Are Burglar Alarms Worth It In 2026?

gazfocus

Curious of what peoples thoughts and opinions are on this.

We are planning on doing a fairly extensive renovation over the next few years and one of the things I've been looking at is home security. We will be having cameras and such but is it worth bothering with an alarm system?

The reason I ask is that shortly after we moved to where we are currently living we went away and when we came back there had been a power cut which then activated the alarm. We didn't know the code for the alarm (thankfully found it in some paperwork for the house) so the alarm was going for a good few minutes and not a single neighbour batted an eyelid.

So, it got me thinking that if we now live in an age where nobody cares (or more likely people just get irritated) about an alarm going off, what's the point in having one? I suspect gone are the days when neighbours looked out for one another.

Lorian

Internal sounder to wake occupants at night if downstairs zone set, and notification on your phone when out and fully set are for more useful

EssexExile

Our neighbours had an alarm that was always going off. The police turned up once but I suspect they were just passing. I've had alarm systems but having just moved I haven't bothered. I've got cameras so I get notifications on my phone if something happens, I can then call the authorities and tell them what's going on, which I hope would have more effect than an alarm going off, again.

kinger101

The alarms are not supposed to make your neighbours show up with pitchforks. They're meant to scare the burglar so they leg it before they've gained entry, or more preferable, make them think twice before trying. At the end of the day, your property just needs to look to be more hassle than another one nearby.

Personally, if I was doing renovations, I'd be looking at hard wired external cameras and motion activated lights. With the cameras running constantly and dumping the footage onto an HD drive hidden in the loft. And backed-up to the cloud.

I wouldn't touch Ring with a bargepole as I'm not interested in the fact that someone was at my house five minutes ago. Decent system do the clever stuff locally and not in the cloud.

But in terms of overall security, might be seeing if your local police force offer a service where they review your weakpoints etc.

gazfocus

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81893875#Comment_81893875

yes but what I’m sort of thinking is that if we are living in the age of neighbours not being interested in alarms going off, then said alarm isn’t going to deter burglars because burglars will know generally neighbours aren’t interested.

My plan is definitely to hard wire cameras etc. I’m a tech geek so will be doing that myself. I currently have a Eufy camera doorbell so will probably stick with that for the doorbell.

kipsterno1

I always pop out if I hear one of the house alarms sound on our close and check everything looks in order.

Slinky

We installed an alarm about 5 years ago, having been burgled in a previous home. Occasionally when we've set it off by accident in the house, the internal sounder is SO loud, it's deafening. You'd want to be deaf before breaking in as it would be hard to concentrate on finding stuff to pinch with the racket it makes.

There's only one other house in our street with an alarm, so lots of other easier targets if they were so inclined.

twopenny

The best thing is to make your property less attractive to burgle than your neighbours.

Boundaries, visible through for neighbours and police but difficult to get over.

After 2 consecutive nights of being burgled I was given some excellent advice. As you can't put up anything that will hurt the intruder but you can have plants full of thorns and attractive. A long climbing rose, trellis collapses if climbed on, no bins, chairs or ladders.

What they want is to get in and out quickly. It's your job to see they can't.

They will then tackle someone else. Sad but true

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/the-neighbours-have-better-stuff-doormat-by-engravedlaboratory--201536152055091006/

kinger101

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81893913#Comment_81893913

eufy have a very good range of cameras too.

The neighbours are more likely to ignore alarms if there are frequent false triggers. Doesn't mean burgers are not deterred.

GrubbyGirl_2

Many years ago my parents had a speaker that plugged in and when activated (at night or when they went out) if it heard a reasonably loud noise like a doorbell or knock at the door or someone trying to break a window it would bark like a large dog. Worked a treat one night when someone tried to break into their house in the middle of the night, they guy soon took off. I have no idea if you can still buy such a thing

silvercar

Our road’s WhatsApp group is so busy, that someone can’t spend too much time loitering up the street without their photo (from cameras and doorbells) being posted. When someone was trying car door handles along the road, their whole route was tracked between us all. That’s probably the best deterrent - create an active and supportive community.