When one thinks of ones own Home Security one may be hard put to establish the best solution to select. The least one should do before deciding is to take a hard look at the available proposals and explore them attentively from every side.

Two are the main types of provisions one can consider to set up: either an independent surveillance system with alarms and automatic event reporting, or a subscription to a surveillance service as offered by security providers.

We would like to mention here briefly the advantages and limitations of the second of these two above options, the one offering such integrated services, and to point out why in some cases it may be just the right solution.

Among the important advantages that one should consider are the following:

- Your system will be set up by Professionals
- They will be fully accountable for maintenance and continuous operation
- They may charge for service, not for hardware
- Integration means that proper sensors for any type of other hazards can be included
- Continuous monitoring occurs at a central station responsible for taking immediate action whenever required
- Certain providers may dispose of their own rescue crews to dispatch
- You can be awarded a document capable of gaining you a substantial rebate from your insurance company

Some of the limitation of most services may be as follows:

- Only homeowners, not tenants, may be eligible for service
- An event will trigger a call to official security services (police, firefighters etc.)
- There is no control on the effectiveness of this action, only follow up
- The customer may be bound to a minimum contract duration (three years)
- The recurring expense may be significant

If one is tempted to rely on security providers for assuring adequate home surveillance and protection, it would be advisable to obtain a few offers from different firms and to compare them. If you collect the names of other customers you will be able to check if they are indeed satisfied with the service they get.

By selecting the best security service provider one is fully relieved from the fears of technical hurdles. One is not relieved however from the responsibility of having got indeed the most desirable of solutions.