Free Home Security Resources & Tools
Everything here is free, requires no signup, and exists because we couldn't find a good version of it anywhere else. Each resource is compiled from official or primary sources, cited on the page.
Available now
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Printable Home Security Assessment Checklist
A 30-minute walk-around audit of doors, windows, lighting, garage, cameras, and while-away habits - the low-cost basics that matter more than any single gadget. Print it, walk your home, and anything unchecked becomes your to-do list. Includes an apartment and rental addendum.
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Alarm Permits & False-Alarm Fines: City-by-City Guide
Does your city require an alarm permit? What does a false alarm actually cost you? Fine schedules, permit fees, and police response policies for major US cities - compiled exclusively from official municipal and police sources, each row cited.
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Five-Year Cost Calculator
Compare the true five-year cost of two setups side by side: equipment, one-time fees, monitoring, and add-ons. The advertised monthly price is rarely the number that decides whether a system is expensive. Runs in your browser, nothing saved.
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Find the Right Setup Selector
Six quick questions about your home, budget, and preferences return a research-based starting point: a system category, the trade-off that comes with it, and the guide to read next.
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Freeze & Leak Sensors for a Second Home
Water damage, not burglary, is the claim an empty house actually files - about 1 in 67 insured homes a year, averaging $15,400. Which freeze and leak sensors still reach your phone when the power and internet go out, where to place them, and the free steps that matter more than any gadget.
In the works
Already live: our camera privacy scorecard (local storage, breach history, and law-enforcement sharing policies by brand). Caring for an aging parent? See our guide to medical alert vs security system, which explains why the two protect different things. Still planned: a home-insurance discount estimator for security systems, and a contract comparison worksheet you can fill in while a salesperson is still talking.
New to all of this? Start with the cornerstone guides: how to choose a security system, professional vs. self-monitoring, and costs, contracts, and cancellation.