A wireless home alarm system is a must for any DIY home security system. A good alarm system will be easy to install, have an auto-dialer system for multiple emergency services, and be loud enough to alert you and anyone else of an issue. It should have several sensors that can be placed in windows and doors. If it can be linked to your indoor and outdoor wireless security cameras, that’s even better!

The truly great thing about wireless security alarm system is that you won’t need to tear up your walls and run wires throughout your house. Every brand and model of wireless alarm systems have their own way of getting power, but electrical plugs, batteries, and power supplies are much easier than having to get an electrician or other professional to get the wiring right in your walls. Wireless alarm systems are often the only way to have a truly DIY alarm system since you don’t need to hire anyone to put it in.

That does come with its own challenges. After all, anyone who has tried to hook up a new device to a wireless network knows how frustrating it can be. The quality of the sensors can vary quite widely, and you’ll find that you get what you pay for more often than not. Trying to mix and match different brands of wireless alarm systems, smoke detectors, window and door sensors, and security cameras in an attempt to get the most out of your budget is not the best idea, as brands often design every part of their line to work together. You will have to personally select, buy, and install every element of your DIY home security system yourself. With the proliferation of wireless networks, there are now a lot of options out there.

What are the best wireless home alarm systems out there? We’ve assembled a list that gives you an overview of some of them. There are a variety of brands here, at a number of price ranges and with various features. Take look at our breakdown to see if one of them will work with your DIY home security system.

Product Features

This alarm system comes with 10 magnetic door and window sensors, 3 passive motion detectors, 2 activation/deactivation buttons you can put on your keychain, a panic alarm, 4 alarm warning sticker, and a very loud main alarm (110dB). This alarm system is fully programmable and you can enter 6 numbers into its system. It will automatically call the number you designate if the system is breached. The sensors have their own batteries, but the main system runs off AC power.

Pros

  • The keychain device has a 100ft range, so you can arm or disarm the system with the push of a button.
  • You can purchase more window and door sensors from the Fortress Security Store and add them with a little effort.
  • This alarm system does not require any kind of fee or subscription. You can install it easily on your own, making it a great budget choice.
  • The alarm is very loud and your neighbors will definitely know that something is wrong.

Cons

  • It is frighteningly easy for someone to deactivate the system by hitting the keypad’s on/off switch or just unplugging the system.
  • The sensors are not weatherproofed. Using them outdoors is not a good idea since they won’t take the elements well.
Conclusion

This wireless alarm system is a good DIY option for the money. You can program it for your home and habits. The keychain devices for arming and disarming are a nice touch. The alarm is very loud and it comes with a decent number of sensors, with the option to purchase and add more as necessary. However, it is very easy to disarm. An invader doesn’t even need to have any special equipment. By this point, the alarm is probably already sounding, but it might prevent the system from dialing the police.



Product Features

This sleekly designed alarm system comes with a base station, a keypad, 4 entry sensors, a keychain remote, and one large motion sensor. The base station will send any signals it receives from your system to SimpliSafe’s 24/7 alarm monitoring center. The keypad serves as your way of interacting with the ‘brain’ of the system that’s located in the base station. The entry sensors can function as either door sensors or window sensors to detect when they’re opened. The large motion sensor has a range of 30 feet and a field of view of 90 degrees. You can mount any of these system elements with tape that is already in place or screws. The system settings can be fully adjusted. The system can be self-monitoring from SimpliSafe’s mobile app.

Pros

  • You can integrate SimpliSafe HD Security Camera with this system. It has a quick and smooth setup, like the rest of the system. You can also integrate the manufacturer’s carbon monoxide detector, smoke detector, and glassbreak sensor later as well. These options are included in more expensive versions of the same system.
  • You can opt to purchase SimpliSafe’s monitoring or monitor the system on your own app. There’s no subscription requirement, but it’s nice to have the option for more thorough professional monitoring.
  • Installation is very easy and use is intuitive. SimpliSafe’s website is very helpful and they provide great customer service.

Cons

  • The keypad does not light up. It’s far too easy to input your code wrong in darker rooms.
  • It’s easy to activate the system with the keychain remote by accident. The buttons are very sensitive.
  • The motion detector is not exactly pet safe. It’s very easy for your dog or cat to set it off and the system doesn’t currently have a “one-hit forgiveness” setting.
  • The provided screws are weak, so you’ll have to use some you’ve bought yourself. The tape mounting is not very secure, so don’t use it.
Conclusion

This alarm system is a good option if you want a DIY home security system but also want to have affordable 24/7 professional monitoring. It has some annoying flaws that might be too annoying, especially if you have an active animal in the house or plan on having the keypad in a darker room. Being expand the system with additional features makes this a nice base to build your DIY home security system on.


