
An intruder entering through the door can tear it off the wall before the panel finishes notifying the monitoring service. With a two part panel, the
circuit board keeps working even if the keypad is dis
connected. With either type of panel, you’ll need a special phone jack called an “RJ31X” to connect the panel to your phone lines. You won’t find professional quality alarm equipment at a local electronics retailer. Instead, fire up your computer and search for “security alarms” or “security systems. ” Look for suppliers that carry multiple brands and models so you don’t get locked into home security equipment that’s not right for you.
Choosing Brinks comes at a premium price, but they do offer financing options for equipment at low or no interest. The monitoring itself is low cost, and it comes with a 2 year warranty although some options also require a 3 year commitment. There are steep early
termination fees, but if you go with Nest Secure, there is an alternative month to month plan. Protect America delivers the home security system equipment to your door and allows you to handle the installation and setup yourself. The company says that setup should take less than an hour. A key offering is SMART Connect, a free home security smartphone app developed by Protect America that allows remote control from anywhere, and is available for both Android and iOS.

And if you’re uncertain whether you want to do it yourself or have one installed for you, we also have a list of the best home security
systems, which is a combination of professionally installed and DIY kits to help you. Nest Secure read our full review here is the best example of what a home security starter kit should be: Simple, easy to understand, and unobtrusive while it’s working—but
with plenty of options for expansion or additional features. The kit comes with the Guard hub, a round device with a number pad that tracks all the other sensors, but also incorporates a siren and motion sensor of its own. You also get two Detect motion sensors to set up where you please around the house, and two Tag key fobs that will let you pass through them. You can disarm the detectors with a code, or simply choose a silent mode to avoid triggering the alarm when necessary. The kit itself comes with a large touchscreen hub, a motion detector, and two sensors for your windows and doors. Make no mistake, ADT intends for this system to be paired with its professional monitoring, which means monthly fees—but there is a “no monitoring” option you can choose. However, the system really shines when you see how easily it can become a whole house smart platform. ADT has sensors to monitor everything from carbon monoxide to water leaks, and SmartThings has devices to manage lighting, thermostats, door locks, and more. The kit gives you a hub to control everything from…as long as you’re willing to stick with these brands. This DIY home Security product’s name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue and neither does the cam’s list of features.