Home is the place your family feels safest—or, at least, it’s supposed to be. With property crime rates on the rise across the nation, however, it’s clear that locks and window contacts are no longer enough to keep your home safe. The best-prepared homes are often those with personalized video surveillance security systems.
Choosing the Right System for Your Home
A well-designed home video surveillance system can offer real-time visibility and proactive crime deterrence, but choosing the right system requires careful consideration. For example, what devices best suit your home’s layout? What’s your total budget? What risks are most pressing to your family?
A strategically implemented video surveillance system will do more than just record events after they happen—it will help prevent incidents from occurring in the first place.
How to Build Your Video Surveillance System
1. Assess Your Home’s Security Needs
The first step in designing video surveillance security systems should always be identifying the top priorities. Begin by evaluating the size of your home and property. A larger area will probably need additional cameras to cover all of its entry points, while a smaller home could get by with just a few strategically placed devices.
Next, consider what threats concern you most, such as break-ins, package theft, or vandalism. The types of threats in your area will determine the best cameras and additional security devices to use. Most homeowners are most concerned about safety, which necessitates a more proactive approach. Features like mobile accessibility and instant alerts can help stop in-progress threats rather than simply recording them.
2. Choose Your Ideal Cameras and Features
Not all security cameras are created equal, and modern advancements have created even more diversity in surveillance technology. When selecting security cameras for your home, consider these key factors:
- Camera type: Weather-resistant cameras monitor entry points from outside, while indoor cameras keep tabs on critical indoor spaces. Wireless options are more flexible, while hardwired cameras are typically more reliable.
- Video quality: Depending on your needs, high-definition footage (at least 1080p) can help capture crucial details like facial features and license plates.
- Night vision: Cameras with infrared or color night vision provide better visibility in low-light conditions. For overnight surveillance (especially outdoors), low-light visibility is crucial.
- Two-way audio: This feature allows you to communicate with visitors or warn off potential intruders straight from your mobile device—and you don’t even need to be at home to do it.
- Motion detection: Modern devices like the XV Gateway can reliably distinguish between typical activity and actual threats. When unusual activity is detected, you’re kept in the loop with real-time notifications.
- Smart home integration: Video surveillance security systems can be synced with alarms, lights, and locks for an additional layer of security and convenience.
3. Optimize Camera Placement for Complete Coverage
Placing cameras in the right locations is just as important as the cameras themselves. Here are a few of the most critical areas to cover:
The front door, which is the most common entry point
Back and side doors, which are often targeted by burglars
Driveways and garages, where vehicles and tools are kept
Backyards and fences, where trespassers may cross the perimeter
Common areas that experience the highest volume of foot traffic
Blind spots, including any areas not visible from your doors or windows
By carefully planning placement, you can create a surveillance system that provides full visibility throughout your home’s interior and exterior.
4. Finish With Smart Technology and Professional Monitoring
While a video surveillance security system may not be enough to prevent crime alone, the right technology can help deter and identify incidents before they escalate. Modern AI-driven motion detection can distinguish between normal activity and potential threats, reducing false alarms and alerting you in time to call on an emergency response.
Live monitoring services from a trusted security partner can elevate your security further with a professional approach. Finally, additional features like motion-activated lighting and sirens can deter trespassers before they have a chance to do harm.
Why Professional Installation and Monitoring Matter
While DIY security systems come with certain benefits—convenience and cost savings, for instance—they often leave gaps in coverage, blind spots in camera angles, and a lack of response capabilities when an incident actually occurs. A professional approach, on the other hand, offers advantages in strategy, speed, and overall effectiveness. With an expert dispatch team monitoring your alarms, you can rest knowing help is always close at hand.
For more than 50 years, PEAK Alarm has provided homeowners across the Mountain West with customized security solutions. Unlike off-the-shelf products, PEAK designs surveillance systems to fit each home’s unique layout and risk factors. With 24/7 professional monitoring, smart home integration, and expert installation, you can enjoy the peace of mind that only comes from sound security.
Build Your Video Surveillance Security System With PEAK
Your home’s security is too important to leave to chance. With expert guidance, cutting-edge technology, and seamless installation, PEAK Alarm makes it easy to build the perfect surveillance system for your home. Schedule your free consultation today.
Protect what matters most to you. Contact PEAK Alarm today.