Security Surveillance System Checklist

!±8± Security Surveillance System Checklist

There can be far more to a complete security surveillance system than initially meets the eye. New technology and changing family needs have made the security surveillance system something that goes far beyond a burglar alarm and a smoke detector to keep every member of your family and your property safe.

In the past a security surveillance system was designed to warn you if someone tried to break into your house or if there was a smoke from a fire. Over the years, families have added:

* glass break monitors and motion sensors,
* baby monitoring cameras, sitter monitoring video recorders,
* perimeter alarms for yards, and
* then video surveillance was added, allowing homeowners to see who was in their yard or in their home.

Today technology has increased the capabilities of the security surveillance system to offer greater peace of mind when we are away from the property or away from family members. We can monitor our property over the internet and we can choose wireless systems. Perhaps the most important development is the affordability of home security and the availability of systems to meet most needs and budgets.

By working openly with your security professional, you can create the security surveillance system that is right for your home, your family and your budget. Here are some of the components of a security surveillance system you might find appropriate for the needs of your family.

1. Burglar and Fire Alarms. These "switches" on doors and windows are the basic components of your system. These devices alert you, your neighbors and your monitoring company if someone tries to enter your home when the system is activated. Knowing that someone or something has entered your home, however, is just the beginning of a complete security surveillance system.

2. The Monitoring Company. The company that monitors the equipment installed in and around your home is critical. You should know they are on the job 24/7 and that they know how to respond to an alert. You also want to be assured that they will act quickly.

3. Exterior Surveillance and Monitors. Whether you want to protect children playing in your yard, pets, or your property, you might want your security surveillance system to include periphery monitoring that issues an alarm when someone (or a pet) crosses your property line (in either direction). You also might want to add video surveillance so you can see who is in your yard and what they are doing. Video cameras can be very important outside doors, outside garages, storage buildings, etc. Intruder alarms can also be installed in your garage, workshop or other accessory buildings.

4. Interior Monitors and Cameras. Many families today find a need for various kinds of interior monitors, switches, cameras and intercom systems to ensure family safety, security and protection. Some of these new security surveillance system components offer amazing comfort to families with young children or persons with disabilities or the elderly. Consider what these devices can do to protect your family.

a. You can control access to part of your home with your security surveillance system. For example, if you want to keep young children from playing in a home office, workshop or other area of the house, your system can be programmed to alert you when someone walks through the door.

b. A two-way voice intercom system will allow you to remind the children that they are not allowed in a particular room of the house. It also allows communication without shouting. And, in the event of an emergency, it provides a mechanism by which you can communicate instantly with all members of the family, wherever they are.

c. Cameras connected to internet monitoring and video cameras remove the worry about what happens when your children are with a sitter or when a sitter or caregiver is with an elderly parent or a disabled family member. This is one of the primary reasons cameras and video recording devices have become such an important part of home security surveillance systems in recent years.

d. Alarm devices, help buttons and activity monitoring as part of a security surveillance system can assure you that an aging parent living alone is safe. The help buttons simply summon emergency personnel immediately. Some also enable communication between the individual and ambulance personnel. Other monitors check for activity in particular parts of the house at designated times of the day. For example, was someone in the area where medications are kept at the right times of the day. Has someone been moving around in the house?

These components are combined to build a customized security surveillance system to meet the needs and the budget of any family. Working with a home security professional will allow you to design and install the perfect system to keep your family safe.