Home alarm systems are no longer only available as hardwired products that require hundreds of dollars in equipment purchased with long contracts. Modern home security systems are available with monthly plans with wireless technology monitored and operated through a cellphone app.
The cost of a home alarm system ranges from $10 – $53 per month for live monitoring from widely available brands with and without a contract. Installation is often free but can cost up to $199.
Modern security alarm systems are very customizable and also offer protection for problems inside the home like fire, smoke, flooding, and CO2 detection and can also provide medical monitoring services.
Home Security Alarm Overview
Back in the day, a home security alarm worked through your home phone line, involved a multi year contract, required you to buy hundreds of dollars in equipment and was professionally installed at a high cost. It typically covered the doors in and out of your house and perhaps the windows.
Modern home alarm systems have many more options, are far more technologically advanced, are wireless and can be operated through your cellphone remotely. A central station monitors your home to alert you when an alarm is triggered and can then send help if required. Self monitored alarms are available too.
Home Security Alarm Options
Various paid services are available from home alarm companies. Some are bundled in packages and some are adds-on that may require a small equipment purchase such as a sensor. Here are some common monitored security options that home security companies offer you, whether a home owner or renter:
Monitored Home Alarm System
The standard home alarm system is a monitored one that protects against break-ins through doors and windows. Through the use of a combination of motion detectors, door sensors, window sensors, glass break sensors, security cameras, doorbell cameras and more, the modern alarm system will alert you and the alarm company when an alarm is triggered.
The benefit of a monitored home alarm system is that you have the security company keeping an eye on your home 24/7 whether you are in the home or not. Depending on your chosen security company, they will first call you to ensure you are okay. Depending on your response or lack thereof, they may either send their own security staff to visit your home or call the police, fire, or ambulance service for help depending on the situation.
An unmonitored system requires you to do the monitoring yourself which is difficult to accomplish when you’re not home. And if you are home during a break-in, you might be occupied with a burglar (or worse) and not have the ability to call police yourself. If you’re having a medical emergency, you may also not be able to request help.
Cost: Typically monthly prices range from $10 – $52.99/month for monitored security service, with or without a contract. Some services require paid installation whereas others are free. Equipment costs vary and add-ons like CO2 detectors, smoke detectors, water sensors and other features may come with a package or be a separate charge.
Fire Detection
A monitored smoke detector not only warns residents inside the house about a potential fire but also lets the alarm company know, regardless of whether you’re home or not at the time. A regular smoke detector inside a house when no one is home does nothing since the alarm goes off and nothing else happens. If there is a fire, you have to rely on someone seeing the fire or smoke to call the fire department.
A monitored smoke detection system protects not only your home but the people inside as well should a fire break out in the middle of the night when everyone is in bed.
Cost: Typically offered by certain companies as part of a package. You might need to buy individual sensors or they may be included in the package price.
Carbon Monoxide Detection
If you have anything in your home that burns gas, oil, paper or wood, you are producing carbon monoxide (CO2). A CO2 detector saves lives just like a smoke detector but since CO2 has no smell, it’s often referred to as the silent killer.
If you have anything in your home with an open flame, you are also at risk of CO2. A furnace, stove, boiler, water heater, lantern, cooker, or fireplace can produce dangerous carbon monoxide. A car engine that is running produces CO2 as does a small engine from a gas lawnmower or snowblower.
We have become more aware of the dangers of CO2
to the point where it is now law to have CO2 detectors along with smoke detectors inside most residences. A monitored alarm takes things one step further: If you have a CO2 leak in your home and can’t respond, the alarm company acts as a back up to step in should you not respond to an alarm call.
Cost: Typically offered by certain companies as part of a package. You might need to buy individual CO2 detectors or they may be included in the package price.
Cold Detection
Do you live in a cold weather environment that gets freezing weather in winter? If so, a monitored alarm that triggers when temperatures fall below a certain level can protect against a furnace or heater breakdown when you are away from home. Sub zero temperatures can not only be uncomfortable when you arrive home, but if you are away for the night or longer, freezing pipes can burst and flood the basement.
