Delaney Alex Colon The Best Smart Home Security Systems for 2019 Need a security system but don't know where to start. What's the Best Home Security System. The Internet of Things has made it easier than ever to set up a smart home in which you can remotely control your door locks, lights, thermostats,smart home beveiliging, and even pet feeders, using your smartphone and an app. It's also made it simple and relatively affordable to monitor your home from pretty much anywhere. Smart security systems are highly customizable and available as do-it-yourself kits or as full-blown setups that include professional installation and monitoring. You can even take advantage of on-demand monitoring services for when you're away on vacation. Of course, the more coverage you have, the more you can expect to pay. If you're not ready for a dedicated security system, there are plenty of individual devices available that let you monitor your home from anywhere using your phone or tablet, including indoor and outdoor security cameras, video doorbells, motion sensors, and smart locks. Here's what to look for when deciding how to secure and monitor your home while you're away. Streamlining Security and Home Automation A smart home security system connects to your Wi-Fi network so you can monitor and control your security devices using your smartphone and an app. Entry-level systems usually include some door and window sensors, a motion detector, and a that communicates with these devices using one or more wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, Zigbee, or a proprietary mesh network. A word about wireless protocols: In a perfect world, all home security components would use the same wireless standard to communicate with the main smart home beveiliging, but factors such as power requirements, signal range, price, and size make it virtually impossible to settle on just one. They also operate in a mesh topology and can help extend the range of networked devices. However, neither protocol provides the bandwidth that you get with Wi-Fi, which is why it is usually used in security cameras to provide smooth video streaming, and in other devices that require a fat pipe. Moreover, Z-Wave and Zigbee devices are connected and controlled using a hub, while Wi-Fi devices can be connected directly to your home network and controlled with an app. Any smart security system worth its salt offers components that work together in a seamless environment and can be manipulated using customized rules. For example, you can create rules to have the lights turn on when motion is detected, have your doors unlock when a smoke alarm goes off, and have a camera begin recording when a sensor is triggered. Locally stored video is a good choice for do-it-yourselfers on a budget, but you have to be careful not to overwrite video that you may need later. Cloud storage makes it easy to store and access recorded video, but it can cost hundreds of dollars per year depending on your subscription. All of the systems we've tested feature an app that lets you use your smartphone as your command center to arm and disarm the system, create rules, add and delete components, and receive push notifications when alarms are triggered. Most apps also allow you to do things like view live and recorded video, lock and unlock doors, change thermostat settings, and silence alarms. Some apps will even use your phone's location services to automatically arm and disarm the system according to your physical location. The more expensive systems usually come with a wall-mounted panel smart home beveiliging acts as a communications hub, with a touch-screen display that allows you to do everything the app does. The display lets you communicate with a professional monitoring service when an alarm is triggered and view video from any of the installed security cameras. As your needs grow you can order additional sensors and other components at your convenience and pair them to the system in a matter of minutes. For starters, you'll have to figure out what kind of sensors you want and how many you'll need. Ideally you'll place door sensors smart home beveiliging every doorway into your house. You'll also want to put a window sensor on every window, or at least every window that is large enough to provide access to your home. You don't have to install a motion sensor in every room in the house, but you should place them in main hallways, stairways, foyers, or any place where an intruder would have to walk through while entering or exiting your home. These sensors are ideal for home security use as they are cost effective and work well indoors in any lighting environment. Active motion sensors emit microwaves to detect movement and are better suited to harsh environments, including outdoor use, but are prone to false alerts due to wind-blown debris. A dual motion sensor combines both active and passive technology to reduce false alerts and provide an extra measure of reliability. The main hub usually requires a wired connection to your router, although there are wireless systems out here. Either way, it should be in close proximity to your router for optimal connectivity. If you're installing a system with a touch-screen panel, make sure there's a power outlet nearby. While this isn't much of an issue with indoor cameras, outdoor camera placement will largely depend on accessibility to a power supply. Professional Home Security Systems While many systems use wireless components that are installed using double-sided tape, some high-end systems use components that require professional installation. With a professionally monitored system, when a smoke or intrusion alarm is triggered, an agent will first try to reach you via the two-way control panel before calling your listed phone number. If you fail to respond, the agent will call 911 to dispatch an emergency responder to your home. The nice thing about professionally installed systems is you don't have to lift a finger; after you've placed your order a technician will come to your home, set everything up for you, and show you how the system works. It's important to note that in some areas you may have to file for a permit to have a security system installed in your home. For example, you can create an applet that says if a garage door is opened to turn on the floodlight. How Much Do Security Systems Cost Per Month. Monitoring for professionally installed systems tends to be more expensive. Some vendors, such as LifeShield, will let you buy the components outright or lease them. Can You Just Use a Security Camera Instead. If you live in a small apartment and want to keep tabs on things when you're not home, a can get the job done for a lot less money than what you'll pay for a full security system. Nearly all standalone security cameras connect to your home's Wi-Fi so you can see what's going on from your phone or tablet, and most have smart home beveiliging sensors that detect motion and sound and will send push and email notifications when those sensors are triggered. You can usually tweak the camera's motion sensitivity to prevent false alarms due to pet activity or passing cars if the camera is near a window, and you can create a schedule that turns the sensors on and off during certain hours of the day. Some of the more expensive cameras are