If You Could Have Just One Home Security Device, What Would It Be?
Home security has been around for about 50 years now. In the years since the first home security system was brought to market, manufacturers and engineers have both improved equipment and come up with new devices capable of doing things we only dreamed about in the 1970s. I thought about this and came up with an interesting question: if I could have just one home security device, what would it be?
What about you? What would you choose as your one and only home security device if your options were limited? There is certainly no shortage of options. Below are some of the more common devices found in American homes.

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1. Security Cameras
Security cameras were reserved for the wealthiest property owners way back when home security was still brand new. They were CCTV cameras as opposed to the wireless cameras we have today. They were also so expensive that most homeowners did not have them. Instead, homeowners were content with window and door sensors.
Cameras are a lot more popular today. Thanks to wireless technology and extremely cheap prices, security cameras are more common than ever before. People love them for obvious reasons.
2. Window and Door Sensors
Since window and door sensors are typically used together, they will be a single item on our list. Most window and door sensors are contact sensors. As long as the two pieces remain in contact, there is no problem. But as soon as contact is broken, an alarm is sounded – if the system is armed, of course.
Window and door sensors are invaluable when you consider how burglars tend to enter homes. Believe it or not, first-floor windows and doors are the preferred entry point.
3. Broken Glass Sensors
Broken glass sensors work by detecting the sound of glass breaking and then sending an alert. According to Vivint Smart Home, they work well in cases where a burglar knows enough to not try to open a window because it might be armed with a contact sensor. But when broken glass sensors are installed, breaking the window is taken out of the equation.
4. Motion Sensors
Motion sensors do exactly what their name implies: sense motion within their field of detection. Most people install them inside the house in order to alert them if an intruder gets in. But they can be installed outside as well.
Motion sensors are even built-in to exterior lights. Motion-sensitive lights are a pretty common item among people who are worried about nighttime prowlers. But they also work as home automation devices that save electricity by only turning on when exterior light is actually needed.
5. Smoke and CO Alarms
Just as with window and door sensors, smoke and CO alarms go together. Smoke alarms monitor for smoke/fire while CO alarms monitor for carbon monoxide. Both smoke and carbon monoxide are silent killers in the sense that they can overcome the occupants of a house without said occupants knowing what’s happening.
It is interesting to note that municipalities around the country now require smoke and CO alarms in all rented units. Most also require all new builds, whether rentals or owner-occupied, to have the alarms installed right from the very beginning.
If you are looking at this list and thinking that it is too difficult to pick just one, you now understand how much better modern security systems are as compared to their first generation counterparts 50 years ago. A lot has changed in home security since the 1970s, and most of it for the better.