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Home security sensors (of the contact and infrared, motion-detecting varieties) and wireless security cameras are easy enough to install that you could really learn everything you could need to known in a couple of hours of web-surfing. Installing a home security system has ceased to be the monstrous hassle it was just a few years ago, when the technology had recently emerged and was hard for anyone without a good understanding of electronics to work with. With everything simplified down to the point that you can install systems without ever needing to know anything beyond the contents of the product instruction manuals, getting a good home security system is not something to be put off indefinitely, as just another bullet on that lists of things you never get to. For anyone that's seriously interested in the safety of their family, their possessions and, indeed, themselves, getting a good home security system should qualify as a top-level priority.

It's possible to set up a wireless webcam to serve as your personal, wireless security camera, even if you possess the tech-savvy of an 8-year-old. These devices, which are getting smaller by the day even as the resolution available increases to levels of sharpness far beyond the human eye, can be concealed in any desktop ornament - you can install them, Hollywood style, in teddy bears, toys, paperweights, even behind two-way mirrors. It's as simple as drilling a hole in your table or mantelpiece for a feeder cable, cutting a sufficiently wide lens-hole in the side of the ornament to be used as their disguise, and arranging the camera within it. By running the feed cable to a USB port on your computer, you can simultaneously charge the device and record footage. Simple motion detection software, such as that available for download at http://bit.ly/T8KF6, can ensure that your computer records only when there's a disturbance in the camera's visual field, making your new home security system both functional and efficient.

Another way to emulate this effect is by incorporating home security sensors into your system as the means to activate the recording function. For instance, contact sensors function by creating a circuit between two contact pads. When these pads are separated (which, with the usual arrangement of the device, would be as a result of a window or door being opened) that circuit is disrupted, a disruption which in turn signals the central home security system hub to which those sensors are connected and setting the alarm sounding. Alternatively, you could make use of motion sensors. There are two primary varieties of motion-activated home security sensors, UWB (ultra-wideband) radar sensors and PIR (Passive InfraRed) sensors. The first are activated when the radar signals they emit, which are sent over a fixed distance, are returned more quickly than normal (meaning that an object has gotten in the way and blocked the signal). The latter 'sense' motion when any sufficiently hot object moves across their cone-shaped detection field.

These technologies have been in use for quite some time. Indeed, one of them is indubitably responsible for flicking the light in your driveway on when someone walks across it. As a side note, the sensors have also been very well-refined in order to prevent false alarms, such as those resulting from a cat or small dog walking past a sensor. 'Pet-immune' home security systems utilize PIR detectors fitted with a mirror or lens modified so as to stretch the heat blip created by moving objects. Through some clever manipulation, these mirrors magnify the blip produced by a human, and reduce those of a do or a cat. If you have the money lying around, it's also possible to find wireless security cameras equipped with the software to discriminate between animals and humans in a similar fashion.

If you plan to install a home security system incorporating wireless security cameras and home security sensors all by yourself, there are a few important considerations you'll want to keep in mind. One is location. Ideally, cameras and sensors should cover those areas through which an intruder will have to pass in order to access the house. So doors, windows and skylights should be first. Be more concerned about those entry points that are off the street and shielded from public eyes, as they're the ones morel likely to be used by intruders.

Perhaps even more importantly, you'll need to think about the monitoring of your system. If you're going fully independent with your system, the best thing you could possibly do is install a loud alarm siren to be activated upon intrusion, or, if you're really willing to go the extra mile, an automated telephonic system to contact the police with a looped, pre-recorded voice message. Neither of these options is as effective as being signed up with a good home security company. Home security companies, such as ADT, offer better response times than police in most parts of the world. Furthermore, if consulted from the beginning, such security companies will install your wireless security cameras and home security sensors in a fully integrated home security system that they'll be responsible for monitoring - which, for a relatively small fee every month, will really be the ultimate assurance of peace of mind.