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.

More article and news on home security and home safety topics can be found at the Feedraider.com news feed for Home Security Buff.

A wireless alarm system is composed of battery powered components that communicate via radios signals. Sales of wireless alarm systems today outstrip the sales for hard-wired alarm systems for residential homes. 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 and Window Sensors- When a door or window is opened, then these closed-circuit sensors trigger the system alarm.
• Motion Sensors – Detect motion in a room within its field of view. Infrared (PIR) motion sensors are mostly used today, and these sensors detect body heat within a room.
• Alarm Siren – Is sounded when an intruder is detected.
• Phone Auto Dialer – Can be pre-programmed to automatically dial the local police station or any other security monitoring service whenever the alarm goes off.
• 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 – A hard-wired alarm system can look a bit ugly with the wiring leading to the various security sensors. Wireless systems look aesthetically more pleasing. This problem does not exist for wireless systems.
• 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. Also, it may be necessary to hire someone for the installation of a hard-wired system, whereas with a wireless system this will not be necessary.
• Wireless systems run off batteries – The majority of components in a wireless alarm system require batteries in order to operate, and these batteries will need to be changed from time to time. The batteries for most alarm system components normally operate for many years before they need replacing. 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. Ensure that the alarm system allows you to add additional sensors into the 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. A wireless system with an operating range of only 50 feet may not be suitable for larger homes.

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. Wireless alarm systems often include an auto-dialer. An auto-dialer is programmed to automatically call specific telephone numbers and leave a pre-recorded message in the event of the alarm being triggered. The local police station or a security monitoring company is most commonly used numbers for an auto-dialer.

Wireless alarm systems from Skylink have become extremely popular, and offer excellent value for money with an impressive feature set. Skylink offer three wireless alarm system products, to suit different budgets and different home sizes. Skylink also sell a wide range of security accessories, to customize and expand these alarm systems.

For more information about home security and home safety, take a look at the Feedraider.com news feed for Home Security Buff.