Alarm systems for the home or Business

As I mentioned in my last blog where I gave you some basic information about home security, I want to talk about alarm systems in this blog and give those of you without one, some advice on what you can expect from them.

Alarms come in two basic types - generally speaking - and they are:

. Silent
. Audible

Silent alarms, by definition, cannot be heard activating on site, however that means in order to be effective they must be monitored and this can incur frequent and large costs. The main advantage of this sytem is that the burglar may not know he has been detected thereby offering the Police/Security staff the chance of catching them "on the job".

This system will have a detector covering the areas you wish, and will send a signal to your monitoring bureau when the alarm is turned on. You will see that the detectors (generally referred to as PIR's - for Passive Infra Red) are still activating when you are home with the system turned off, but because the alarm has been isolated, no signal is being sent to your alarm company.

Increasingly also, you can have the alarm programmed to dial your mobile phone and alert you. This allows you to respond without the added expense of a mobile guard being sent to your address. This type of response can cost you upwards of $150.00, but there are definite and variable response options available to you.

For instance when you sign a monitoring contract, you will be given the option of sending a guard everytime, only sending a guard if no one responds correctly or at all to a phone call from the monitoring bureau, or only according to your specific requests. You can chop and change your response type if you wish and if the company demands that you send a guard, find another company to work for you. Generally the first response is to phone the premises - everybody at your home or business must be made aware that if this happens they are to answer and give the appropriate password. If they don't you can expect that $150 bill I mentioned above after a guard attends to check the situation.

A guard will be sent according to your wishes, or not - that is entirely your choice, so he will need to be supplied with keys and the alarm codes. It is almost - almost - unheard of for this situation to be abused, but is so rare an event that you should not worry about this aspect.

The second type of alarm is the sort that you have all heard sounding all weekend while you try and sleep off a big night out. These alarms work in exactly the same way as the silent alarm but are connected to an external (sometimes internal) siren. The siren is designed to sound an alarm at around 106db which is designed to be so loud and uncomfortable to the ear it will drive the intruder out of the building. The manufacturers used to make them so loud they could burst your eardrums until the courts decided this was an illegal use of force and the Wally's in Parliament banned them. A guard will generally not be sent to an alarm of this type and that is why they sound for hours, if not days on end.

Both systems come with a battery back up so that in the event of a power outage the alarm will still work. These back up systems will generally be serviced by your alarm company technicians.

Most systems send their signals over the phone lines, but there are fail safe systems built in to avoid someone cutting the phone lines or turning the power off. Modern, more expensive systems can and do employ wifi technology. The systems can be programmed to record who and when is onsite and for how long. They can also turn off one zone to let staff work in the office or similar, while the rest of your business remains monitored and secure.

You can spend thousand's on a top line system or have one installed and monitored for as little as $700. The more you have to protect, the more you need to consider your system. Do you also need Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) monitored by outside agencies or recording to your Hard drive? What about security lighting, if you don't have any, you will need infra red lenses for you CCTV system. Be cautious when purchasing alarms at a cheap price - that is under about $500 as they generally do not offer a monitoring option and you may not be offered any back up service or advice. Also, as you might expect with a cheaper item of any sort, the quality will vary and the results may be inconsistent and difficult to repair and or replace. You will be less likely to have a warranty accompany this type of system as well and it will not come with the features you can expect from the more expensive units.

Do you need a medical alarm, monitored so that a guard will attend at anytime or someone of your choice will be contacted by your bureau to attnd an activation. They work, and have saved several lives that I am personally aware of. I once attended a unit where the elderley female occupant had not been seen or heard of for three days. We broke in through the front door to find her sitting on the bottom step of her stairs unable to get up or move. She told us that she had been there for the whole three days and had left her medical alarm pendant on her bedside table - upstairs! She could not get to the phone and by the time we found her she could hardly speak from calling for help. Several times I have attended these alarms to find the owner sitting in bed fiddling with it, but believe me it is a much nicer thing to see than to find them in this lady's situation, or worse.

There are many other types of alarms and you need to do some research before investing in one. If you have any questions give me a call or drop me a post and I will be more than happy to help you out.

Stay safe
Best wishes
Biggles