Having arrived home from vacation in January to a broken furnace two years in a row I can speak from experience. Fortunately the breakdown seemed in both cases to have only recently happened as the house was cold but not freezing and the pipes were intact when I arrived home.
Cost: Typically offered by certain companies as part of a package. You might need to buy individual temperature sensors or they may be included in the package price.
Heat Detection
When the temperature in a home reaches a very high level in a short period of time, it may indicate a fire. If the home is empty at the time, a fire may not be noticed until the home is visibly on fire on the outside. If you are home at the time and don’t notice the fire, it can be life threatening. A monitored alarm that keeps an eye on an excessively high temperature can protect both the home and the people inside.
Cost: Typically offered by certain companies as part of a package. You might need to buy individual heat sensors or they may be included in the package price.
Flood Detection
Water Damage Defense says that the average cost of an insurance claim from home water damage is $6,965.
Freezing pipes in the winter aren’t the only thing that can cause a flood. A water pipe that bursts at any time of the year can cause flooding as can a toilet leak or a hose from a dishwasher or washing machine. You can often purchase water sensors to install around anything in your home that could potentially leak.
When I was 18 years old, I was at my parents house in the basement when suddenly in the other room where the pipes and water heater was, I heard a popping sound and a sudden rush of water. I opened the door leading into the room and saw a strong spray of water hitting the wall in several directions, coming from the rental water heater area.
We’d had the water company in only days earlier to replace a pipe and guess what? The welding seal wasn’t done properly and the water pressure broke through the weld and the pipe burst. I yelled to my dad and quickly turned the water supply off which was adjacent to the water heater. He was so mad at the company because had we not been home it could have flooded the basement.
Cost: Typically offered by certain companies as part of a package. You might need to buy individual water sensors or they may be included in the package price.
Medical Protection
With an aging population and people living longer, a monitored medical alarm system helps to protect in a number of different situations. An elderly parent who lives alone. A sick relative who is battling a disease. A handicapped child who is sometimes on their own. A person who suffers from dizzy spells and is prone to passing out. And many other scenarios.
Not only can a medical system give you or a loved one health protection, it can give you piece of mind when you need the help.
Cost: ADT offers Basic, Plus and On-The-Go medical monitoring packages for inside the home, backyard and away-from-home coverage for $29.99 – $39.99/month.
Real Home Alarm Prices
There are many home security alarm companies to choose from including both national ones and local ones that might be specific to your area. To give you an idea of what is available, here is a quick overview in table form to indicate starting costs to get you started for budgeting purposes.
| Company | Packages | Monthly Price | Installation Costs |
| Ring | Protect Plus | $10 | None |
| SimpliSafe | House, apartment or business | $14.99 with no contract | None |
| Vivint Smart Home | Smart Security and Smart Home Security | $29.99 – $39.99 | None |
| ADT | ADT Essentials, Total Protection and Premium Protection | $36.99 – $52.99 and up | $99 – $199 |
It’s important to remember that each company may offer its own benefits and options and may specialize in different parts of the market. Of the companies mentioned above, they are generally known in the market as follows:
Ring: As it’s an Amazon business, it’s widely associated with its Alexa compatibility and its popularity among people who get frequent Amazon deliveries and want to let the delivery driver drop the package inside the home.
SimpliSafe: Offers home, apartment and business options and given that it offers month to month plans with no installation fee, is known for being a solid home option that is cost effective.
Vivint Smart Home: Known for combining its smart home functionality with security functionality.
ADT: The most established and well-known name on the list with the longest track record.
Summary
- Modern home security alarm systems are easily available and customizable depending on what you require in terms of options and the type of dwelling you need to secure.
- Home alarm systems can secure your entire home from the outside but also offer options to protect the inside too from fire, smoke, CO2, flooding and more.
- Medical alarm systems are also widely available to protect people who need a monitoring for their health.
- Check out my article called Monitored vs Unmonitored Security System to learn more about the differences and why you’d consider one over the other.