For a partially DIY option with a certified, well-tested security/fire alarm option a DSC 1832 with the IT-100 serial interface board is an excellent piece of kit. Bought one off a local security company and did all the install myself, and they verified it for me.
With the base board you can run a couple of relays to trigger whatever you'd like. I use it to turn on the lights when the alarm is tripped which helps the camera system I have actually get a picture and not just a dark room. It is also nice when coming home in the dark, and for automating light schedules when out of town.
The IT-100 gives a simple serial interface to monitor/control the entire system from a computer. I used cereal on debian to follow/interact with the serial stream, and a bunch of perl/bash scripts to do things like log events to a mysql database, turn on/off the zoneminder DVR system, manipulate relays, send emails, and pretty much do whatever I wanted.
As far as B&E deterrent, I think having the monitoring company stickers is 90% of the benefit since most criminals are looking for a quick low-risk fix and will just hit your neighbour without a security system. That said, making it hard for them to hang around and really clean you out makes me feel a lot safer, since most valuable are hidden away somewhat.
I also like the cameras so I can check in while out of town. I have heard that video footage has to be REALLY cut and dried as far as identity for the police to use it, so low-res or low-light images are probably useless for prosecution.
You may find that the monitoring costs are paid for by a house-insurance discount that you get for having active fire alarm monitoring
Still, probably not as good as a vicious-sounding dog.
My understanding is that camera are pretty useless in terms of catching people cognizant enough to wear a hoodie/mask, but are useful in convincing your insurance company that a burglary did in fact happen
>I also like the cameras so I can check in while out of town.
Yeah, I have a couple cameras and a temperature sensor. Especially on a longer trip, it's nice to be able to just look in now and then and see that everything seems to be OK. (Of course, it doesn't help if there's an extended power outage but that's rare where I live.)
With the base board you can run a couple of relays to trigger whatever you'd like. I use it to turn on the lights when the alarm is tripped which helps the camera system I have actually get a picture and not just a dark room. It is also nice when coming home in the dark, and for automating light schedules when out of town.
The IT-100 gives a simple serial interface to monitor/control the entire system from a computer. I used cereal on debian to follow/interact with the serial stream, and a bunch of perl/bash scripts to do things like log events to a mysql database, turn on/off the zoneminder DVR system, manipulate relays, send emails, and pretty much do whatever I wanted.
As far as B&E deterrent, I think having the monitoring company stickers is 90% of the benefit since most criminals are looking for a quick low-risk fix and will just hit your neighbour without a security system. That said, making it hard for them to hang around and really clean you out makes me feel a lot safer, since most valuable are hidden away somewhat.
I also like the cameras so I can check in while out of town. I have heard that video footage has to be REALLY cut and dried as far as identity for the police to use it, so low-res or low-light images are probably useless for prosecution.
You may find that the monitoring costs are paid for by a house-insurance discount that you get for having active fire alarm monitoring
Still, probably not as good as a vicious-sounding dog.