By Alvin Curtis
Choosing an alarm system for your home can be difficult, but this short guide should point you in the right direction and give you a few features to look out for when you’re spoilt for choice. Alarm systems can seem complex, but even high-tech alarm systems can be easy to set up and learn with the right supplier supporting you. Each home will always have a different alarm set-up, but it’s largely the homeowner’s choice.
Overall, alarms can be split into “wired” and “wireless”. Wired alarms have been around a long time and are known for being reliable. Wireless alarms are relatively new on the home security market, and though they haven’t been around as long, they have many features, and can be more versatile than wired alarm systems.
The first decision you need to make is whether you’d prefer a wired alarm or a wireless alarm. Wireless alarms are usually part of an integrated system, which can incorporate several other alarms, cameras, and sensors throughout your home. At first, most homeowners tend to look for a simple burglar alarm system, but depending on your own needs, you may want to look for a system with a few more features.
Most alarm systems are fairly noticeable. This can deter any potential intruders from trying to enter your property. Typically, there are two parts to the average alarm system, one that sits outside your home, and a panel inside your home that you can configure the settings of. It’s this internal panel that acts as the alarm that warns you, and through either wired or wireless means, it is connected to the outside alarm trigger.
You want to purchase an alarm that doesn’t have any kind of delay on its trigger. One of the most vital security measures of an alarm is how quickly the system understands that something has happened and can warn you. If something happens and the alarm is triggered, you’ll want to be notified immediately.
Alarm system responses are usually split up into two types. The “self-monitoring” alarm, which uses an automatic dialling system to call people who are noted in the system when the alarm is triggered, and “call-back monitoring” alarms, which send a signal to a security facility to notify a professional that the alarm has been triggered in some way. These professionals will then attempt to contact you, or a designated key holder for your property, and finally, the police.
Choosing a home alarm system is very much down to personal preference. Some prefer the more basic alarm systems, but others like ones that have the ability to link up to an app on your smartphone. These smart home alarm systems are an innovative way to keep your home safe. They come with remote monitoring, so you can check your alarm system from absolutely anywhere in the world.
