Protect yourself with DIY home surveillance

Many of us would like to take some extra steps to safeguard our homes and our family, and we found you can do it for just a couple hundred dollars.

Criminals are frequently stealing deliveries from doorsteps, and some even brandishing guns as they take away any sense of security we used to have.

"To sit there and see a guy come through your house and violate your privacy and touch your things, that's a very scary feeling," said homeowner Jennifer Leimberger.

Leimberger and her daughter decided enough was enough, so her family did what more and more homeowners are doing: They hired a security company to install a surveillance system.

"There are four separate cameras here that we have set along the house,” said Leimberger.

The cameras pick up anyone approaching the home, and Leimberger can then see all on a phone or tablet. 

Leimberger’s professionally set up system costs about $1,000. But if you are just a bit handy, you can now do it yourself for $200 or less.

Best Buy home security manager Alex March showed us the growing number of DIY home security systems they sell.

Just $200 and a weekend to drill holes and run a little wiring is all you need to install a simple 2-camera system. There are also wireless systems like the Arlo security camera.

Or maybe you’ve heard of Nest.

It’s a smartphone-controlled thermostat, but also has a companion surveillance system as a $100 add on.

"So if you've got a Nest thermostats, Nest smoke detector, all these things will talk to each other," said Marsh.

DIY alarms like those from "I-Smart Alarm" let you set up a Wi-Fi home alarm systems for about $150 with no monthly monitoring fee.

But the simplest system of all may be the $199 Ring Video Doorbell.

You stick it next to your front door, and it rings your phone and shows you live video of anyone who comes to your door!

Leimberger said it’s nice to have some security in these insecure times.

"You can just sit in your chair and watch everything that's going on, you don't have to keep going to the window anymore!" said Leimberger.

If you’re not interested in a DIY project, security companies and cable TV companies now offer alarm and surveillance packages.

For $50 a month you get a centrally monitored alarm and cameras you can watch on your phone.