There are many reasons that people choose renting over owning their own home. Often it is for convenience or it could be for temporary housing when moving to a new location or it could just be the cost. Whatever the reason it does not mean that you have to do without a dependable security system that you can purchase and control yourself.
The problem with home security systems is that they normally require some type of drilling or wiring that will get you in trouble with your landlord. However new wireless home security systems can be used in apartments by using easy stick contacts that won’t cause you to lose your security deposit.
Choosing an Apartment Alarm System
The first thing that you should remember is that any system you purchase should allow you to take it with you when you move. This means it should be of the same type that monitoring companies support and that Alarm businesses normally install.
To find out what brands are supported will take a few phone calls or trips to alarm company websites however GE, ADEMCO (Honeywell) and DSC are pretty popular manufacturers.
Most of the systems will have similar features and you will find that many systems will accept parts from different manufacturers.
Wireless vs Wired vs Hybrid Alarm Systems
If you are renting a home or a town house then you may want to look at a system that gives you the choice between wired and wireless point of contact devices.
Wired devices often do not require battery power. This is true for window and door contacts. Also you will find wired contacts cost about 30% of the cost of wireless devices.
Wired devices also mean that your devices are physically connected to the control center.
Wireless devices come in a full range of types but they do require that you install batteries and maintain them. If your home requires a large number of wireless devices then you should invest in rechargeable batteries. Lithium batteries are very good but NiMH batteries are a minimum you do not want to use NiCad batteries because they do not last very long and they do not recharge well.
Choosing A Monitoring Company
There are a number of companies that will monitor your alarm system for a monthly cost between $10 and $50. The features each company provides will vary as will your addon options.
One nice addon is the ability to monitor your home from your cellphone or an internet connected computer.
You can normally add more then one monitoring telephone number so in the event of a problem you can have your alarm monitoring company called .. You can also have your cellphone called and the police or fire departments independently. You could also have an ambulance company called or just 911.
A new feature is monitoring egress to the home.. this means when your child or husband you are watching comes home from school or work and opens the door you will get an Email or cellphone notification. It will record all access to the premiss.
Remote and captured video monitoring is also available by adding a wireless video camera.
The options you have are not limited but you must make sure that all of your devices will work together. Most parts will be compatible if you stick with major manufacturers.
Final Note
Choosing the right product and monitoring service will take a little research but this is also a good way to save money by better understanding what you are buying.
Wireless devices are fine for every install .. from large homes to apartments but a hybrid system will give you the benefits of each type if you plan on moving and would rather not need to replace batteries on every device in a larger home.
Positioning your motion detectors correctly can provide you full security and there are a few different types of motion detectors with larger areas of detection, animal friendly devices (don’t normally work so well) and ones that are highly sensitive.
If you live in an apartment and can cover the points of entry with a wireless motion detector then setup will only take about two hours .. if you need to install more devices expect 15 minutes per device.
So just because you are in an apartment does not mean you can’t install a quality system for under $500 and migrate it to a town house or home if you move or simply take it with you to your next apartment.