The greatest danger facing every homeowner who tries to put together a home security system will come in many cases from within.  That is, whether through carelessness or overindulgence, you may miss the key elements essential to establishing sound security in your home.  As is the case in may areas of life, a dispassionate view of things will often yield valuable insight.  Put another way, thinking outside of yourself for a little while will prove effective in home security planning.  Here are the five key elements of any security plan that is going to work.

1. The right home alarm.  There is no use skirting around the most pressing issue, that being the home alarm itself.  While it might be tempting to go with a free alarm in order to be eligible for some savings in the monitoring department, you’ll end up doing yourself a disservice on both counts.  The alarms will definitely not be the smartest on the market and the monitoring plan will tend to be overpriced.  Survey the needs of your home and don’t be afraid to spend the money.

2. A system that is easy to use.  With technology, usually the best products are the easiest to use.  With a home security system, you’ll want everyone in the family to be able to operate it, so getting a smart system will be a valuable investment.  Intimidation on any level is one of the things you are trying to avoid with a security plan.  Let that concept apply on every level of the equation.

3. The right monitoring service.  Monitoring plans can be complicated to understand and the terms tricky.  Frankly, you should simplify things and focus on the service with the best track record.  In other words, do they have a history of power failures or poor communication with clients?  Get the statistics which are available and have them independently verified.  The best monitoring services have command centers scattered in different regions.

4. A strong backbone.  Putting together the right security plan is like fielding a good sports team.  You need the potential for a big impact and a strong core to back it up.  Your alarm system will do some of the most advanced work, but your locks and window protection will do the heavy lifting.  Make sure your doors and windows have the strength to withstand the brute force your alarm itself cannot stop.  

5. Get a little help from some friends.  Unless you have a person on hand to report to the security company and/or police, all your work may have been for naught.  Join the neighborhood watch program and familiarize yourself with at least one family near you who can help you out in a time of need.  Offer your own services in return and keep your end of the bargain.