subject: Choosing the Right Burglar Alarm for Your Home or Business [print this page] Choosing the Right Burglar Alarm for Your Home or Business
It isn't easy choosing the right burglar alarm or security alarm, there are many things to consider and it isn't obvious which type of alarm to go for until now!
Alarm systems range from cheap DIY systems to professionally installed systems. They break down into three basic types:
Decoy Alarms
These are the cheapest option of all, and are not really alarms in the true sense of the word. They are boxes which are made to look like alarms and which are mounted on the outside of the house to make the burglar think twice. This is better than nothing, but won't alert either neighbours or a monitoring centre if an intruder breaks in. Also, many opportunistic burglars don't even notice the alarm until it starts signalling, so an empty box will make no difference!
Audible Only Alarms
These are also called bells only' alarms. Typically the system comprises a control box, several sensors (such as passive infrared, also called PIRs, and perhaps window and door contact switches), and an outside siren or bell within a weatherproof box.
These are the most common types of alarm, and rely on the loud siren or bell to alert a neighbour or passer-by who then calls the police. The noise of the alarm hopefully also deters the burglar.
In practice, there are relatively few genuine alarms; most times when the alarm system sounds it is a false alarm, and the police treat it as such. Because it is relatively unreliable, the police receive many thousands of calls about suspected burglaries, but very few are genuine. This means that the police have put a policy in place - before they will respond they require additional corroborating evidence of a break in, such as a broken window, a suspicious person or a strange light.
Monitored Alarms
A monitored alarm sends a signal through to a monitoring centre when the alarm is triggered. The monitoring centre then alerts the police, who normally respond to these alarms without reservation.
These alarms are often favoured by businesses and homes in isolated locations, but they are obviously also of interest to any householder wanting to be confident that the police will respond to an alarm.
In fact, monitored alarms also break down into two types; those that just send a signal to the monitoring centre, and those that open up a voice channel.
There are a number of significant advantages for a voice monitored alarm system. First, if the alarm is genuine (in other words, a real burglary is taking place), the voice acts as a real deterrent and will often scare the intruder off; second, if it is a false alarm the householder can tell the monitoring centre that there is no problem, so there will be fewer false alarms and the police will be even more likely to respond; and finally, the system can be used for medical alerts as well, and because the monitoring centre can speak to the householder they can establish what the problem is and call the appropriate emergency service or member of family.
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