Hiring a home security system service is one of the most effective methods of ensuring that your home is safe from any burglars. But, is home security actually this expensive per month? The cost of home security systems varies greatly and on average they cost $30 to $50 per month. But these costs are likely to differ depending on the kind of provider, equipment, and other features you are eager to have. In this guide, all the variables that cause the monthly cost of home security will be analyzed to help you determine how much protection is affordable.

Base Monthly Fee Every home security company may have a starting monthly rate, which includes basic home monitoring services, rental fees for equipment, cellular backup, new software, and customer care. This monthly fee usually ranges between twenty to sixty dollars and is based on your provider and equipment package. The multiple tiers include cheaper basic packages and some more expensive and sophisticated monitoring services available at higher monthly rates. Some of the popular companies in the industry that often charge these relatively higher monthly monitoring fees include Vivint, ADT, Brinks Home Security, and Front Point with monthly charges that begin at $45. Companies that target consumers with more affordable prices include SimpliSafe and Cove whose fees range from $15 to $25 monthly. One should also always consider false advertising of being free or having no additional charges and also the true monthly charges between companies.

Amounts charged for renting home security equipment The vast majority of home security services allow you to lease your devices since you don’t have to buy all the equipment outright. This one is similar to the previous point where instead of owning the equipment, the user pays monthly rentals for equipment such as control panels, motion sensors, cameras, smoke detectors, and other security equipment. They attract between $3 to $10 per device, which translates into additional expenses on your monthly statements. The fact is that if you use more security devices and their components, your monthly rental costs for the equipment will be greater. There are those companies that incorporate equipment charges to the basic price of monitoring while others display these charges in a distinct form. Don’t be blinded by promises of low monthly service charges, make sure you consider the total cost including hidden charges.

Extra Monitoring Services Additional monitoring services could be bundled to your basic home security system, at an extra cost of a monthly fee per service. For instance, most service providers in this industry provide video monitoring upgrades that enable professionals to physically monitor the alarmed area through webcams installed in homes. Such an upgrade, for instance, may require $10 per month to provide the advanced services. Additional cellular or wireless connectivity enhancements make it possible for your system to keep working during Internet and power outages; these features cost about $10 per month more than the basic options. You also have the options to add a glass break sensor for $5/month per device, temperature monitoring for $5/month per location, flood/freeze detector for $10/month per device, panic button for $6/month per device, and non-emergency medical monitoring services at $12/month per service.

Contract Length and Terms The duration of the contract, as well as the terms offered, play a role in determining how much you would be expected to pay for home security every month. Brinks and Frontpoint are some of the few homewares companies that provide contracts with a term of not less than three years. You can get a contract that spans several months and while this will cost you more to terminate early, it means that your monthly tariff will not change throughout the period specified in the contract. On the other hand, DIY providers offer much more flexible contracts – SimpliSafe, for instance, allows for canceling the service without any fees at any time. However, the reason they need to go month to month is that they end up paying more per month for the utilities. While deciding on the home security packages, consider the period that it takes before the user can terminate the package as well as the charges involved in canceling before the agreed time and the charges for the packages. Low monthly prices can also be disadvantageous since they may lead to a higher total amount when you have to terminate your contract in the middle of the agreed year.

Home Automation Upgrades Modern smart home security systems are equipped with sophisticated home automation solutions that allow for regulating the use of smart lights, thermostats, and smart locks with a smartphone and a security system. When you include home automation improvements, your monthly bills are going to increase in the region of $10 to $30 for each smart object. So if you want the ability to set your schedule for your home’s features, then you must be prepared to pay a little extra each month. Home automation services are entirely optional though and you can simply settle for basic monitoring and avoid that extra money if those services are not necessary to you.

Professional 24/7 Monitoring with Do-It-Yourself Activation An idea of how one can keep the costs of home security low is to select a firm that will provide monitoring services by professionals but will not compel you to commit to paying for long-term services. Companies such as SimpliSafe and Cove allow you to self-monitor your home using plug-and-play products while also offering you the ability to pay monthly for professional monitoring of your home. This DIY plus monitoring model is a bit of both and is very flexible and thanks to this monthly costs are approximately $25 per month. You don’t have to spend on expensive equipment because of professional installation and can terminate monitoring services at any time.

Local Home Security Companies It is for this reason that subscribing to local home security firms could be cheaper financially than going for the giant national firms. Local companies have little overhead and it is common for them to have special promotions for first-time homeowners in their area. The only thing you should ensure is that any local company you outsource for the monitoring of your emergency should boast of how efficient they are in responding to such incidences and also the customer satisfaction they offer. If you already have a good working relationship with, say, an electrical contractor or an AV specialist, it would be wise to consult with them about purchasing home security systems from a reliable local security provider and if this is possible would be more economical.

Cost Analysis of a Home Security System quick breakdown of what goes into calculating typical monthly home security rates:

  • Base monitoring fee: They range from $20 to $60.
  • Equipment rental: Their cost ranges between $3 and $10 depending on the type of device that is being targeted.
  • Cellular/WiFi monitoring: It may not be more than $10 per month.
  • Professional video monitoring: Let the cost per household be $10 per month.

Home automation costs: Between $10 and $30 per smart device

So a mid-level package with equipment rental fees, cellular backup monitoring, cameras, two smart home devices, and professional monitoring would end up costing roughly: 

  • $40 base fee
  • $15 equipment rental
  • $10 cellular monitoring
  • $10 video monitoring
  • $20 home automation = $95 per month

This is a general breakdown of the costs to give you a feel of how much it would be for budget-minded or high-end home security based on everything in your system.

Key Takeaways: Aspects to Bear in Mind when Selecting Monthly Home Security Cost Home security systems come with a monthly fee that the user has to pay every month throughout the time of using the system. However, there are various strategies available that can help one cut down his/her monthly spending if one has a low budget.

Start by considering these key questions:

  • If you have to ask do you need to have professional monitoring or is it enough to have equipment that you monitor yourself at set times?
  • Is it good to establish long-term agreements for potentially lower costs or do you like options? Be very careful while signing a contract because sometimes they contain certain hidden charges like additional fees for the services or penalties in case the client wants to terminate the service before the contract period is over.
  • Is it worth having smart home features when it is associated with higher monthly equipment charges and monitoring fees?
  • Is it possible to have both – attractive pricing through DIY installation and professional monitoring through third-party providers?

Spend some time and consider these factors because investing your time will result in the benefit of saving your money together with getting the right home security protection plan regarding your budget. It is also a good strategy to conduct ongoing assessments of the requirements for various types of equipment, contract specifications, and providers’ costs, to gain the highest savings in the long run.

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