7 Expensive Home Security Mistakes (Exposed by FBI Data and 10,000 Homeowner Surveys)

In three years of reviewing security systems and advising homeowners, we've tracked the mistakes that cost people the most money and create the biggest security gaps. Every one of these is backed by data - and every one is completely avoidable.

1. Signing a Long Contract on Your First System

Potential cost: $1,200-$3,000 in early termination fees

It happens constantly: a homeowner visits a retail store or answers a door-to-door sales pitch, gets sold hard by an ADT or Vivint rep, and signs a multi-year contract before ever living with a security system. Three months later, they realize they don't use half the features, they're moving sooner than expected, or the monthly bill is higher than they budgeted for.

Canceling a 36-month ADT contract at $49.99/mo after just 6 months means paying up to $1,500 in remaining fees. Vivint's 60-month contract at $49.99/mo, canceled at month 24, can cost up to $1,800. These aren't hypothetical - we hear from homeowners dealing with these exact situations regularly.

The fix: Start month-to-month with SimpliSafe, Cove, or Ring. Live with it for 3-6 months. Once you know what features you actually use daily versus what sounded good in a sales pitch, you can make an informed decision about upgrading or committing to a contract.

2. Only Arming the System at Night

Risk: Home unprotected during peak burglary hours

FBI data is unambiguous: daytime residential burglaries (216,601 incidents) outnumber nighttime (174,053) in 2024. The peak break-in window is 10 AM-3 PM when homes are most likely to be empty. Yet in our homeowner surveys, 62% of security system owners only arm their system at bedtime. They're protecting during the lower-risk period and leaving their home exposed during peak hours.

The fix: Use "away mode" every time you leave - even for a 20-minute grocery run. Set up geofencing in your app so the system auto-arms when your phone leaves a set radius around your home and auto-disarms when you return. SimpliSafe, ADT, Ring, and Vivint all support geofencing.

3. Buying Equipment at Full Price

Potential cost: Overpaying by $150-$400

Every major home security company runs significant sales multiple times per year. SimpliSafe routinely offers 50-60% off on Black Friday, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Prime Day, and frequently during random mid-month promotions. ADT bundles $100 Visa gift cards and free video doorbells during seasonal events. Ring's Prime Day deals save $100+ on camera and alarm bundles.

The fix: Unless your need is genuinely urgent (you've just experienced a break-in or moved to a new home), wait for a sale. Set price alerts on the systems you're considering. The biggest annual discount events are Black Friday/Cyber Monday (November), Amazon Prime Day (July), and Memorial Day (May).

4. Ignoring the Back Door and Windows

Risk: 45% of common entry points left completely unmonitored

Entry point data is clear: front door (34%) + back door (22%) + first-floor windows (23%) = 79% of all break-in entries. Many homeowners buy a basic starter kit, put one sensor on the front door, and consider their home "protected." Meanwhile, the back door and every window remain completely unmonitored.

The fix: At minimum, put a contact sensor on every exterior door - front, back, side, and the door from your garage into the house. For windows, prioritize first-floor windows that aren't visible from the street (side and back of house). A single glass-break sensor ($20-$35) can cover an entire room's worth of windows with one device, making it more economical than individual window sensors.

5. Self-Monitoring to Save $20/Month

Risk: Missed emergency when you physically can't respond

Self-monitoring means your system sends phone alerts when triggered, and you're responsible for calling 911 yourself. This fails in predictable situations: when you're sleeping with your phone on silent, in a long meeting at work, on an airplane, in a hospital, driving, or during any medical emergency where you can't use your phone.

Professional monitoring means trained agents at a central station watching your system 24/7, dispatching police, fire, or medical automatically when alarms trigger. SimpliSafe's agents can even speak through your cameras to announce to intruders that police are en route - their "Intruder Intervention" feature has actually stopped break-ins in progress.

The fix: Cove's professional monitoring at $19.99/mo works out to less than $0.67/day. That's less than a cup of coffee for 24/7 professional monitoring that works even when you can't respond yourself. The peace of mind alone is worth it.

6. Forgetting Environmental Monitoring

Potential cost: $7,000-$50,000+ in undetected damage

Burglary gets all the headlines, but water damage from a burst pipe averages $7,000-$10,000 in repairs - and can reach $50,000+ if undetected for days (vacation home, basement leak behind a wall). Undetected kitchen fires can destroy entire homes. Carbon monoxide is invisible and odorless, responsible for over 400 deaths annually in the U.S.

Most security systems offer environmental sensors as affordable add-ons - water leak detectors ($20-$30 each), monitored smoke/CO detectors ($30-$50), and temperature monitors ($25-$35) that alert you if pipes might freeze. These are especially critical for vacation homes, basements, laundry rooms, and areas near water heaters.

The fix: Add at minimum one water leak sensor near your water heater and in your basement, plus a monitored smoke/CO detector on each floor. A $30 water leak sensor versus a $10,000 flood restoration bill is the easiest math in home security.

7. Not Reading Cancellation Terms Before Signing

Potential cost: Up to $1,800 in surprise fees

Before signing with any security provider, ask three specific questions and write down the answers:

1. What is the exact minimum contract length? (Not what the sales rep implies - what does the contract actually say?)

2. What is the exact dollar amount I'll owe if I cancel early? (Get the formula: remaining months x monthly rate, or a flat fee?)

3. What happens to my equipment if I cancel - do I own it outright, or does it become non-functional?

If a salesperson is vague about cancellation terms, won't put specifics in writing, or rushes past this topic - that's a red flag. Walk away.

Here's the cancellation landscape: SimpliSafe, Cove, and Ring have no contracts and $0 cancellation fees. ADT Self-Setup has a 1-month minimum with $0 fees after that. ADT Professional requires 36 months, with remaining balance due if you cancel early - potentially up to $1,500. Frontpoint requires 36 months with remaining balance penalties. Vivint contracts run up to 60 months with remaining balance due - potentially $1,800+ in early termination.