Page 38 - Kiplinger's Personal Finance - November 2018

resistant cellular network an hour. You’ll generally
■ SIMPLISAFE to send alerts. Most are place sensors on doors and
MONITORING IS
$25 A MONTH AND also connected to a profes- windows and other areas
DOESN’T REQUIRE sional service that will con- of your home and connect
A LONG-TERM tact the authorities about the system’s hub—which
CONTRACT.
an emergency, such as a controls and communicates
break-in or fire. You can with those sensors—to an
expect to pay $25 to $60 a electrical outlet and your
month for that service, but, home’s Wi-Fi network.
unlike in the past, many With a professionally
companies don’t require a monitored system, you may
long-term contract. And qualify for a 5% to 20% dis-
some home security compa- count on your home owners
nies allow you to forgo pro- insurance premium. Some
fessional monitoring. That insurers offer a small dis-
will reduce your monthly count to homeowners with
cost, but you’ll be on your a self-monitoring system.
own when it comes to act- If you’re looking for a
ing on alerts. reliable but flexible setup
that you can install yourself,
Smarter systems. Many your best bets are SIMPLISAFE,
of the new security sys- which starts at $230 for
TECH tems still come with a wall- the Foundation kit, and the
mounted keypad, but they essential kit from ABODE,
Peace of Mind can also be controlled using In both cases, you select
which also starts at $230.
an app on your smartphone.
a kit that includes window
Most can also communi-
for a Dollar a Day cate with Alexa or Google and door sensors, motion
Home devices as well as
detectors and a hub to con-
trol the system. From there,
other smart-home tech-
nologies, such as smart
locks, lights and thermo- you can select additional
components, such as a secu-
New home security systems are affordable,
stats. Once everything’s rity camera or water sensors
versatile and easy to install. connected, you can in- to detect a leak or flood.
struct your security system Neither company requires
to complete several tasks you to have your system
at once, such as lowering monitored, but both offer
NOT SO LONG AGO, HOME can alert you to all sorts the temperature and turn- the service for an additional
security systems were the of threats, from a carbon ing off lights when you go cost. Abode’s round-the-
domain of deep-pocketed monoxide leak to a furnace to bed. clock monitoring plan
homeowners in upscale on the fritz. They can also Before buying a system, costs $30 a month, and
neighborhoods. But you help you keep track of the check how the equipment Simpli Safe’s full-fledged
no longer have to spend a comings and goings of is installed, the type of plan costs $25 a month.
lot of money to protect your people in your home—a technology it uses to com- With both plans, you can
property and belongings. teenager or your dog walker, municate with you or the control the system with
New wireless home for example—and advise service provider, and the your smartphone and re-
security systems are less you when someone opens, monitoring plans that are ceive video recordings from
expensive, easier to install say, a drawer with valuables available to keep an eye security cameras in your
and more portable than or the liquor cabinet. on your home. Many com- home. Both systems pair
COURTESY SIMPLISAFE based predecessors. In addi- Wi-Fi network to commu- cian to install the system, KAITLIN PITSKER
Most systems use your
their hardwired, landline-
with Amazon’s Alexa,
panies will send a techni-
Google Home and other
smart-home devices.
nicate with devices inside
but you may be able to in-
tion to notifying authorities
stall today’s wireless sys-
about a break-in or other
your home, but they use
tems yourself in less than
a more reliable and tamper-
emergency, these systems
kpitsker@kiplinger.com
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