Spending 3-4 grand isn’t in my budget. I figure something is better than nothing, but I would need to do some research before buying. My thought is when your low tech alarm system (dog, tin cans on a string, etc.) goes off you can check it out without giving yourself away.
I started out with a couple of ~300W “modified” sine wave inverters (110V)that can be hooked to a couple of old car batteries or to a car and provide minimal lighting and are able to run a computer. Then I got a sine wave inverter to be able to run either the refrigerator (summer) or furnace (Winter). Still hooks up to a bank of batteries charged by a (Diesel) car.