Home Security - How Does a Burglar Alarm System Work?

Home Security - How Does a Burglar Alarm System Work?

A burglar alarm system will significantly improve your home security to prevent an intruder attack. In order to choose the best burglar security alarm system it is helpful to understand how they work and what the various basic components are that make up an alarm system.

The basic configuration of an average home security alarm system consists of a control panel, siren and sensors. The control panel will need a permanent power supply and its job is to monitor the sensors so when the alarm is in "armed" mode, it will make the siren sound if any of the sensors are triggered. Depending on the model of alarm, it is often possible to select sensors to go into several zones. You can then decide to switch off certain zones from being monitored, if desired. Why would you want to turn off zones? If you are upstairs asleep in bed you may want to turn off the upstairs sensors so if anyone got up in the night, the alarm would not be triggered.

The siren is the audible alert that gets switched on by the control panel when a sensor is triggered. A siren will need a permanent power supply and should be installed as high up as possible on your property so it cannot be tampered with. Some people even prefer to have the siren positioned inside the property, e.g. in the roof compartment so it cannot be disabled. Others, who use monitored home security, prefer not to have a siren at all. So when the alarm is triggered, the monitoring company will react to the alarm call and send for help on your behalf. There is no doubt however, that a siren has visual impact and will deter burglars, even before they have entered onto your property.

The final main components that make up an alarm systems are the sensors. There are a variety of sensors available that all monitor your home in a different way. For example, a door switch generally uses a magnetic reed switch to detect if a door has been opened whereas a PIR motion detector will use infra-red technology to detect movement in a room. You would generally have a PIR detector per room and door switches on each exterior door. There are door and window shock sensors that can detect a strike to your doors or windows. Many home security alarms allow the addition of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. As they are connected to your alarm, if smoke or deadly carbon monoxide is detected, your alarm will be triggered too.

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