Home Security Camera Systems: Taking Your Diy Home Security System To The Next Level

The term 'DIY home security system' probably, for most people, calls to mind the image of a young McCaulay Culkin, beating the heck of the marauding crooks in Home Alone I and II. Of course, Home Alone was an early 90's phenomenon, popular in a time when auto-detection, visual and information technology were, despite decades of concerted effort, in their infancy, and something only qualified systems engineers or genius geeks could really do with as they pleased.



Fast forward to present day - we're in an age of powerful, user-friendly computer systems, capable of operating as the control centers for countless technologies. Recording and storing media no longer requires the use of countless VHS tapes, a fact that's made the acts of detecting and recording intruders using a home security camera system far less logistically challenging than they once were. Quite aside from computing have conquered the problems of information storage, infrared security cameras have conquered the issue of lighting, making it possible to effectively cover gloomy parts of the exterior and interior of your home with stunning acuity. Indeed, you can build a fully working DIY home security system from cheap components, such as webcams, PIR detectors and contact sensors, which you can pick up at computer and hardware stores for relatively low prices.



If the prospect of constructing a DIY home security system appeals to you, the best place to start is with the lowest of tech. An estimated 60% of burglaries in North America occur due to a door or window being left open. Make sure that you and your family are in the habit of locking everything up, even if you're just nipping down to the 7-11 for a pack of cigarettes.



Building on this, you'll need to think about installing contact sensors at all of your access points - your doors, windows and so forth. These are paired electromagnetic pads which, once separated, trip a switch which in turn activates your alarm siren and brings the cops running. You secure one of them to the door or window, and one to the frame, and run a cable from the contact to a powerpoint. They're truly ideal for building DIY home security systems because they're cheap, easy to install, and are readily available in hardware stores.



If the idea of having a full-blown home security camera system is part of your consumerist dream, one neat trick you might want to keep in mind is setting up your contacts so that they activate your security cameras, putting them into recording mode the instant that the switch gets tripped. Aside from the vanity, there's truly little reason to purchase a camera more sophisticated than simple webcams to ensure that you DIY home security system covers all the various parts of your home. These are commonly sold in computer and department stores for as little as $20 (though they get powerful enough to be priced in the thousands).



Infrared security cameras present an opportunity to take your DIY home security system to the next level, leaving it immune from changes in lighting conditions, and ensuring that you find out what happened in your home entirely regardless of whether a bulb blew. The flip side of this coin is the fact that buying one may leave you feeling like you've been robbed - while infrared security cameras have become a lot cheaper in recent years, decent ones are still priced in the $2000 area. The question is really one of need - if your home is adequately lit by streetlights from the outside, then your home security camera system probably won't be much improve by the purchase. Keep in mind, however, when doing your cost-risk calculations, that infrared security cameras can double as fire detectors, eliminating the need to install smoke detectors.