Burglar Alarm Tips

Today’s burglar alarm systems are more sophisticated than ever. In fact, the sky’s the limit when it comes to capabilities. Want to be able to watch you’re your art collection from another continental? No problem. Wish you could arm your alarm from your smart phone? It’s possible.

Unless you have irreplaceable or valuable objects, you probably won’t need to take advantage of all the latest technology. A basic burglar alarm will probably be enough to protect your home and worldly goods. Here are the components you’ll want if you decide to get a home security system.

The control panel is the brain of the system and directs all the other components. It can be programmed from a keypad, or — with more sophisticated systems — using a wireless remote or cell phone ap. If your alarm is triggered, a two-way speaker that lets you talk directly with the monitoring service is a nice feature.

Protecting your home

The first aspect of protecting your home is making sure that you have a secure perimeter. The conventional way to do that is to use electrical sensors on all the ground-floor doors and windows. These sensors create an electrical circuit that sounds the alarm when broken. If you have upstairs windows that a thief could access by climbing a tree or using a ladder, you should install sensors there too.

The second prong of home protection is detecting motion within the home. Once the system is armed, motion detectors trigger the alarm if there’s unwanted activity. Radar-based, photo, and Passive Infrared sensors are all used. If you have pets, just make sure that they won’t set them off.

The system has a power supply that ordinarily runs on household current. But many have backup batteries so the system will continue to function during a black out. Some systems can also call the monitoring service via a cell network when the phone lines aren’t working.

Although you don’t have to have a monitoring service, the peace of mind it provides is usually worth the price – which starts around $30 a month. If the alarm is triggered, the monitoring service will take steps to make sure there’s a legitimate problem, and not a false alarm, and then they’ll notify first responders.

ADT Sign

Although it seems like an afterthought, the home security service yard sign is one of the most critical parts of your set up. It tells thieves that your home would be a hassle to rob and not worth the trouble.

Once you have all these elements in place, your possessions will likely be safe. But you should consider adding monitors designed to detect smoke, heat, or carbon monoxide. These can save lives and prevent the destruction of a full-blown fire. If you live in an area with extreme temperatures, there are also monitors that help prevent flooding, water damage, or broken pipes.

Video surveillance cameras that let you watch over your home, kids, or elderly relatives are becoming very popular additions.

Protecting your home Image Flickr: tom.arthur
ADT Sign Image Flickr: cogdogblog