Designing an Effective Home Security System
A vital part of securing your home is the installation of a home security system. Alarm home security systems are available in many different forms and levels of protection. Whether you are hiring a professional security installation company, or you are going to do it yourself, there are critical design elements that should be considered that are covered here.
First you need to decide what level of coverage your budget allows. If you agree to a longer term monitoring agreement, most alarm companies will offer a free or reduced installation of their basic package which includes 1 control panel, 1 keypad, 3 door contact, 1 motion detector, 1 siren, and 1 yard sign. For many homeowners, this is a very cost effective way to have a basic system installed. However, if you are willing to spend a little additional money, you can add devices and contact points that really beef up your home security system.
The most important areas of the house to cover is the back and the sides. Burglars look to find the easiest point of entry where they will not get caught. When a burglar is thinking about breaking in the front, they will ring the doorbell to see if anyone answers. If no one answers the door, they will kick the door in and close it behind them. From the street, it is hard to tell that there is anything going on. But should they decide to break a window on the front side of the house, then your neighbors could easily determine that there is something going on at your home.
Most burglaries occur through the doors. The side and back doors are the most often targeted. Windows are also easy points of entry. Contacting all of the accessible windows will provide a warning of possible intrusion if someone were to raise a window at night while you were at home. If you are mostly interested in protecting your property while you are away however, it may be more cost effective to use motion and glass break detectors. The reason is that even if the windows are contacted, it is possible on most windows to simply break the glass and climb in. The contact never sets the alarm off if the window is not opened.
An interior trap of some form is a critical part of the design of an effective home security system. A motion detector is commonly used in the living area as a means of catching an intruder that happened to get by the perimeter protection. Pet motions are available in different sizes that will detect intruders but filter out the animals. Although these pet motions are great, they are not recommended for homes that have cats.Because a cat can jump so quick, it will fool the motion into thinking it is a person standing up as opposed to an animal. If you contact an interior bedroom or closet door that is kept shut when you are away, this could be a good alternative. When the burglar opens the interior contacted door, the alarm will sound. However, this contact is off when the alarm is armed in the stay mode so that you can go about your business without fear of setting the alarm off.
Glass break detectors are often requested by homeowners with animals. Before spending your hard earned money on glass break detectors, it is important to understand their limitations and what they were truly designed to cover. A glass break detector is a line of sight product. The glass break detector is listening for the sound and vibration of breaking glass, and it has to occur within milliseconds of each other. This dual technology is designed to cut down on false alarms. If you have faux wood blinds, heavy draperies, or shutters on the windows you are trying to protect, chances are that the glass break detector will not work. In most homes the areas where a glass break can do the most good is around the glass above the master tub and back door glass.
Another item for consideration if you are going to have your home security system monitored is to add a cellular back up to the system. If a burglar decides that they are going to circumvent the security system by cutting the phone line, then the cell back-up unit will send the signal anyway. There is an additional cost involved due to the cost of the unit and the monthly airtime, but it is the ultimate as far as alarm communications are concerned.
In summary, the minimum home security system should include an interior trap of some sort and contacting all exterior doors. Do not be afraid of using your alarm system because all of the keypads manufactured today are relatively easy to operate. As I tell our customers all the time at my company, “It will not do you any good sitting on the wall”.
Mail this post
Our mobile site
