alarm for home

home security system houston

Put simply: If you want the freedom to lock/unlock your door or turn on/off the lights all in one place from the Abode app, this system is definitely worth a look. Installing the Ring Alarm took less than twenty minutes and was a complete breeze. We didn’t encounter any issues with device connectivity or placement, because, frankly, Ring tells you exactly where to install everything and how to do it on the app. You’ll start by connecting your WiFi to the base station via the Ring app — from there, Ring instructs you to pull the plastic tabs off the backs of the contact sensors and motion detectors, which automatically activates the products for use. You can customize your settings for each device within the app, including how sensitive you want your motion detector to be and how often you want to receive alerts for every time someone opens or closes the door. If you’re not already aware by now, your jurisdiction may require you to obtain a permit in order to operate a professionally monitored alarm system. Before we could even find the right spot to place the base station, Ring notified us that our area Charlotte Mecklenburg required a permit for use. Ring gives you a seven day grace period to decide what type of monitoring you want and to receive a permit number. In some cases, police won’t respond to a call from a monitoring center without a permit number. Fines for false alarms could also be pretty hefty they reach up to $500 in Charlotte, for example. The plastic itself feels cheaper than its Nest competitor, but Ring claims the base station is “smash proof” it’ll still call authorities in a beaten state.

home security packages

Want complete wireless supremacy over the lights in your home?The Philips Hue line delivers with bulbs that let you control not only the intensity of the light, but also the color. It can get pricey, to be sure, but the Hue ecosystem has been around long enough that it works with just about every other system out there, from Alexa, to IFTTT, to Siri using the Philips Hue Bridge. Not interested in colorful lights but still want that incredible granular control over an all white bulb?Philips has the Hue White coming in at an almost bargain price, at least for smart bulbs. It even has bulbs you can use outdoors. One of the best things about SimpliSafe is that it's a completely configurable system, with five packages available. On the high end there's the Haven package $489. 86, which comes with 14 hardware components including the base station, a wireless keypad, a keychain remote, two motion sensors, four door/window entry sensors, a panic button, a 105 decibel siren, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, water and freeze sensors, and a SimpliSafe yard sign and window decals. The least expensive Foundation pack $229. 96, which is designed for small homes and focuses solely on basic home security, includes the base station, a wireless keypad, one motion sensor, one entry sensor, and the yard sign and decals. If you want to add one or more SimpliCam security cameras the system supports up to four, they're $99 each. And the Video Doorbell Pro is an integrated 1080p smart doorbell with camera that you can add for $169.