Is a Do-It-Yourself Burglar Alarm a Good Investment?

Burglar alarms for residential protection have been around for decades. And just like today, the homeowners of decades past had the opportunity to purchase alarm systems with installation included or choose a do-it-yourself burglar alarm instead.

Back in the day, DIY systems did not have a lot going for them. We know that this is not the case today. In fact, we believe purchasing and installing a do-it-yourself burglar alarm in 2016 makes for a very sound investment in your home. And to make that case, we will explain why DIY burglar alarms were not a good idea 30 years ago compared to how things have changed for the better.

Alarm Systems Required Construction

Prior to the advent of wireless home security, installation of a home alarm required significant construction. This was not a problem on new builds, but a DIY installation in an existing home was a nightmare.

Things are different today. A do-it-yourself burglar alarm from Uxari can be installed in minutes without ever cutting into your walls. Everything runs on lithium-ion batteries, relying on wi-fi and cellular signals for communication.

Security Equipment Was Complicated

If you are old enough to remember the VHS machine, you are familiar with the fact that technology was terribly complicated 30 years ago. The same was true of DIY security equipment. If a homeowner could manage the construction involved with installation, he/she would probably be stumped by the programming aspects unless he/she had a formal education in electronics.

Today’s wireless systems are as simple as the average smartphone. If you can install an app for a ride-sharing service, you can certainly install the app associated with your security system. Then you set things up by following the on-screen prompts. Nothing could be simpler.

Home Monitoring Was Expensive

As with any other service in its infancy, home monitoring 30 years ago was comparatively expensive. Prices have come down as more people are choosing to have their security systems monitored.

What does this have to do with DIY home security? Well, 30 years ago it was difficult to establishing monitoring for a DIY system. Companies just didn’t want the hassle of dealing with equipment they didn’t install. That is not the case today. Here at Uxari, our customers have access to complete monitoring services even though our systems are DIY systems. Some customers even self-monitor.

Today’s Systems Can Learn

An advantage of today’s systems and one that did not exist 30 years ago is the ability of smart devices to learn. For example, if you combine an Uxari burglar alarm with some of our home automation equipment, you would wind up with a smart system capable of learning and adapting to your lifestyle patterns. How is that possible? Through GPS and other technologies.

For example, your thermostat can actually learn your patterns of being in and out of the house and self-adjust. You could not do that with the systems in place 30 years ago. First and foremost, the technology of the day was not capable of learning. Second, there were very few home automation options that could be deployed alongside security systems. From our point of view, that makes today’s security and home automation systems far superior.

You could make a case several decades ago that a do-it-yourself burglar alarm was not a wise investment. It is much harder to make that case today. DIY home security and automation is now just as reliable and functional as it was back then while also being more affordable and user-friendly. It should now be quite clear that you cannot go wrong when you go DIY.