Additionally, foundation repair, testing services may recommend either periodic monitoring appointments, or provide you with some home monitoring equipment that can be used to alert homeowners or business owners to shifts or further settling or slippage, bowing walls, etc. These often take the form of small, battery-powered, or plug-in devices, that utilize seismic sensors, or in some cases a laser level and reflector, to track the slow movement that can occur over time. It will help provide consumers with a warning or alert if they begin to experience the unwanted movement of their foundation or basement walls more than a certain threshold. The goal is to provide an indication as soon as possible, as foundation problems are far easier to correct in an early stage. For example, it is much easier to install reinforcements on the basement walls when they are 2 degrees off from the vertical axis than when they are 10 or more degrees – and by then, the house may be unstable and too far gone to repair. Early detection can help accomplish foundation repairs most effectively.