About 3% of all homes in the United States are burglarized every year - a burglary occurs in a US home every 15 seconds. Taking these statistics into consideration, sadly it’s become necessary to have some form of security deterrent installed in your home. Installing a quality home security burglar alarm product within your home can be an excellent solution to home security, but any burglar alarm system is only as good as the burglar alarm monitoring company that you subscribe to.
A burglar alarm monitoring company is automatically notified when the burglar alarm system in your home goes off, and this monitoring company then calls the appropriate authorities to respond to this break in emergency. Your burglar alarm system is connected to a burglar alarm monitoring company using special phone lines, and an alarm auto dialer unit is normally installed, which automatically calls the monitoring company in the event of a break in. There are many companies to choose from when it comes to choosing a burglar alarm monitoring company, and these companies can vary considerably in the levels of service and competence that they provide.
Choosing a Burglar Alarm Monitoring Company
It’s important to do a bit of research before choosing a burglar alarm monitoring company. Contact the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association, and ask for a list of the member companies within your area. Also speak to your insurance company, and ask them if they can provide you with a list of alarm monitoring companies specific to your location. Your neighbors and friends living in the area may also be able to recommend some alarm monitoring companies.
Before selecting a burglar alarm monitoring company, call them and ask whether their employees are trained and certified by the National Burglar and Fire Association. Also check that the monitoring company participates in the Installation Quality Certification Program. Check that the alarm monitoring company has the required state and/or local licenses – this ensures that the company is legitimate. Also check how long the monitoring company has been in business.
Other important questions to ask before selecting a burglar alarm monitoring company include:
Is the company’s monitoring center open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day?
Does the company have a backup monitoring center in the event of main monitoring center having a power failure? Alternatively, does the monitoring center have a backup power supply, and backup telephone lines?
Check whether the burglar alarm system equipment that the the company uses is Underwriters Laboratory (UL) certified. The company’s monitoring station should also be certified by Underwriters Laboratory (UL).
The largest alarm monitoring companies nationally are ADT, Brink, and Protect America. ADT is by far the largest monitoring company nationally. ADT and Brinks burglar alarm systems can be bought from authorized dealers found in most cities. A burglar alarm monitoring company representative should visit your home to provide recommendations on the security equipment required for your home. This representative should also give you a written quote on how much this security equipment will cost you.
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A burglary occurs in the United States every 15 seconds, and about 3% of all homes are burglarized each year. To meet these growing security concerns, installing a security system in you home has become a sad necessity of modern life. Installing a reliable home security burglar alarm within your home can be an excellent solution to home security, but any burglar alarm system is only as good as the burglar alarm monitoring company that you subscribe to.
When the burglar alarm system in your home is triggered, the burglar alarm monitoring company is automatically notified. The alarm monitoring company will then immediately phone the police or other relevant security services to notify them of break in crime that is currently in progress. Your burglar alarm system is connected to a burglar alarm monitoring company using special phone lines, and an alarm auto dialer component is normally installed, which automatically calls the monitoring company in the event of a break in. There are many companies to choose from when it comes to choosing a burglar alarm monitoring company, and these companies can vary considerably in the levels of service and competence that they provide.
Choosing a Burglar Alarm Monitoring Company
It’s important to do a bit of research before choosing a burglar alarm monitoring company. Contact the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association, and ask for a list of the member companies within your area. Also speak to your insurance company, and ask them if they can provide you with a list of alarm monitoring companies specific to your location. Your neighbors and friends living in the area may also be able to recommend some alarm monitoring companies.
Check whether the employees of the burglar alarm monitoring company have been trained as well as certified by the National Burglar and Fire Association. Also check that the monitoring company participates in the Installation Quality Certification Program. Check how long the monitoring company has been in business. Also ensure that the monitoring company has the required local and/or state licenses to ensure that the company is legitimate.
Other important questions to ask before selecting a burglar alarm monitoring company include:
Is the company’s monitoring center open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day?
