Buying a Sense of Security for the Home

Services Point Out Ways to Shore Up Vulnerable Spots by Jane Hodges

Worried that wily thieves could invade our home and steal items like the computer where this story got written and our aging Asimov's Science Fiction collection, we decided to get bids from residential home-security companies and learn how they'd protect our stuff -- and us.

We aren't alone in our worry about residential security: The security market is a $10 billion industry in the U.S., with a professionally installed and monitored security system in roughly 20% of homes, according to Bill Walker, senior vice president of research at First Research in Raleigh, N.C. Residential clients account for 40% of the industry, First Research reports.