By Adam Dachis, Lifehacker – August 10, 2012 at 08:00PM
Your home is a place you want to keep secure, but getting all the high-end security gadgets and services available to help you do that is a pricey endeavor. This weekend, roll your own DIY security system. It’s more fun and it’ll save you some money.
There are many ways to secure your own on the cheap, from alarms to surveillance to clever tricks. A combination of all three should do the trick, so let’s take a look at your options.
Make Your Own Alarm System
There is no shortage of DIY alarms, so you really just have to decide how and why you want to be alerted. This aduino-based alarm is motion-based an will send you a text message if it detects an intruder. If you’ve got a Mac, you can use a clever app called SecureHome that detects noise levels and sounds an alarm if they reach a specified level. If you’re worried about specific items getting stolen and want to alarm them individually, you can’t go wrong with this $2 motion-detecting alarm. It requires some very minor soldering and a tilt switch, but it’s easy enough for just about anyone to create can hide just about anywhere. You can also use the source devices (impact alarms) with no modifications at all to secure your windows.
Set Up a DIY Security Camera
Security cameras are easy—you just need a webcam and (sometimes) a computer. We have a full guide on setting up a comprehensive video surveillance system that streams images from a webcam to your phone, a computer, your email, and several other options. You can even make a solar-powered option and give it motion-sensing capabilities.
Employ Some Simple, Clever Tricks to Keep Your Home Safer
When it comes to securing your home, it helps to think like a criminal and know how they might crack a padlock, combination lock, break into a safe, open your garage door from the outside, or simply break through your front door. When you know how someone might break in you can take measures to prevent it. But on top of that, appearances matter most. Don’t look like you have anything valuable to be stolen. Make your home look like you care about upkeep and security. If your home doesn’t look like an appealing target, burglars are less likely to try and break in. There’s no trick that will prevent theft, but you can take measures to make theft seem like an unattractive option.