Save Time and Money with DIY Home Security
A DIY system gives you the freedom to choose the hardware and services that fit your needs best, all without breaking the bank.
There's a burgeoning market for DIY home security products, thanks to advances in smart tech and more robust, easy-to-install offerings from home security manufacturers. According to market research firm Parks Associates, up to 30 percent of new sales for home security are DIY. This figure is only expected to grow.
For consumers ready to do it themselves, DIY home security systems offer substantial value over professionally installed and monitored systems—value derived not only from cost savings but also from the degree of choice, control, and customization available.
Where You Want, When You Want
In a DIY, self-monitored setup, you choose only the components you need, from any brand, at a range of price points. Your home security system can be as simple or complex as your budget and comfort level allow. DIY home security products typically come with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, free phone assistance, or both. Most often, you'll also have the opportunity to remotely verify that your system is functioning properly after you install it.
You can also place DIY cameras, monitors, and other security products precisely where you want them to be, indoors and outdoors. Say you only want surveillance cameras pointed on your front door and in the upstairs room filled with your baseball memorabilia. You can do that. And you'll be able to see what you want to see as if you were at home.
Because you're the person who is most intimately familiar with your property, there's no one better for deciding where to place sensors for doors, windows, garages, and other places in the home. Installing the security system yourself allows you to become more comfortable with it, and you'll have a better sense of what you need for the job—extra sensors, for example—if you're the person in charge of making those decisions.
One of the reasons homeowners frown upon professionally installed home security is the inconvenience installers and equipment can impose. They'll decide where to put holes in the walls to place wires, and sometimes installation can spread over two or more days.
Another hassle of professionally installed home security systems: You can't take them with you easily. If you decide to move, all the wires need to be undone and reinstalled in your new home. You'll also need to cancel your security and monitoring plan and set up a new one. Not so with DIY security systems, which are simple and convenient to move. The portability of DIY systems makes them an appealing option for renters, too.
The Flexibility to Customize
With DIY, you decide to connect your system to a landline phone, smartphone, or Wi-Fi for monitoring. Most DIY home security systems can be monitored via a mobile app. With a tap or swipe on your smartphone or tablet, you can remotely check on the status of your house, receive notifications about suspicious activity, and view live camera feeds.
Customization is a huge benefit of DIY home security. You can add, remove, and change components at your convenience, with a good variety of offerings and price points available online and elsewhere. Arlo Pro 2, for instance, allows you to easily add one or more security cameras to your home system, for under $225 per camera.
Today's home security systems are being enriched and made smarter with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), and DIY systems are no exception. Optional Arlo Smart cloud-based software, currently available in the U.S., adds advanced AI technology to Arlo Pro 2 security cameras, enabling services such as e911 emergency call. If you see suspicious activity on your camera's live feed, e911 enables you to get in direct contact with emergency responders near your home, regardless of where you're located.
Arlo Smart can also be set to alert when it detects a person. It will filter out notifications from everyday movement, such as swaying tree branches and barking dogs, and alert you only if there's a potential unwanted visitor at your home.
If you're ready to try DIY home security, you can find a robust system that's easy to install and self-monitor. A DIY system gives you the freedom to choose the hardware and services you need and to customize your system as your comfort level and needs change, all without breaking the bank.
Learn more about Arlo Pro 2 cameras and Arlo Smart subscription plan offerings.