For better peace of mind, think about investing in a professionally installed alarm system, even home video alarm systems. Burglar alarm systems come in many shapes and styles. Prices range from a low hundreds to several thousand dollars. The more you spend, the more features you have. Just installing the alarm is not the end, you will probably have a monthly monitoring fee. This should be taken into account when you deciding on what type of a system works best for you. Most home alarm systems includes a combination of the following components.

What are perimeter sensors? These consist of photo cells or magnetic contacts on doors and windows that resonate an alarm when a trespasser tries to get inside your home. Perimeter sensors are installed on two points, such as the door jamb and the door itself. Photo cell sensors are set off when something passes through a beam of light projected flanked by the two points. Magnetic sensors are activated when the contact is broken between the two magnetized points such as the door jamb and the door.

Heat and motion sensors are an important part of all systems. You can use heat and motion detectors to guard specific spaces in or outside your home. Heat detectors respond to body temperatures. Motion sensors detect movement. If you have an indoor pet, then the placement of the motion sensor needs to be considered.

Glass breakage detectors can be found as part of some systems. These devices recognize the sound of cracking glass. They activate the alarm when they sense breaking glass in a window or door. If your home is pre-wired for this, then the cost for installation is less. It could be considered overkill.

What about keypads? One or more keypads allow you to turn the system on and off. My first alarm system had only one keypad because I thought that was all I needed. Well, if you live in a 2 story home and the keypad is downstairs and your bedroom is upstairs, well you get the picture.

I want an audible alarm that will pierce the ear drums of the would be thief. A piercing alarm also lets your neighbors know of the situation. And it lets the burglar know he's been noticed, meaning he'll probably leave your house in a hurry. Some cities have implemented rules regarding the alarm sounds so be sure to check the code.

For several reasons, you can get a false alarm such as forgetting to reset the keypad after coming in. You want to remember that false alarms can be a problem. In addition to irritating the neighbors and pulling the police away from real emergencies, some communities now levy fines for excessive false alarms. In fact, you may have to pay a yearly fee just to have your alarm in your home. The National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association reports that almost 80 percent of false alarms are caused by the home owner error.