There are numerous DIY home security systems and individual products that are available on the market today that can be installed by the homeowner with relative ease and are available through various outlets; from very simple systems to elaborate ones that include video surveillance, the system you choose with depend on your budget, expertise and the perceived threat of intrusion.

Installing door and window contacts is a pretty easy job, requiring some basic knowledge of low-voltage wiring, knowing how to use a few hand tools, and an electric drill. DIY home security can include closed circuit television cameras and monitors that can also be hooked up to a videocassette recorder or digital recorder to document activity.

As a word of caution, cameras should never be placed in areas where family members or visiting guests expect privacy. Bathroom and bedrooms are areas in which cameras should never be located. DIY home security video surveillance in common areas of the home as well as outdoors are generally accepted, but videotaping in some areas may result in legal actions based on violations of privacy, even in your own home.

If Your Budget Will Allow, go Wireless

Many devices, available as part of a DIY home security system, are available in wireless format. This eliminates the need for extensive installation of wires running through the house making the DIY home security easier and faster to install. Even cameras are available in wireless format, which allows their installation outdoors without having to put holes in outer walls.

If you hook your system up to a videocassette recorder, you will want to have a time-lapse VCR, capable of saving 24-hours of video on a single T-160 tape. This means the tape only has to be changed once a day. You should also maintain at least one-week’s worth of video. While many hooking up a DIY home security system say that 24 hours is enough, if nothing happens just tape over it, others contend it may be a day or so before it is discovered.

Digital recording devices are the most beneficial in either a professional or DIY home security system and if equipped with a 600-megabit hard drive, can record up to four cameras with the video available for about 30 days before it starts recording over previous images. Another advantage is the video can be played back through your home computer and still images obtained through your own printer.