How to Install a DIY Home Security System

DIY home security systems are pretty easy to install. All the sensors are wireless, and you don’t have to drill any holes into your new walls, which is especially good news if you’re a renter. You can install door and window sensors, motion sensors, glass break detectors, and cameras yourself and save money over a professional technician.

1. Identify the basic components of a DIY home security system.
2. Find the most important areas of your home to secure.
3. Install your security equipment and activate monitoring.
4. Install your security cameras.
5. Consider smart home devices.

It can seem daunting to install a home security system yourself, but don’t worry—it’s not that hard. You’ll have your new alarm system up and running with just a little bit of work and a lot of peel-and-stick tape.

According to a State of Safety survey from Safewise, people are highly concerned about property crime from break-ins, which is fair considering a burglary occurs nearly every 30 seconds. Whether you're a homeowner or a renter, there are four areas of your home to consider that are most vulnerable to intruders:

• Front door
• Ground floor or basement windows
• Sliding or French doors
• Garage door

When you install your home alarm system, these are the areas you’ll want to focus on most. Buy enough entry sensors so that you can put one on your front door, back door, and most accessible ground-floor windows.

If you don’t want to buy a sensor for every single window on your ground floor, then a motion sensor can do most of the work for you. A single motion sensor can detect movement from multiple windows.

If you have a sliding or glass French door, then you might want to opt for a glass break sensor near these entry points.

Once you’ve decided on a system and bought all your equipment, you’re ready to set it up. Most DIY systems use these general steps.

If your system uses a hub, you can put it somewhere out of the way, like on a bookshelf or side table, as long as it’s near a power outlet. Some hubs need to be plugged directly into your internet router.

If your system uses a control panel, then you’re going to want to put it near the door you use the most. That way, it’s easy to enter the alarm code when you leave or enter. Most DIY control panels let you mount them on a wall with sticky tape or stand them up on a table or countertop.

Most DIY security sensors come with sticky tape on the back that makes it easy to put them just about anywhere.

First up, install entry sensors on your main doors and windows. Entry sensors are made up of two parts: a sensor and a magnetic piece. As long as the sensor and the magnet line up when your door or window is closed, then you can install these in a bunch of different ways. Don’t worry about putting them on upside down.

Motion sensors and glass break detectors can be stuck directly onto a wall or set on a shelf. Put them about five feet off the ground and within about 20 feet of the target. If you’re using them for windows, put them facing the windows you want to protect.

If you purchased fire alarms or carbon monoxide detectors with your system, set them up next. You should have a smoke detector in every bedroom, as well as at least one on each floor of your house. It’s a good idea to put fire alarms outside the main bedrooms as well. Basically, it’s hard to have too many of these.

As for carbon monoxide detectors, you want to keep them pretty low to the ground. You’ll want at least one on each floor of your house—especially near bedrooms. Put one in your garage as well.

If you added flood sensors to your security system, you can put them near any major water source. Washing machines and toilets are big flood offenders.

Once your security equipment is up and running, you can activate your professional monitoring plan (if you want one).

A lot of DIY systems, such as Abode and Scout Alarm, let you monitor the system yourself through a mobile app. But a professionally monitored home security system doesn’t rely on you checking your phone notifications to protect your house.

With professional monitoring, if something triggers your security system, the monitoring center will try to contact you first to make sure it’s not a false alarm. If the monitoring rep can’t reach you, then they’ll call the police.

There are a few different types of security cameras on the market. Some need to be plugged in, some require batteries, and others have to be hardwired into your electrical system.

The most popular DIY home security systems offer basic indoor cameras, doorbell cameras, and wireless or wire-free outdoor cameras. For example, SimpliSafe offers the SimpliCam indoor camera and the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro.

Plug the security camera into a power outlet and download the brand’s mobile app. Sign in to the app, or set up an account if you don’t already have one. Once you’ve got the app ready to go, you can select the option to add the camera as a new device and then scan the QR code on the camera body to link it to the app and your Wi-Fi network.

Outdoor camera installation varies depending on the type of camera you want for your home.

If it’s a wire-free camera, like the Arlo Pro 3, then you’ll need to sync the camera with the camera hub before you install it outside. If it’s a wireless camera, like the Google Nest Cam IQ Outdoor, then you’ll need to run the power cord through a door, window, or hole in your wall so that it can plug into an indoor power outlet.

With either type of camera, you’ll also want to link it to the brand’s mobile app. Just like with the indoor camera, you’ll download the app, add the camera as a new device to your account, and scan the QR code on the camera body.

Some doorbell cameras run off batteries, which makes it easy to put them by your door without worrying about wires. But a lot of video doorbells, including the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro, hardwire into your existing doorbell system.

First things first, you’ll need to shut off the breaker that powers your doorbell wiring. After the power’s off, you can remove your existing doorbell and attach the wires to your new video doorbell. You’ll also want to have a drill handy to secure the video doorbell on your exterior wall.

Doorbell cameras link to the brand’s mobile app the same way other cameras do: through a QR code on the body of the camera. Most smart doorbells also work with your existing doorbell chime. But you might have to install an extra little piece called a diode on certain types of chimes.

If you’re interested in home automation, then DIY home security systems usually work with a bunch of different smart home protocols and devices. At the very least, systems like SimpliSafe and Ring Alarm work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant so you can control your system through your favorite smart speaker.

If you want to go beyond voice control and include things like smart lights, smart door locks, and smart power outlets, DIY systems let you do that too.

• SimpliSafe offers its own smart door lock. It also integrates with August smart locks and Nest thermostats.
• Frontpoint has smart locks, smart bulbs, and smart outlets on offer.
• Ring Alarm works with Ring smart lights.
• Abode works with more smart home protocols than any other system we’ve seen. It integrates with Z-Wave, Zigbee, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Bose Sonos, IFTTT, and Apple HomeKit.

DIY isn’t the only home security option out there. If you’d rather sit back and let a professional set everything up for you, it’s an easier (albeit more expensive) option.

• ADT
• Vivint

Both ADT and Vivint can install everything from sensors to security cameras and smart home stuff without you having to lift a finger. They are also more expensive than most DIY offerings—but your equipment is usually paid for monthly, not all at once upfront.

Vivint installation fee: $49

ADT installation fee: Varies depending on equipment.

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