Home Security System Design Factors & Considerations
A vital part of securing your home is the installation of a home security system. Home security systems can vary greatly in the levels of protection that they provide. Whether you are hiring a professional security installation company, or you are going to do it yourself, there are critical design elements that should be considered that are covered here.
To begin with you need to decide what your budget is for your system. Most alarm monitoring companies offer a free or reduced installation of their basic package which usually includes 3 door contacts, 1 keypad, 1 passive infrared motion detector, 1 back-up battery, 1 siren, and yard sign if you agree to their monitoring agreement. For many homeowners, this is a very cost effective way to have a basic system installed. However, if you are willing to spend a little additional, you can really beef up your security by adding devices and contact points.
The most critical area to cover is the side and back of the house. Burglars look to find the easiest point of entry where they will not get caught. When a burglar is thinking about breaking in the front, they will ring the doorbell to see if anyone answers. If they do not hear any activity inside, they will kick in the door and close it behind them. Out on the street, it can be difficult to see that anything is going on. But if they were to break a window on the front of the house, your neighbors can easily tell that something is not quite right.
Most burglaries occur through the doors. The side and back doors are the most often targeted. Windows are also easy points of entry. If you are concerned about protecting your home and providing a warning of possible intrusion while you are at home, then you should consider contacting the windows. If you are mostly interested in protecting your property while you are away however, it may be more cost effective to use motion and glass break detectors. This is because on most windows it is possible to simply break the window and climb in. If the window is not raised, the contact will not be triggered.
An effective way to beef up a home security system is the use of interior traps. The most common interior trap is a motion detector placed in the living area as a way of catching an intruder that got by the perimeter contacts. Pet motions are available in different sizes that will detect intruders but filter out the animals. Although these pet motions are great, they are not recommended for homes that have cats. By jumping so quick, a cat fools the motion into thinking that it is a person standing up. If you contact an interior bedroom or closet door that is kept shut when you are away, this could be a good alternative. When the burglar opens the interior contacted door, the alarm will sound. This interior contact is off when the alarm is armed in the stay mode so that you can still freely open and close that door without setting the alarm off.
Many homeowners who have animals often ask about glass break detectors. Although glass break detectors are suggested by many alarm salespeople, you need to understand their limitations before spending your hard earned money on them. A glass break detector is a line of sight product. The glass break detector is listening for the sound and vibration of breaking glass, and it has to occur within milliseconds of each other. This dual technology is designed to reduce false alarms. A glass break detector likely will not work properly if the windows you are trying to protect are covered with heavy draperies, shutters, or even faux wood blinds. In most homes the areas where a glass break can do the most good is around the glass above the master tub and back door glass.
Something else to consider in your security system design is to add a cellular back up to the system. The cell back-up is designed to send in the alarm signal if the burglar decides that they are going to cut the phone line. It is an additional cost due to the cost of the monthly airtime and cost of the unit, but it is the ultimate as far as alarm communications are concerned.
In summary, when you are looking at installing a home security system, at a minimum you should contact all of the exterior doors, and install an interior trap of some sort as discussed earlier. All of the keypads manufactured today are relatively easy to operate, so you should not be afraid of using your system. As I tell our customers all the time at my company, “It will not do you any good sitting on the wall”.
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