How to Wire a Home Security Alarm

Write down the number of entryways to your home. Purchase additional sensor plates as needed to supplement those provided in the home security alarm kit.

Open one of the doors that you are going to wire with a sensor plate. Measure 2 inches from the bottom edge of the door. Place the passive sensor plate against the bottom edge of the door at the 2-inch mark; a sensor with a sticky side will adhere to the door without the need for any tools. If the passive sensor plate has no sticky side, attach the plate to the door's edge with wood screws using a Phillips screwdriver.

Slit 2 inches through the outer insulation at the end of the security cable with a utility knife. Peel the insulation back to reveal the two inner wires. Strip 1/2 inch of insulation from the ends of both wires with wire strippers.

Loosen the two screws on the side of the active sensor plate with a Phillips jeweler's screwdriver. Wind the exposed ends of the two wires around the two screws. Tighten the screws.

Measure 2 inches from the bottom edge of the door frame. Place the active sensor plate against the inside edge of the door frame at the 2-inch mark so that it is directly opposite the sensor plate that is attached to the door.

Close the door. Run the cable along the baseboard of the wall until you reach the home security alarm control panel, which is usually on a table by the bed or in some other central location of the house. Loosen a pair of screws beneath the "input" panel on the control panel with the Phillips jeweler's screwdriver. Cut the cable from the security cable spool with the blade of the utility knife. Expose the ends of the two wires inside the cable the same way you did on the other end. Wind the exposed ends of the two wires around the two screws. Tighten the screws. Repeat this entire procedure with all of the other doors in the house.

Open one of the windows that you are going to wire with a sensor plate. Place the passive sensor plate against the bottom edge of the window. If the sensor does not have a sticky side, attach it to the bottom of the window with wood screws using a Phillips screwdriver.

Slit 2 inches through the outer insulation at the end of the security cable with a utility knife. Peel the insulation back to reveal the two inner wires. Strip 1/2 inch of insulation from the ends of both wires with a wire strippers.

Loosen the two screws on the side of the active sensor plate with a Phillips jeweler's screwdriver. Wind the exposed ends of the two wires around the two screws. Tighten the screws.

Place the active sensor plate on the window sill so that it lines up with the passive sensor plate that is on the bottom edge of the window; if the sensor does not have a sticky side, attach it to the window sill with wood screws using a Phillips screwdriver.

Close the window. Run the cable along the baseboard of the wall until you reach the home security alarm control panel. Loosen another pair of screws beneath the "input" panel on the control panel with the Phillips jeweler's screwdriver. Cut the cable from the security cable spool with the blade of the utility knife. Expose the ends of the two wires inside the cable in the same way you did on the other end.

Wind the exposed ends of the two wires around the two screws. Tighten the screws. Repeat this procedure with all of the other windows in the house. Staple the cable to the baseboard of the walls with a stapler gun.