When it comes to business security, we are quick to value its importance and understand that it is a necessary cost of doing business.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for home security, we often do not think of protecting our homes until after there has been a break in attempt or a threat in our local area.
Although a lot of homes do come with built in features and even home security systems, it is rare that they are used in the most efficient way, and we can even have some security habits or lack thereof which put us at risk.
Needless to say, regardless of the type of home security system you plan to install at your home, any additional security features or devices will help keep your home safe and deter burglars.
In this article, we will be looking at home security systems, some of the things that affect their costs, estimating costs and doing a summary of the industry, amongst other relevant information.
In this cost breakdown, we’ll cover:
- Home Security System Cost Variables
- Estimating a Home Security System Cost
- Home Security System Summary
What's in this Guide?
Factors Affecting Home Security System Costs
There are countless things that will affect the cost of a home security system, and no two cases are likely to be the same. We are going to look at a few different factors that will have an impact on your home security system costs.
This is not an exhaustive list, but hopefully will give a better idea of what to consider when looking into home security.
The Complexity of the Installation
As we alluded to above, there are a lot of different things that can come under a home security system and a lot of different moving pieces involved in fully protecting a home.
With this being said, it is hard to determine a generic price for a ‘home security system’ because every job is completely different and unique.
Let’s put this into context, a home with multiple entry points and three stories will be a lot more costly to install a home security system in than a one bed bedroom apartment.
The complexity of a home security system’s installation will have a massive impact on the overall cost, and it is something that homeowners should be aware of and consider when researching costs and pricing.
Home Security System Type
Due to the huge amount of components that can be part of a home security system the costs can be completely different for two separate homeowners.
For example, a home security system could include, but is not limited to, CCTV cameras, window alarms, door alarms, magnetic locks, keypad alarm, a doorbell camera, proximity sensors or lights, silent alarms, smartphone integrations and more.
It is hard to provide a blanket cost for a home security system when it covers a multitude of devices, technology and subsystems.
Doing your research and knowing the kind of system and features you are looking for in your home security system is important and will help you narrow down your costs and decide on the best things for you.
Home Location
It is fairly obvious, but depending on where your home is and the type of home it is you will be looking at different prices and costs.
An installer in one area of the United Kingdom (or anywhere else for that matter) could be dramatically more expensive than another area, just due to the affluence of the area or lack of competition (i.e. no other installers locally).
To put the above into context, if you are living in central London, for example, you may have a smaller home or apartment, but the general costs of living and services will be higher within the London area.
In addition, some businesses will charge an additional cost if a home is remote or out of the way, so be aware of upcharges for things of a similar nature.
Factors Affecting Home Security System Cost Summary
These are just a few of the most common examples of factors that can have an impact on the costs of home security systems.
Every case will be slightly different and it can be hard to determine a cost easily, with the above factors and many more having a weighting on your overall costs.
A good rule is to do your research and have an idea of the kind of things that you are on the market for and the kind of protection that would be best for your home.
Average Home Security System Cost
As we have mentioned and discussed in the above sections, there is no short answer when it comes to a home security system’s cost as each home will be slightly different.
Whether you are factoring the different technologies you are using, the features included in your home security system, the company who is installing your home security system, or anything else, it is not easy to get a short answer.
It’s best to decide which features you’d want your home security system to include, getting an estimate of each to help you sum up the total cost.
In the next section, we break down average cost ranges for the most popular security system features:
Estimating the Cost of a Home Security System
Obviously, the above are just a handful of factors to help you determine your home security system’s cost, but should put into context some of the potential costs that you may encounter.
Every home is different and every homeowner is looking for different solutions or adhering to a unique budget, so it is hard to give a short answer.
Depending on how you determine what a home security system is, you can be looking at various costs or features.
Let’s break down some features that might be part of a home security system to give a better idea of how much it would cost for a home security system.
Note: Costs are subject to change but were accurate at time of writing in March 2022, always check with the company for the most up to date pricing and costs
Burglar Alarm System – The Core of a Home Security System
This could technically form the base of a home security system, and some people would even determine this as the full system.
Prices for a burglar alarm system in the United Kingdom vary from around £8 a month to up to around £40 if you are looking at a more all encompassing system such as ADT.
If we include the costs of starter equipment or the devices, prices can go from £80 approx up to £250 for some of the other setups. Some of the systems may require do it yourself setup and some will require an installer coming into your home and setting it up.
Obviously, you can check with your chosen company and get a better idea about their costs and the features they offer. We have found the ADT and SimpliSafe are great all around options, but up and comers such as Ring are providing interesting and budget friendly security options too.
Additional Extras for Home Security System Setups
CCTV Cameras
Due to the huge variety of CCTV cameras available on the market it is hard to speculate the exact range, but you can get home CCTV cameras for as low as £20 a unit up to nearer £80+. Obviously, if you are installing wired CCTV cameras, there will be an additional cost as the majority of wireless CCTV cameras can be self installed.
Security Lights
These will often be motion triggered lights on the exterior of your home or around the points of entry to your property. The average cost of a security light can be as low as £30 and can go up to £100, but mostly fall into that price range due to their simplistic nature.
Smart Home Integrations
A lot of us have these in our homes already but do not use them for security purposes. It is not common knowledge but both of the most popular smart home devices have a range of security capabilities.
Alexa starts at £39 and goes up depending on which model or generation of Alexa you get. Google Home devices start at around £50 all the way up to around £300 for the full nest setup.
Amazon Alexa and Google Home have a range of different features and settings to help secure your home, both free and paid options are available for both.
How Much Does a Home Security System Cost? Summary
By this point, you should have a much better idea of what goes into the pricing of a home security system and know what to look out for when researching home security systems, devices and technologies.
Understanding the nuances of home security systems will stand you in much better stead when you are looking to improve the security of your home. In recent years there has been a huge shift towards increasing security in the United Kingdom, both private and public, resulting in the industry growing and trending positively in the future too.
There are a lot of different ways you can help secure your home, but a home security system aims to cover a lot of different areas and potential points of access.
If you are interested in learning more about home security or just the security industry in general, we post relevant and digestible content for everyone from seasoned veterans to first timers looking to learn more about security.
