Home security zooms in on new technology

Homeowners anxious about crime during the gift-giving season are turning to new security technology.

But these days, the latest in home security isn't as much about busting robbers as it is about knowing what's happening in your home 24/7.

For years, traditional security systems called on homeowners to arm and disarm their alarms and pay $30 to $40 a month for call-center monitoring. It was really a type of homeowner's insurance, says Alison Slavin, vice president of product management with Alarm.com. When something triggered the alarm, a live operator called the house.

Today's security systems go beyond that, Slavin said. Wireless communications, motion-sensitive surveillance cameras and cellphone system control have upped the ante for homeowners wanting to make sure their property is safe and sound.

A homeowner might, for instance, receive a text message when kids get home from school or a package has been delivered at the front door. Live video from the home also is viewable on iPhones, BlackBerrys or the Internet.

"We have customers who want to know every time their garage door opens between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.," says Richard Ginsburg, CEO of Protection One, the third-largest security alarm company in the country. "Home security is very customizable today."

Home-security devices:

• Intelligent by design. ArcherFish by Cernium is a video-surveillance system that combines detection with verification. Users can remotely view live or recorded video through a Web-based portal and design the system to send text-message alerts. The video is equipped with motion-detection technology. The $1,699 kit includes a smart box, two cameras and two cables, and is expandable to up to four cameras.

• Helpful and handheld. The eSecure from Protection One is a wireless remote video-surveillance system that allows users to disarm their systems using text-message commands. Cameras use encryption technology for secure online video access. Asset-protection sensors monitor specific expensive items. Prices start at $149 for installation, $150 for sensors; then $15 a month for monitoring. • Wireless ease. Alarm.com lets users remotely monitor nonalarm activity, even when the system is disarmed, either online or through smartphone applications. The system doesn't require a phone line or Internet connection to communicate signals to the monitoring center. Users also receive real-time e-mail and text-message alerts. Initial installation is $200 to $300; monthly monitoring fees are $37-$49.

• Streaming video. Logitech's digital video-security camera is easy to install. Simply load the software onto a computer, connect the receiver and place the camera in a desired location. The camera transmits video through the property's existing electrical wiring. The master system includes one camera, the PC software and a receiver module for $299. Up to five cameras can be added at an additional $229 per camera.

• Network solution. The Telguard Digital line of wireless communicators works with existing alarm and fire-panel systems, transmitting data to central stations using the GSM digital cellular network. It is compatible with virtually all alarm-panel technology, and Telular works with 4,000 other security companies. Prices vary.