Having a Burglar Alarm in your home is a must these days, but choosing the correct one can be a daunting thought.
The 4 Main Points
1) Communicating: By which means does the alarm system alert you to an intruder? Land Line, GSM Network or Both
2) Connections; how do the sensors connect to the alarm system? By Wires or Wirelessly?
3) Control: By what methods do you wish to control the alarm? Keypad, Remote, Smartphone App, RFID.
4) Level of protection: What sensors and how many sensors do you require to be fully protected in your home.
Land Line or Sim Card
Landline
A landline system needs to be plugged in to a landline to make the emergency calls when the alarm is triggered.
Landline alarms are generally cheaper than the GSM counter part.
A down side to a landline system is if the phone line is cut the alarm will no be able to make the emergency calls when triggered.
GSM
A GSM alarm uses the mobile phone network to make emergency calls when triggered; they also have the added benefit of being able to send emergency text messages.
GSM alarms are particularly popular for protecting garages, barns or outhouses that do not have a phone line.
GSM alarms also allow an extra level of control by letting you send instructions to the alarm by text message or smart phone App.
Wired or Wireless
Wired
Wired sensors need to be wired directly in to the alarm panel, this can make installation expensive as wires will have to bun round the house.
Ad advantage of wired sensors is they are powered directly from the alarm unit so batteries are not needed.
Wireless
Wireless sensors are extremely convenient, as you do not need to run wires throughout your house, which will be expensive
They are simple to fit making setting up the alarm system quick and easy.
Additional sensors can be assed quickly and easily at low cost.
Wireless sensors have a range of around 100M so you will be able to protect your full house and possibly outlying building without having to lay wires
An alarm with a smartphone app!
When choosing a system it is important to think about the methods in which you would like to control the system. The following information will guide you through the different methods of controlling the modern alarm system.
Unit Keypad
Most alarm systems have a built in keypad, this enables you to control the alarm on the unit itself, usually by entering a 4 digit pin number to arm and disarm the burglar alarm.
Remote / Fob
Some system these days come with remote fobs, The remotes generally have the following functions, Arm, Disarm, Partial Arm and Panic Button.
RFID
An RFID alarm can be easily armed and disarmed by RFID key ring or card, simply hold the key ring or card up to the alarm and it will arm or disarm the system.
Wireless Keypad
A wireless keypad can be added to most modern alarm systems, this will enable you to have full control of the alarm from a different room in the house than the alarm unit itself.
Smart Phone App
A smart phone App will enable you to have complete control of your security system from anywhere in the world by simply pressing a button on your smart phone. Only GSM alarms are compatible with smart phone Apps.
Phone call
All of our systems can be controlled by dialling the number they are connected to, you can then enter your password and use the keypad on your phone to give the alarm commands.
SMS Text Message
All of our GSM alarms can be controlled by text message, simply text the instructions to the alarm system.
What sort of sensors do you need.
Before you purchase an alarm system we recommend you plan exactly what sensors you need and where you are going to put them. You may think that burglar alarms are purely to warn you of and scare away intruders however there are many other detectors that can be added to the alarm system to protect you from fires, gas leaks and even floods.
I personally recommend having a door / window sensor on all external doors and windows, a PIR sensor in all rooms and corridors, and a Smoke detector in the kitchen.
Wireless Burglar Alarm
I would recommend purchasing a burglar alarm system, this will enable you to place the sensors in the desired location without having to run wires all the way through your house.
I would also recommend getting a burglar alarm that works using a sim card, that way you can use your smart phone to control the system.
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