equipped with humidity and temperature sensors and will interact with other connected home devices such as thermostats and smart lighting systems. Alternately, look for a camera that offers a cloud storage plan. An is ideal for keeping an eye on what's happening outside of your home. As with smart home beveiliging indoor counterparts, outdoor cameras connect to your Wi-Fi network and allow you to view live video from your phone. They are fairly easy to install, but if you're not familiar or comfortable with electrical wiring, you may want to have a professional electrician do the job. Most outdoor cameras, like our current top pick, theoffer motion detection with push and email notifications, night vision, and cloud storage for event-triggered video, and some, like thepull double duty as floodlights or porch lights. Some models can even tell the difference between a passing car, an animal, and a person. Look for an outdoor camera that will integrate with other such as garage door openers, external sirens, and smart switches. What About a Video Doorbell. These devices connect to your Wi-Fi network and will send an alert when someone approaches your doorway. They'll record video when the doorbell is pressed or when motion is detected, and usually offer two-way audio communication that allows you to speak with the visitor from anywhere via your phone. Most video doorbells, smart home beveiliging Editors' Choiceuse your existing doorbell wiring two low-voltage wires and are fairly easy to install, but there are battery-powered models available like the that install in minutes. Look for a model that offers a high resolution 1080pa wide angle lens 140 to 180 degreesa night vision range up to 25 feet, and affordable cloud storage for recorded video. Sometimes it's helpful to be able to see what happened just before or after a visitor approaches your door. For that, you'll need a doorbell that uses pre-buffering to record the action taking place before motion is detected or the doorbell is pressed. What's the Best Smart Lock. A is typically part of a robust smart home security setup, but you don't have to invest in a full-blown system to use one. If you're using a home automation hub to control things like andyou can add a Z-Wave or Zigbee smart lock to the system without much effort. Alternately, if you don't have a home automation hub, look for a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth lock that comes with its own mobile app. Smart locks use s tandard pre-drilled holes and are fairly easy to install. Some models use your existing keyed cylinder and deadbolt hardware and attach to the inside of your door, while others require that you remove your existing interior and exterior escutcheons and replace the deadbolt and strike hardware. Smart locks can be opened and closed using a mobile app and will send a notification when someone locks or unlocks a door, and most allow you to create permanent and temporary access schedules for family members and friends based on specific hours of the day and days of the week. There are plenty of smart lock models to choose from, including keyless no-touch locks, touch-screen locks, combination keyed and touchpad locks, and locks that you can open using a biometric fingerprint reader. Our current top pick is the. Can Home Security Systems Be Hacked. Like any product that connects to the internet and uses wireless technology, smart home security systems are vulnerable to hacking, particularly systems that lack encryption. Hackers can sit outside your home and use a laptop and software to intercept wireless signals coming from your system that allow them to suppress alarms and disable sensors. Other devices allow hackers to generate radio noise that can jam communications between the sensors and the hub. Additionally, devices that connect via Wi-Fi, such as security cameras and smart door locks, can be hacked to gain access to your home network. Perhaps even more disturbing is the idea of some stranger monitoring video from your indoor and outdoor security cameras. There are several steps you can take to make sure your home security system is safe from malicious cyber intruders. For starters, replace the system's default password with a unique one that contains a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. If possible, change your password from time to time. Additionally, make sure your home network is secure. Check the security settings on yourand consider models that add an extra layer of software protection, like the. Some security system vendors use frequency hopping tech to prevent signal jamming, while others use embedded encryption, but neither feature is standard, so check with the manufacturer if you require an extra layer of security. In addition, keep an eye on your camera logs to see when they have been accessed. If you notice camera activity at odd hours or at times when you know that nobody is at home, it may be an indication that your system has been compromised. Finally, make sure your system software and all of your connected devices are up to date. Firmware updates often address security smart home beveiliging and can help protect your system from infiltration. For more on how to get started with smart home security, check out this on our sister site, ExtremeTech. Pros: Fast and knowledgeable service reps. Solid mobile and web apps. Requires three-year contract with hefty termination penalty. Some Pulse peripherals require third-party mobile apps. Offers remote control of door locks, cameras, thermostats, and sensors. Cons: Requires a monthly subscription for remote access. Cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity, the latter of which is optional. Cons: The SimpliCam camera only works indoors, is very basic, and tops out at 720p. Cons: Pricey monitoring plans and accessories. Requires one- or three-year contract. Top-tier plan is required to view live and recorded video. It works well, but is priced higher than the competition and a monitoring contract is required. Free and paid cloud storage. Cons: No professional monitoring available. There's no option for professional monitoring, however. Works with smart home beveiliging third-party devices. Bottom Line: The Wink Lookout starter kit gives you everything you need to start smart home beveiliging your home using your smartphone. Cons: Camera image quality could be better. Bottom Line: The LifeShield Smart Home Security Kit is a versatile security system with home automation capabilities and the option to monitor professionally or on your own. Works with Nest cameras and a handful of third-party devices. Cons: Currently lacks integration with other devices, including Ring cameras smart home beveiliging doorbells. Works with lots of third-party devices. Cannot manage notifications from mobile app. Doesn't come with control panel. Bottom Line: The Abode Home Security Starter Kit is a fantastic do-it-yourself security system that offers no-contract professional monitoring. It starts with the basics, but is highly expandable with support for plenty of third-party gadgets and services. Though he does the majority of his reading and writing on various digital displays, Alex still loves to sit down with a good, old-fashioned, paper and ink book in his free time. Not that there's anything wrong wit.
