Wirelessly, Home Security Becomes a D.I.Y. Project
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/techn ... ref=slogin

WHEN Ken Jongsma built his new house, he found that the builders had already installed a basic security system — sometimes called a prewire. A tinkerer and engineer, Mr. Jongsma, 50, decided to upgrade and monitor the system on his own.

“What most people do not understand is that a residential alarm prewire is a come-on by alarm companies to get you to sign up for their — usually expensive — monitoring,” he said.

Until recently, Mr. Jongsma’s attempt to install and maintain his own security system would have been impossible. Now, however, with a little knowledge, even nonengineers can add a security system to their homes for less than a standard prewired installation by a professional.

As King Gillette discovered with razors and cellphone providers have popularized with monthly fees, the real money to be made in alarms is not in the hardware — it’s in the monitoring. The hardware can be subsidized by the security company almost to the point where it is free, but paying an alarm service about $30 a month for years and years to watch over your system more than makes those companies whole.

Even big telecommunications companies are getting into the D.I.Y. security game.

D.I.Y. Home Security
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=0 ... 6&from=rss

"The NYTimes reports that pre-wired home security installations by alarm companies are on the way out. Thanks to wireless window and door sensors and motion detectors, installing and maintaining one's own security system is becoming a do-it-yourself project, with kits available from companies like InGrid and LaserShield. Time to start cranking out some new iPhone and Android apps, kids?"

I'm a Security installer, and you encounter "Home Installed" systems all the time, and then when you charge them $$ for fixing it they usually think again about the fact they might of saved $$ at the start but they aren't anymore.

And they are right, the money is to be made in monitoring in Australia with 2 call centers for the nation (ASC(Chubb) in QLD and Security Services in Melbourne (and AH all systems diverted to ASC) some companies are charging $30 for basic (call you if alarm goes off) service P/M.

We would buy that service at $10 P/M.

Our supermarket was getting charged $100 a month for monitoring via Fixed Line and Peracom (and we paid for the phone sim rental) at cost this service is $25 a month.