Photo courtesy of Preston Mack
OVERVIEW
True, that's what security systems do, but they can also add a new dimension of convenience and comfort to a new home if you plan appropriately. Sure, you can still buy a basic burglar alarm for your home (it's an economical choice), and it can be installed in a couple of hours. But thanks to new innovations, many security systems can do so much more. Systems can now control the temperature and lighting of a home, based on predefined security conditions. For example, when a security system is armed, it could also shut off certain lights and lower the thermostats. Of course, the more components that are controlled by a security system, the more carefully you'll need to design those features into your home.
Planning Issues
What You Need to Consider
• Compatibility In order for a security system to communicate with and control non-security components like lights and thermostats, it needs to be compatible with those components. In other words, every device needs to speak the same language. Many security systems, for example, utilize a communications technology called powerline carrier transmission (also known as X10) to speak with other X10-compliant devices. • 24-Hour Monitoring For around $24 a month, you can have a trained professional dispatch the appropriate emergency services based on alerts he/she receives from your home's security system. Know how many sensors the subscription covers. You may have to pay extra, depending on how many sensors will be installed in your home.
Add-Ons
Security doesn't stop at a security system. Other technologies that function independently of a security system can add extra layers of protection.
Closed-circuit TV systems, for example, enable homeowners to visually inspect their homes and property as easily as tuning the TV to a special security channel. CCTV cameras, of which there are a wide variety of models (color, black-and-white, wireless, etc.), transmit images of the backyard, the patio, the front door, the living room, and anywhere else you aim one, to a modulator. The modulator assigns each camera to an unused channel of your home's cable TV system.
Get an even bigger bang for the buck by linking CCTV cameras to a remote monitoring system that feeds the pictures to a secure Web site.
Complement visual surveillance with an intercom system that lets you speak with the people you see at your front door.
Installation Issues
Your Builder, Landscaper and Security Pro In order for a security system to be most effective, it should appear inconspicuous. This means blending it into the architecture and design of a home, a task that involves the expertise of both your homebuilder and the installer of the security system. Each door and window on the first floor of the home should be rigged with a magnetic contact. If the door and window frames are wooden, these contacts can usually be drilled into the woodwork to render them invisible. Also consider securing all bedroom windows on the upper levels of the house.
Let your builder know what type of interior motion sensors you might be using. That way, he can select paint to match the sensor. Exterior motion sensors can be rendered less conspicuous through clever placement and design of the home's architectural details. A junction box that resembles an intercom, when recessed into the wall adjacent to the front door, for example, can house a small motion detector and/or camera.
The most common areas for surveillance cameras are the foyer, the front door, children's bedrooms, and the backyard. Make sure your builder and landscaper know where you plan to mount the cameras, as windows and trees can interfere with their picture-taking abilities.
There are basically three ways of procuring a security system for your new home: through your builder, through a professional security installer, or from a home systems installer. Many builders offer security systems as either a standard feature or an optional upgrade. They usually package them with a number of sensors, keypads and possibly cameras, and have their low-voltage contractor install the system. Security installers specialize in the installation of security systems, while home systems installers are knowledgeable about all aspects of a home-security, lighting control, heating/cooling control, audio/video systems, etc. If you'd like your security system to interact with other electronic components of the house, a home systems installer is probably the best man for the job.
