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Having a burglar alarm system is a must nowadays if you're serious about protecting your home and business premises. Installing an effective alarm system can help you sleep soundly at night confident that your property is well protected. Here's a look at burglar alarm systems and how they work to keep your property safe from intruders Burglar alarm systems, also known as perimeter detection systems or intrusion detection systems, come in a wide range of types but essentially consist of these standard components - a number of sensors, a control panel, and a response device such as a siren and/or strobe light. The sensors are the eyes and ears of your system. They constantly monitor key areas of your property for intrusion attempts. Sensors can take many forms. The most basic are magnetic sensors which fit on doors and windows. One magnet is attached to the window and another to the frame. When they're in contact it means everything’s fine. Should they separate, it indicates the window is opening. This causes the sensor to send a signal to the control box. Other more sophisticated types of sensors include those that can detect the sound of glass breakage, vibration sensors that can detect breaking windows and passive infra red motion sensors which can detect any movement in a space. Sensors are connected to a control unit via low-voltage wiring or a narrowband RF signal. The control panel is the nerve centre of the alarm system. It monitors the signals from the sensors and its digital circuitry acts on this information. If the system determines a break in is taking place it will carry out its programmed action, for example, send a signal to the siren to emit and loud sound alerting the owner or other concerned parties that an intrusion is taking place. The control panel also interfaces with keypads and other input devices such as remote control devices. Most systems are controlled by entering access codes or using fobs. Generally systems can handle a number of codes and fobs to allow multiple users. The final part of a burglar alarm system is the response device. This is the component that produces the intrusion alert. This is usually in audiovisual form such as a siren or strobe light, and in high-end models can consist of a function that dials out to a security centre of local police station. In basic alarm systems, the control panel, keypad and siren are all in one unit but in more sophisticated systems, they're separate units. When it comes to choosing a burglar alarm system for your property, here are some things you need to consider. Firstly, you need to determine the number of zones you wish to monitor. A zone is essentially an area or collection of sensors that protect an area. A door or a window may make up a zone. For a home, a system that can handle eight zones if ample. Next, you should be sure the system is easy to use and maintain. Generally, all you should need to do is to arm and disarm the device at certain times. In a home, arming is usually done before going to bed, in an office, shop or other commercial premises, it's usually before you go home for the night. Arming usually involved entering a code into the keypad or through the use of a fob. Usually a timer function allows you to exit the area before the system is actually armed. Likewise when you enter, the timer gives you time to disarm the system. For more flexibility, arming and disarming can also be done with a remote control, either infra red which requires a line of sight or wirelessly. Most burglar alarm systems are very user friendly and have no learning curve. You just follow yes or no prompts on the LCD screen to have complete control of the system and the preset functions should be perfect for almost all home users. Finally, you can choose between wired and wireless systems. Hardwired systems are more economical; wireless offer a faster, more economical installation but are more expensive. You might also want to consider systems which provide fire alarm functions as well as intrusion protection. Finding the right burglar alarm system for your property is as simple as visiting the web sites of reputable online vendors. You can view full details of available systems and place your order safely online for prompt delivery. Kathryn Dawson writes articles for Alert Electrical, one of the best online retailers of burglar alarm systems in the UK. Whether you are looking for a simple setup or a more sophisticated burglar alarm system, Alert Electrical has years of experience selecting, providing and assembling kits to make the selection of alarm systems easier and quicker. Check out their veritas alarm panel that has 8 fully programmable zones and to take up to 6 remote keypads.
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