.
5. Motion sensitive exterior lights. Make an intruder a lot less comfortable at night by shining light on his/her activities.
6. Window stickers/yard signs. Sure a lot of people use alarm stickers/signs when they don't have an alarm. But, it is a very cheap and easy way to make a potential intruder think twice.

Again, these are just some ideas that you may want to incorporate into your own home. I cannot emphasize enough how working with someone who does this for a living (i.e., a knowledgeable alarm expert) can help you. An alarm expert can identify your areas of risk, provide recommendations (and different cost option), and help to make your alarm as user friendly as possible.