HOME SURVEILLANCE: Tech tools

For eons, home security involved a few table scraps and a lot of barking. That was until electronic systems, and the companies that monitor them, became a viable alternative in the latter part of the 20th century.

In the past couple years, smaller, cheaper, faster and easier-to-use products have dramatically expanded home security options. In fact, the options have expanded far beyond security -- the term surveillance is probably a better fit.

Through a combination of cameras, structured wiring, computers and the Internet, homeowners can see who's at the door from their couch, check on their kids from work, or have their home call them when a visitor rings the doorbell or an intruder activates the alarm, according to Matt Dean of Irvine, Calif.-based Homesmart, a residential technology company which primarily operates in the Southwestern United States.

Homesmart has no specific security packages, since every customer's needs are different. Some customers have specific ideas of what they want, and others are guided through the possibilities.

"It can be strictly antiburglary, but you can also use it to find out, for instance, who is at your front door. From the couch or wherever you have access to it, you can take a look and see, `Do I want to answer it?'"

Dean said cameras have transformed home security in the past few years after dropping dramatically in price. He suggests a rudimentary system costing $600 (plus installation) might include four wireless cameras monitored through a home's primary television, either on a dedicated channel or by picture-in-picture.

"Bare minimum, you want a camera pointed at your front door, and anywhere you have something valuable," Dean said.

From that starting point, customers may add cameras, alarm systems, motion sensors, recording systems, such as a VCR or computer, or add communication functions. With cameras costing about $80 to $300 each, setting up a system is not cheap, but affordable enough to a fairly broad segment of home buyers, Dean said.

Lower prices are part of the equation, but so too are newer systems that are "simple to use and install, even in production homes," according to Greg Simmons of Las Vegas-based Eagle Security, the largest wiring subcontractor in Southern Nevada.

Simmons said a system with cameras pointed at the front and rear doors linked to the home's television can be added like any other construction option for about $600.

Eagle Sentry works directly with most of the largest home builders in Las Vegas and can make adding security features relatively easy for buyers by designing the system before construction, according to Simmons.

"The first thing we promote is that you can view these cameras internally," he said. "We want them to have a really strong internal viewing system. Some people will even make an architectural change based on a security concern."

Simmons believes aesthetics have also made a difference for many customers. Smaller, more discreet cameras are no larger than an outlet from the exterior, and can be disguised behind a dark-tinted plate.

"A lot of cameras we're doing now are flush-mounted. You don't even know they are there," Simmons said.

Computers, too, have opened up new capabilities, such as remote surveillance and control, and recording image data.

While a standard VCR can record as much as 960 hours on time-lapse recording, a computer hard drive can record even more. A computer can also be programmed to record only when the image changes, which has the dual benefit of saving data storage space and editing the recording down to essentials.

Remote surveillance and control require Internet access, and both Dean and Simmons strongly recommend a high-speed connection and a separate computer to monitor the system. The homeowner logs on to a controlled-access Web site, which displays images from the cameras as requested. Adjustable cameras may also be controlled from the Web site.

"There's a point in the future where you'll be able to control a lot of stuff from your home, things like your thermostat," Dean said.

With a cell phone, even more possibilities open up. The homeowner can be notified of a potential problem by having the home call if there's trouble. When the alarm is triggered, the system automatically calls, alerting the homeowner to log on to the surveillance Web site. If a crime is in progress, the bad guys can be caught in the act.

The "visual confirmation" element is essential, Dean said, because many police forces will not respond to an alarm without one. Metro spokesperson Jose Montoya said the force's policy is to respond only if there is "confirmation" of suspicious activity, such as a broken window or an eyewitness of an intruder. Confirmation on camera is sufficient.

"If you say, `Look, I'm seeing someone in my house, I have visual confirmation, then they'll respond," Dean said. Even if it is too late to catch the thief, the recording "can be used for investigative purposes after the fact."

A more benign function -- one of Dean's favorites -- connects the doorbell and intercom to the homeowner's cell phone, allowing communication with delivery persons or others who may visit. Besides providing a link to visitors, it also can act as security by making it seem as though someone is home.

"It's just like in ("Ferris Bueler's Day Off") where the doorbell rings and it plays the tape. You can do that using your cell phone. The system will call you on your cell when the doorbell rings," Dean said.

A key element of such systems is a home's wiring. In recent years, many home builders have offered more technology-oriented amenities, such as additional phone lines or structured wiring that can support audio systems, home theaters and high-speed Internet. Such networks use fiber optic and category 5 wiring to link electronic devices throughout the home and can be as simple as wiring for a couple of speakers in a home theater, or as complex as a homeowner can imagine.

"Sometimes a customer will come to us with very specific needs. In that case, we may not have the capability to serve them directly, but we can set up an appointment with the buyer and vendor. That way, they can have it completed before they move in," said Diane Salas, design center manager for Pardee Homes.

Pardee offers several security-related upgrades throughout most of its product line, including various types of prewiring, hard wiring of doors and windows for security contacts, keypads and battery backups for security systems, outside alarms, panic buttons, motion sensors, and wiring for a front-door camera to be monitored through a television.

The builder also offers a simpler option for homeowners who just want to see who's at the door: the video phone.

"Basically, there's a camera mounted at the front door of the home and it's wired to a wall-mounted phone in the home -- usually in the kitchen -- that has a handset and a video screen so you can see who's at the door, decide if you want to talk to them and speak with them through the phone," Salas said.

There are options for owners of older homes as well. Wireless cameras, which are slightly more expensive, can nevertheless perform all the same functions.

For technophobes, ADT Security Services offers alternatives. The nation's largest monitoring company, which has been in business for more than 100 years, recently unveiled the first in a new release of security products focusing on simplicity, according to a spokesperson.

Safewatch EZ is a traditional monitored security system, which arms and disarms with a twist of the front door's deadbolt. The system replaces coded keypads, which have been criticized for generating false alarms through misuse.

"We believe our leadership initiative and new product strategy will revolutionize the way consumers think about home security systems by easing common hesitations surrounding cost and complexity of use," company President Mike Snyder said.

ADT systems are monitored for a monthly fee. When the system is activated, a response team investigates, then notifies the police if necessary.

Real Estate home