Does the company have a backup monitoring center in the event of main monitoring center having a power failure? Alternatively, does the monitoring center have a backup power supply, and backup telephone lines?
Check whether the burglar alarm system equipment that the the company uses is Underwriters Laboratory (UL) certified. Check that the monitoring station of the company has been UL certified.
The largest alarm monitoring companies nationally are ADT, Brink, and Protect America. ADT is by far the largest monitoring company nationally. In most cities you can find dealers authorized to sell ADT and Brinks burglar alarm systems. A representative of the alarm monitoring company should visit and inspect your home before you decide to use the monitoring company. This representative should make recommendations on the security equipment you home requires, and should also provide you with a written quote for this equipment.
To read more articles on home security and home safety, go to the Feedcat.net” href=”http://feed.feedcat.net/homesecuritybuff”>Home Security Buff news feed at Feedcat.net.
A wireless alarm system is composed of battery powered components that communicate via radios signals. Today, more wireless alarm systems are sold for residential homes than hard-wired alarm systems. A wireless alarm system may consist of:
Control Box – The hub of the alarm system and all sensors are linked to this box. May contain a keypad to arm or disarm the system.
Door/Windows Sensors – Closed-circuit sensors that trigger the alarm when a door/window is opened.
Motion Sensors – Detect motion in a room within its field of view. Today, the motion sensors most commonly used are infrared (PIR) motion sensors, which detect body heat within a room.
Alarm Siren – Is sounded when an intruder is detected.
Phone Auto-Dialer – Dials local police station or a security monitoring service and leaves a pre-recorded message when the alarm is triggered.
Key Chain Remote Control – Contains buttons to remotely arm or disarm the system.
Advantages of a Wireless Alarm System:
Ease of installation – Wireless alarm systems are a great DIY choice. These systems are extremely easy for anybody to install as there are no wiring required for the installation.
You can position sensors anywhere you want – because you don’t have to worry about how to route the wiring, you can place the sensors in the best possible locations. Security sensors can be positioned in the best locations in order to have the optimal security coverage.
Aesthetic appearance – The wiring required for a hard-wired system can look a bit ugly, and trunking may need to be installed to hide the wires. Wireless systems don’t have this problem.
Can be easily moved after installation – If at some point you decide that you want to move a sensor to another location in your house, its not a big hassle with a wireless system.
Expandability with other wireless alarm devices – Some wireless alarm systems today allow you to link to other wireless alarm devices, such as smoke and flood alarms.
Disadvantages of a Wireless Alarm System:
More expensive than wired systems – Although with the gaining popularity of wireless systems, there is now not that much of a price difference between wired and wireless systems. With a hard-wired system, it may be necessary to hire someone to do the installation. This is not necessary with a wireless system.
Wireless alarm systems require batteries – Most wireless alarm system components run off batteries, which need to be replaced periodically. Most components of an alarm system will operate for years without requiring you to change the batteries. Wireless alarm system components generally warn you when the batteries need changing via an audible alarm or flashing LED.
Considerations When Choosing a Wireless Alarm System
Take into consideration the number of rooms, windows and doors in your house, and the number of motion sensors and door/window sensors bundled with the wireless alarm system. Also check if additional sensors can be purchased and added to the alarm system.
Also check the operating distance of the wireless alarm system, which is the distance that the radio signals of wireless components can communicate with the control box of the system. For larger homes, a wireless alarm system having an operating range of only 50 feet will not be ideal.
Also ensure that the alarm that comes with the system is loud enough to be heard from a distance, and by your neighbours. It’s recommended that the alarm siren for the system be at least 100 decibels loud. An auto-dialer may also be included as part of a wireless alarm system. An auto-dialer automatically calls programmed telephone numbers when the alarm is triggered, and plays back a pre-recorded message. This telephone number is normally the local police service or a security monitoring company.
Wireless alarm systems from Skylink have become extremely popular, and offer excellent value for money with an impressive feature set. Three wireless alarm system products are sold by Skylink to match different size homes and different budgets. Skylink also sell a wide range of security accessories, to customize and expand these alarm systems.
