Need a DIY Home Security System? Try This Affordable, Customizable Option From Kangaroo

I purchased my first home earlier this year, and with homeownership comes new maintenance costs and concerns. Coming from an apartment where I lived on the fourth floor of a secure building, home security wasn't something I gave much thought to before. Even though I'm not away from my home traveling or commuting much right now, I still knew having some kind of security system would make me feel generally safer. Plus, I do receive a lot of packages and would like to deter would-be porch pirates, especially during the holidays. Since my security concerns are relatively low, I wasn't interested in a professional system and wanted something more affordable I could install myself. Enter Kangaroo.

Kangaroo's WiFi-enabled home security kits are some of the most affordable and easy to install. You can shop bundles based on the size of your home with options for professional monitoring you can purchase with a kit or separately, making it easy to customize a system to your home's needs.

If you want to keep costs as low as possible, you can opt for the free Kangaroo Basic plan to monitor via app notifications to your phone, invite as many users as you'd like to co-monitor your home and have the option to monitor multiple homes at a time. On this plan, if sensors are triggered, you'll be responsible for dismissing or contacting authorities if needed. For 24/7 professional monitoring, the Kangaroo Complete plan costs $99/year includes $1,000 theft or damage coverage, Alexa and Google Assitant integration, 90-day activity history, a homeowners insurance discount, text and call notifications and more. And if porch pirates are your biggest concern, Kangaroo does offer a basic Porch Protection Plan to use with the doorbell camera kit for just $2/month that includes 365-day cloud storage for photos from the motion-activated doorbell camera and $300 package theft coverage. This super-affordable porch plan is a great option for people who live in an apartment complex. You can also purchase accessories like extra motion + entry sensors, water + climate sensors and doorbell cameras individually if you want to expand your system over time.

I decided to try the Front Door Monitoring Kit, which includes a siren + keypad, one doorbell camera, two motion + entry sensors and two Roo tags (keychain fobs) that allow for one-tap arming and disarming of the system. It also comes with a "Beware of Kangaroos" yard sign and window stickers for display.

The kit arrived in well-designed, compact packaging, and the owner's manual and free mobile app walked me through the entire installation process. No tools were required, so the only things I needed were my phone and WiFi password. The app walked me through how to set up a PIN for the siren keypad and how to arm and disarm the system using the keypad, app and touchless key fobs. All of the pieces, which come with adhesive backings, were easy to attach to doors and windows, and I appreciated not needing tools or hardware. A note of caution: The motion + entry sensor is a two-piece sensor consisting of a larger sensor piece that sticks to a door or doorframe and a smaller companion magnetic piece that goes on the other. These pieces must align completely, so if your door is recessed at all and not flush with the doorframe, the sensor will not work. I ran into this issue with one of my doors and temporarily used extra layers of adhesive strips I had to make the magnetic strip stick out enough (not very aesthetically pleasing) until I figure out a more long-term mounting solution.

The motion-activated doorbell camera, available for purchase individually, is shockingly affordable at just $20. It doesn't record video, but it captures and strings together a sequence of photos when activated by a ring, motion or both. The app sends a notification when motion is detected but only stores photos for 24 hours if you don't have one of the monitoring plans.

Overall, this kit has met all my needs for an affordable, customizable and easy-to-install system. So far, no stolen packages or break-ins to report, and it's nice to have peace of mind going into the holidays that my home (and gift packages) are more secure. If someone on your list needs a security system, it's a good time to hop on a Kangaroo kit and check off someone on your list during the brand's Black Friday deal. See ya never, porch pirates!