Magnetic Sensors

Carry out a simple risk assessment to decide what burglar alarm system you need. Do you need to protect your shed/garage/garden ornaments or just a single room in your house, or do you need to protect the whole house and garden?

Protecting Gardens/Sheds/Garages

If you want to protect garden ornaments and outside areas you will probably need an all weather PIR (Passive Infrared) movement detector that will trigger a chime in the house when someone walks into the area to be protected, this should be the type that is not usually activated by pets or small animals. Alternatively shed/garage alarms can be set to trigger a 130 decibel siren when activated which is usually enough to frighten away the opportunist thief immediately, as well as alerting you or your neighbour.

Protecting The Whole House

Usually domestic house alarms will be the ‘Automatic Dialing’ type of system which, when activated by an intruder, will call your mobile or landline numbers to inform you. You can buy a simple yet powerful alarm which will protect just a single room or a system which protects the entire property. If you decide to protect the whole house walk around the outside of your property looking for easy access points, flat roofs, weak doors/windows etc. These will be the areas a typical burglar will be looking for and will therefore require specific protection such as PIR movement sensors or magnetic door/window contacts. Consider how you would gain entry yourself, this will highlight potential entry points for intruders.

Generally a ‘whole house’ burglar alarm system will consist of magnetic door contacts on the front and rear doors, and possibly an internal hallway door. Additional protection is provided by adding PIR movement detectors in the hallway/landing, lounge and kitchen. Protecting the hall/landing is very important because any intruder will normally have to walk across this area when moving between rooms. If you are fitting a ‘whole house’ burglar alarm it is usually best to fit the entry control keypad in a convenient position in the hallway to allow you to access it easily when entering the security code to arm/disarm the system. You may want your system to include an internal entry/exit tone so you can hear and confirm that you have armed/disarmed the system. If you decide to fit an external siren this should be fitted as high as practicable, and wireless systems are best so that cables are not be visible. Wireless systems are also quick and simple to install yourself, and are available very inexpensively.

Protecting Boats and Holiday Homes Without a Telephone Line

Burglar alarms for boats and holiday homes work in much the same way as ‘whole house’ systems but without the specific need for a telephone line and can be powered by either 12 volt batteries or mains electricity. These alarms will usually be a system which, when activated by an intruder, will automatically dial your mobile or landline numbers through a GSM mobile sim card (no need for an additional mobile phone, the sim technology is built into the system). These boat and holiday home burglar alarm systems can auto dial you from anywhere in the world, through the mobile network, no matter where your boat or property is located.

By: M. Stephens

About the Author:

Home burglar alarms were once only found on houses of the rich & famous. In recent years, however, they are becoming more and more common in the homes of “Joe Average”.

Many people choose a simple do-it-yourself security system. These systems can be either wired or wireless and will set off an audible alarm when an intruder breaks in or when they are moving in the house.

There are two types of burglar alarms – open or closed circuit. With an open circuit alarm system the alarm is set off when the circuit is closed. When a door or window is opened, it completes the circuit and sets of the alarm. A closed circuit system works in the opposite way – when a door or windows is opened, it breaks the circuit and sets off the alarm.

Motion sensors are a slightly more sophisticated option. They sense motion within a certain field around the sensor. When motion is sensed, a signal is sent to the control panel which analyzes it to see if it is enough movement to be suspicious.

The sensitivity of these motion sensors can be adjusted to account for things like air movement that might rustle papers or pets walking around the house.

Ideally, it’s best to use both magnetic switches and motion sensors in a burglar alarm setup. The switches protect doors and windows and motion sensors make it easier to protect large spaces like halls and large rooms.

Another option that many people use is video cameras. The cameras are mounted in such a way as to “see” strategic areas around the house. The images they pick up are displayed on a monitor inside the house, and may be recorded on videotape.

Most home security companies also provide remote monitoring of their alarm systems. If the alarm is tripped the security company will alert the police or may send its own security personnel to the home.

Four of the most popular types of burglar alarm systems include:

1. Single premise alarm systems

These systems are meant to provide protection against specific things, which include door alarms (to warn you if a door is opened), carbon monoxide alarms, heat/smoke detectors, etc.

2. Local alarm systems

These systems will sound an alarm in case of intrusion, but they are not monitored by an outside company.

3. Telephone dialer alarms

These systems will dial a specific phone number if the alarm is tripped. They may also be able to dial multiple numbers and will generally play a pre-recorded message when the call is answered.

4. Monitored security systems

These are the most effective systems because they are constantly monitored by the alarm company. If the alarm is tripped, a signal is sent to the monitoring station and they can follow up by calling the police or sending their own personnel to the home.

By: John Lenaghan

About the Author: