I was reading an article the other day discussing why home security systems don’t work. The article in question was written to sell fortified, ballistic doors as a better alternative to electronic home security. Its author went to great lengths to ‘prove’ that home security systems do not work because burglaries and home invasions still occur. I was confused by his logic, but even more so when he quoted research proving that home security acts as a deterrent. So do home security systems really work, or not?
Fortunately, I did not immediately give up on the article. Continuing to read led me to a full and logical explanation of why the author believed home security systems don’t work. Here’s the answer in its simplest form: homeowners don’t use their security systems properly.
A Failure to Arm
A home security system only works if it is armed at appropriate times. So if you leave the house and do not arm the system, it’s not going to help you. That is just common sense. Unfortunately, a failure to arm is not an unusual circumstance, and it happens more frequently than you might imagine.
Along those same lines, another thing to consider is the fact that homeowners may have a lot of problems with false alarms because their systems are too sensitive. Rather than fix the sensitivity issue, they simply stop arming their systems. An unarmed system is one that doesn’t work.
Poorly Placed Video Cameras
Yet another issue with home security systems is how and where people place their cameras. Video cameras are the most effective as deterrents when they are mounted in locations that are both easily seen and still out of reach. Criminals do not like cameras because video feeds provide evidence.
It makes no sense to invest in video cameras and have all of them inside the house. You need at least one or two outside. Vivint Smart Home says the best place to install an exterior camera is somewhere on the front of the house where it provides a clear view of the front door.
First-Floor Vulnerabilities
Moving on down the list brings us to first-floor vulnerabilities. Let’s say a homeowner arms the front door with a heavy duty dead bolt and a door sensor. He also has a video camera pointing directly at it. But let us also say that none of the windows are protected with window sensors. The rear door is completely unprotected. It is not armed with a door sensor and there is no video camera covering it. It is fully vulnerable at all times.
Leaving the windows and rear door unprotected creates easy entry points for any burglar smart enough to figure out his opportunity. How would he figure it out? Seeing a camera at the front door but nothing else on the exterior is a pretty strong indication that the rear door or windows might be vulnerable.
Overall Lax Security
Tying everything together is generally lax security procedures. It is one thing to invest in a home security system with the attitude that it is just one tool in a much larger arsenal. It’s another thing to install a system and rely on it exclusively to keep you safe. People who tend to have that attitude also tend to have overall lax security procedures.
A home security system is an effective tool for deterring crime, getting police on scene faster, and generating evidence. But it is only as effective as the homeowner behind it. When a home security system doesn’t work, it is usually not the system itself. It is the homeowner’s actions.
