The best Do It Yourself Security Alarm System

The Home8 Security Ultra-Secure Starter Kit is basically a Do-It-Yourself alarm system that doesn’t require any contracts, is super easy to install and setup in your home, and works with your smart phone. There’s many kits to choose from depending on your needs, and you can also purchase additional pieces to add to your kit.

So with this kit, it includes everything you’ll need to get started including the mounting brackets and mounting tape. Here’s what comes with this kit:

The Security Shuttle, which is basically the central hub of the whole system that plugs into your router and communicates with all the sensors in the house. It also features a 80 db siren when the system is triggered.
The Mini Cube HD Camera with mounting hardware. This is a 720 HD camera with a 100 degree wide-angle lens that also features night vision. It’s motion and sound sensitive and it can store video footage onto a Micro SD card. It also features a speaker and a microphone for two-way communication.
2 Door or Window sensors that are each powered by an included battery. You can add an unlimited number of sensors to this kit.
Infrared Motion sensor with battery and mounting tape.
Key chain remote to enable the system, which you can also do with your Smart Phone.
Now setting up this system is super simple and doesn’t require an installer. All you have to do is connect the Shuttle to your router and plug it and the camera into a power outlet and then add the batteries to the motion and door sensors. After that just download the Home 8 app to your smartphone and follow the onscreen instructions to setup your account. After that mount all the devices and you should be good to go. It will take some time to fine tune the settings on the Mini Cube Camera so certain noises or movement outside doesn’t trigger it.

So if the system detects an intruder from any of the sensors, the camera immediately starts recording video, the siren goes off and the hub sends you and any other authorized users an alert to your smartphones. From there, you can call the police and you’ll have the video footage to give them to help find the intruder. The app tracks all the detailed information like the date, time, location of the break-in and the video that you can scrub through to find the footage that you need. You can even set it up to automatically backup your videos to dropbox as well.

The one thing I think they could improve on the camera is by making it battery-powered. Since it needs to be plugged in, that limits where you can mount it cause it needs to be close to an outlet. I also think they should have put the usb port on the edge of the camera instead of its back cause it’s hard to mount unless you have a Micro USB cable with a shorter head than the one that’s included.

This system works great, and is definitely better than being locked into a security system contract and paying a monthly fee for years to come. The biggest feature that this system won’t offer that a monthly security service does, is to contact the police for you if there is a break-in.

The only things that I wish was included with this kit would be a yard sign and window decals to deter thieves from breaking into my house in the first place. This might be something they include in the future though.

News source: http://geeksterlabs.com/Misc-detail/smart-home-review-home8-diy-security-system-ultra-secure-starter-kit/