Magnetic Sensors

‘Do it yourself’ Home security is an interesting and inviting concept. You being the best person to analyze the security requirements of your home, can plan, design and implement the security set up. But most people beginning with DIY home security meet a dead end somewhere down the line. Others end up with a security setup with lots of loopholes. So, before you rush to the nearest security gadgets store and start ordering, it is extremely important that you have a well detailed plan on paper.

The Plan

When you plan the security in your home, start by dividing your home into two areas, the outdoor and the indoor and then focus on each area individually. Let us first look at indoor home security.

Indoor home security

Indoor home security begins with the door and includes any possible entry point into the home. Doors today come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and designs. Some of the sturdier wooden doors of yesteryear have been replaced by fancier looking models that are weaker. The ideal thickness for your doors should be 1 3/4″ at least. Also ensure that the door is a tight fit and there isn’t much space between it and the door jam. Another security enhancement for door is to install a safety wrought iron door before the main wooden door. You can also install electronic security alarms on your main doors. So, if someone attempts to fiddle with the lock or to drill holes into the door, a loud alarm will sound.

Once you secure the door, its time to move on to the windows. Windows are the easiest and the most chosen way by burglars to break into a home. One of the best ways to prevent a break in via windows is to install a metal grill. If you do not wish to install a metal grill for aesthetic reasons, then you can replace the glass windows with break resistant plastic. Replace ordinary window locks with high quality tamper proof locks and use magnetic sensors.

Add ons

Once you have the doors and windows covered, you have already won half the war. There are many more devices like motion sensors, CCTV cameras and duress alarm systems that you can use to protect your home. In the next article, we will look at securing the exterior of your home.

By: James Vernon Mayo

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Home security system sensors can be very effective because there is a lot of continuous improvement taking place in the way that modern sensors work. In any case, before you pick your sensors to safeguard your home you must realize that there are two main groups that you will need to choose from. The first group is those that help to protect the perimeter around your home while the other main group is those that help to protect a home’s interiors.

When you choose home security sensors to protect the perimeter of your home you will be using sensors that are able to identify an intruder as soon as they enter the home either via the window or the doors. Furthermore, the most common types that are available on the market today are the ones known as magnetic sensors.

A magnetic sensor consists of two main parts which include one part that is installed on the window frame head or on the door while the other part is attached directly to the window or door. As long as the window or door remains closed the two parts will remain in an adjacent position to one another. However, when either the door or window opens the magnetic sensors are then separated from one another and this causes an alarm to be sounded.

One downside to this form of home security is that when the burglar simply breaks the glass the magnetic sensors will not be able to detect this and so it defeats the purpose of using them. The solution to this is to make use of foil wires which will be severed when the glass is broken and this will then cause the alarm to be sounded.

In case the burglar can even bypass such measures then you will need to make use of pressure mats that must be installed strategically near the doors or windows and which will then activate the sensors whenever pressure is applied to the mats.

It pays to also learn more about how to buy sensors for your home security. Before you do anything like putting down your hard earned money on one or more of the various different kinds of sensors you must conduct some preliminary research regarding both the outside as well as inside of the home and also find out how far you are from the street and from your neighbor’s home. There are a few more steps you will need to take but first researching your premises is the most important step.

By: Percy Troughton

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If you have decided to install a home security system yourself, it is important to know how to go about putting it together correctly. Follow these guidelines to help get an idea of what installing your own safety system involves, and whether or not you want to pursue the challenge or if you would prefer to leave it up to the professionals.

There are two types of home security systems – wireless and hardwired. The two varieties are suitable for different types of set-ups, for example, a very old home with solid plaster walls that cannot be drilled through may require a wireless system. Wireless home security systems use radio frequencies to function, and are extremely simple to install. Typically a wireless system will involve a few parts, including a receiver and control box, motion detectors, and window and door detectors. A wireless security system model should be purchased only if it has the capability of add-ons that may become important down the line, such as glass-break sensors and smoke detectors.

Hardwired home security systems usually run less expensive than the wireless models, though require significantly more installation. The hardwired version will probably look much like the wireless model, though including cords that must be run through the house, whether through walls or overhead in a crawl space or an attic. This often entails drilling holes through the walls and working out the inner workings of the system ahead of time.

Installing a home security system requires planning, not least of all about where the security box should be located in the home. This place should be near a well-traveled door, in a main part of the house, where the alarm will be clearly audible if activated. There should also be a power source nearby to plug or wire the security system to.

Door and window sensors entail two parts with a magnetic sensor on each part, should be installed with careful attention being given to the distance between the sensors. On a regular door, for example, the sensor-sending element must be situated on or just above the door frame, while the magnetic receiver is attached to the door, just a half-inch away from and right in line with the sender. Motion detectors, then, should be installed elsewhere, away from the doors that are already safeguarded by the sensors.

Luckily for those who are unsure about how extensive they want their home security system to be, systems can usually be purchased in parts. Portable motion detectors and remote door and window sensors that emit a high-pitched alarm upon activation can be bought separately from a full security system.

By: Levi Mortenson

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