10 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Buy a DIY Home Alarm System

Everyone wants to save a few dollars these days and retailers are catering to the post-economic crash consumer with various deals, incentives, and product solutions to save them money. Every industry has been influenced by this shift in buying mentality. While not paying too much for a product is very important, getting a product that is solidly built and offers you a true solution to your problem rather than a temporary Band-Aid is equally imperative. The security alarm industry has seen an increase in the number of Do-it-yourself alarm installation products. It might be tempting to skimp on the real thing and try your hand at being a security installer, but here are 10 reasons why you shouldn't buy a DIY home alarm system.

1. Honestly, how handy are you? What was the last thing you worked on around your home and how did that go? If you're a handy guy or girl maybe installing a security product will work out okay for you, but for most people placing and installing home alarm equipment even when its wireless is a daunting task. Components need to be placed properly, devices need to talk to each other to work in harmony, and if you are going to have it monitored then signals need to be sent to the central station. That sounds frustrating. Most alarm companies offer installation for free up to $99 and give you the alarm for free.

2. What will you do when a part breaks on your alarm system now or in the future? Will you be able to contact the company that sold you the system? Do they offer technical support that you can understand since you will be the on-site technician fixing the problem? What if they are out of business? In the end you might end up calling a local company and paying a service fee.

3. DIY systems are online purchases. This is your home security. Some products should be bought in person from a local company who has a local interest in your wellbeing, their company's local reputation, and fall under your local jurisdictions if you need to file a lawsuit against them for faulty workmanship.

4. Did that alarm system come with alarm monitoring? Probably not, so what good is it? Do you really think that an alarm siren will keep today's burglars at bay? Trust me it won't. Burglars are crafty. They will test your siren for a monitoring response and work through the sirens loud bells to steal from you anyhow.

5. If there is no monitoring when will the police be responding to your break-in? Without any monitoring or notification of a burglary, you won't be able to report or take any action on your robbery until you come home. By then the bad is long gone.

6. Once installed and without monitoring are you even going to set the alarm system when you leave your home or at night while you're sleeping? Statics say no. Research has shown that homeowners who have active monitoring on their alarm systems are 40% more likely to actually set and use their alarm systems compared to homeowners without working alarm monitoring.

7. Did your DIY alarm system come with window decals and yard signs from a recognizable company? Career burglars are more daring to test alarm systems, but opportunist burglars will look yard signs and decals to know if they should skip a home and move onto an easier target. We live in a branded world. It's easy to tell the difference between a large national yard sign like Monitronics or ADT's and one that you bought at Wal-Mart.

8. How much did the DIY alarm system cost? Your initial out of pocket expenses will end up running around $100-$400 dollars depending on the product type and amount of products you purchase for DIY installation. Did you know there are several large national alarm companies that will provide you with a free alarm system and install it for you in exchange for paying a monitoring service fee monthly and paying this fee for a few years like you would with your cell phone? It might seem scary but if you own your home and plan on staying for a few years it's well worth the cost. Plus, you can move your system with you or sell it to the next home buyer.

9. What did your insurance company say when you told them you installed your own alarm system and wanted an insurance discount? They probably told you to send them an insurance certificate from your alarm company. These certificates are signed and verified by security alarm dealers to ensure that consumers don't take advantage of their insurance company. That is a 15-20% home insurance deduction you are missing out on.

10. What about all the advanced security options available to consumers today? DIY systems offer little in the way of monitoring or real security protection, let alone great modern features such as alarm text and email notifications, remote arm/ disarm features, keypads with weather alerts, and the ability to control your homes energy and lighting controls from anywhere in the world. Today's alarm system does a lot more than keep the bad guys out.

Smart shoppers know that getting a deal comes with some research and conviction to ask for a deal with the company you've decided on. Instead of taking the DIY route, research several local alarm companies than decide on 1 or 2 that you would like to ask for a deal from. Most dealers will work with you on the money aspect to earn your business. So instead of spending your Sunday fighting to get an alarm system installed then being disappointed when you've paid money for a system that is useless without monitoring, how about you let the pros do it for you then take a trip with the family where you can practice arming and disarming your system on your smart phone.