Product Features

This DIY alarm system comes with 10 window and door sensors, 2 motion detectors, a panic button, four keychain remotes, and a keypad. There is a built-in rechargeable lithium battery pack which will send a message to your phone to let you know it is low on power. The motion detector has a range of 40 feet and a viewing field of 110 degrees. You can fully customize this system’s functions. It offers a number of arming modes: remote instant arming, outdoor host delay arming, indoor host stay arming, designated timing arming, and remote phone arming. You can program 6 numbers into this system. You’ll need to insert a GSM SIM card into the system card into the alarm to have it call anywhere.

Pros

  • The large number of sensors man you can have the alarm system monitor a number of entryways. You can also easily expand this system.
  • The alarm is very, very loud.

Cons

  • The instructions are in badly translated English. If you aren’t very good with technology, installation is going to be a challenge.
  • Needing a SIM card for the alarm’s phone capability is unusual. It doesn’t use an app like many other modern wireless alarm systems but sends you SMS alerts instead.
Conclusion

If you want a large number of sensors in one affordable box and a system that’s easy to expand, this one is a decent option. It is actually very easy to install and figure out, but the instructions are absolutely awful and generally useless. This is a good budget option for a home with a lot of access points.


Product Features

This wireless alarm system is very versatile. It comes with a keypad, 2 door and window sensors, 2 remotes, and a motion detector. While this may not seem like much, you can easily add many other Digoo security system additions (discussed below). The sensor batteries last for about 6 months. It can use a SIM card to call, but if it’s linked to a Wi-Fi system it will still call. It also links to Digoo’s app.  You can thoroughly customize the system for your home and habits. The door and window sensors are much thinner than normal for most home alarm systems.  The motion detector sees out to 40 feet with a viewing angle of 120 degrees, as well as temperature compensation to avoid false alarms.

Pros

  • The Digoo alarm system can be integrated with other Digoo security products. You can add up to 99 devices to the system, meaning you can use the Digoo DIY home security system to provide complete protection for your home.
  • All parts of the Digoo system are made very well and should hold up for years.

Cons

  • The app and software are not great and pretty buggy.
  • The motion sensor is very sensitive and will go off if you have any pets roaming the house while the alarm is armed.
  • The instructions have not been translated into English very well.
Conclusion

The Digoo system is pretty tough and reliable. Digoo’s grasp of English is questionable, and this does show in the manual and even the app. If you can work around that, however, this is a great security system for a pretty reasonable price, especially if you invest in the additional elements.

Home Security Alarm Accessories


Product Features

The Digoo alarm siren is very loud at 433MHz. It will also flash when it goes off. It can be used on its own or together with the Digoo security alarm system. It can support up to 20 sensors and can also be armed/disarmed with wireless remotes. It can pair with up to 5 wireless remotes. It has a rechargeable battery that lasts about 6 hours, so you will still want it to be plugged in. It’s not weatherproof, so you can’t place it outside or anywhere it will be exposed to the elements. Most people purchase this alarm to add volume to their Digoo alarm system and it is a very good price compared to similar products.


Product Features

This wireless home security camera records footage in 1080p and connects to the Digoo wireless security system as well as its app. You can also access the video recording on the app. It has night vision, motion detection, two-way audio, and its own alarm. You can rotate the lens via the app in a complete circle. You’ll have to plug it into an electrical outlet to get power and it is not weatherized, so this an indoor only security camera. You can purchase it in white or black. The subpar Digoo app is the biggest issue for this camera.

.


Product Features

This is a package of 2 additional motion detectors and 2 additional window/door sensors you can use you expand your Digoo alarm system. These are exactly the same as the ones that come with the alarm system, so the motion sensor is very sensitive and the window/door sensors are thin. They connect easily to the Digoo wireless alarm system and integrating them is no issue.

.

A wireless alarm system should be the basis of your DIY home security system. The best DIY home security systems will have an alarm, cameras, smoke detectors, window sensor alarms, and door sensor alarms, all easily monitored. As you can see, there are a lot of different alarm systems you can use to fill all or some of these requirements. What you buy should be determined by a realistic assessment of your home’s security needs, your wireless signal, and your budget.

Use our guide to help you get started on your DIY home security system. Take a look at our other DIY home security system reviews to see what other options there are out there to help you keep your home and family safe.