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Home Security

2001-07-01 16:07:00

What’s the difference?

Question: There must be a dozen or more home security companies in our area. Can there be that much difference between them?

Answer:  Aside from the obvious things you would want from any company such as reputation, experience, and professionalism, there are some things on the system itself that can be important.  1. Products need to meet or exceed industry standards such as an Underwriters Laboratory (UL) listing. 2. Be sure the system has a solid warranty package.  If something does go wrong, there will be no hassles in getting a replacement product. 3. Price is always a concern.  When getting quotes, be sure to compare apples to apples. Some companies advertise entry level systems that provide minimal protection as a 'leader' item.  This may be fine for a studio apartment. However, a system for a home requires more. Be prepared to purchase additional items that will customize the system for your home. This may mean adding additional burglary protection, fire protection and convenience such as a second or third keypad. When customizing your system… determine what is best for your family and your situation. It is important to discuss what type of protection will best blend into your lifestyle. Are there particular areas of your home that will need additional security? If so, you may want a system that offers partitioning capability. This means that the system can be set up so security in certain special areas can be different from the rest of the house. For example, if you have valuable jewelry in your bedroom or a gun room that needs to be protected, the system can keep these areas armed, even when the rest of the house is disarmed. 4. Choose a system that is easy to operate. You want to combine the most advanced technology with the simplest operation. What good is a system if it's so complicated you find it hard to use? The easiest systems to use report the status of each zone in plain English, requiring no blinking lights or numbered codes. For instance, if your son left a window open, the keypad would signal, "Fault - Pete's Bedroom Window," eliminating the guesswork. This issue of simplicity is especially important if younger children are going to use the system. Some products can be programmed so that a child can press just one button instead of a four digit code to operate some functions of the security system. Once you have selected the features you would like, you should be familiar with how a security system operates. The brains and communications of the system are contained in the control panel. This panel is a metal box housing the electronics and is often hidden from sight, in a closet for example. Various kinds of sensors are connected to the control panel from their locations around the home. There are sensors for two basic types of protection: perimeter and interior. Perimeter protection sensors are located at the vulnerable entry points of the home, such as doors and accessible windows. These would include magnetic contacts and glassbreak sensors. Interior sensors detect motion inside your home. One example would be a Passive Infrared Detector (PIR) which detects motion through body heat. There are also devices called dual technology detectors. In order for these to sound an alarm, two technologies have to be tripped such as PIR and microwave. These are traditionally used in harsh environments. Smoke and fire detectors are other types of interior protection since they are located inside, usually high on walls or ceilings. When a sensor reports a "catch" to the control panel, it analyzes the report to determine which sensor it came from and whether the problem is an intruder, fire or an emergency. After this quick analysis, the control panel can sound a siren or activate lights, and can alert a 24-hour monitoring service, which in turn can verify the alarm and dispatch police, fire or medical help as necessary. Typically, the monitoring service is notified by a digital message sent over regular telephone lines. To protect against phone line failures or line cuts, a radio service known as AlarmNet provides additional security and will permit a signal to be transmitted even if the phone line is cut. To operate the alarm system, you use the security keypad. From the keypad you give commands to the control panel to activate or deactivate the system. The most traditional form of a security console is the keypad. This is often located near frequently used entrance doors.