It is no secret that DIY has taken the home security market by storm. Thanks to wireless systems that are as easy to install as a new Wi-Fi router, consumers are more confident than ever in their own abilities. That is not necessarily a bad thing. But there is still a lot to be said about professional installation, including the fact that professional installation techs possess a body of knowledge that most homeowners do not.
Vivint Home Security offers free professional installation for every system they sell, including their new HomeProtect systems. Free installation is one of the ways the company promotes home security affordability. From their perspective, proper installation goes well beyond knowing how to use a drill and understanding home networks.
To illustrate the point, here are five key things a professional installation technician knows – but you probably don’t:
1. When Most Burglaries Occur
We have been conditioned by Hollywood to believe that burglars usually strike at night. Professional installation technicians know that the opposite is actually true: most burglaries occur during the middle of the day, when houses are empty.
This tells installation techs to place motion sensors and camera triggers on what the industry refers to as ‘commuter routes’. These are the paths homeowners normally take as they enter and leave their homes. They are the same paths burglars take.
2. Where Burglars Look for Valuables
Did you know that the first room that burglars target is the master bedroom? Most people don’t. Yet that is the reality. Smart burglars know that the master bedroom is where they will find things like cash, jewelry, weapons, and expensive electronics.
Armed with this knowledge, home security techs know enough not to install a home security hub in the master bedroom where it can be quickly found and disabled. They know to put motion sensors in the vicinity of the master bedroom door. They know to advise customers to hide their valuables in more boring places, like laundry rooms and pantries.
3. Second Floor Windows Are in Play
Most people understand that first-floor windows and doors are primary access points. But they fail to understand that second-floor windows are still in play. They are in play because homeowners don’t usually go to great lengths to secure them.
What does this tell a professional home security installer? To put entry and broken glass sensors on second-floor windows. If a second-floor window is accessible via a tree, patio furniture, or any other means, it should be equipped with a sensor.
4. Location Can Render Cameras Useless
Next, professional technicians understand that with cameras, placement is everything. Poor placement can render a camera useless. For example, a professional will not install cameras where they are likely going to be blocked by vegetation once winter turns to spring and summer. They will not install cameras at an angle that could render them useless because of sun glare.
5. Network Passwords Are a Huge Vulnerability
Finally, although Wi-Fi jamming is technically possible, it is not a real-world reality. The biggest concern with wireless home security is the common password. Professional technicians know this, which is why they encourage customers to change router passwords using a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Homeowners should never operate their routers with default usernames and passwords programmed at the factory. Those defaults can easily be found online.
DIY home security installation is an option. But professional installation still has a lot going for it. Letting the pros install a new security system is something to at least think about.
