%402x.svg)
Have you ever wondered how burglar alarms work? They use sensors to detect movement in areas where intruders may try to enter your home. When they are triggered, they will set off a loud alarm to alert neighbours or passersby.
Some burglar alarms are linked to monitoring centres where people will react if your alarm goes off. They may call you to discover whether you are alright, contacting the police if there is any reason to suspect all is not well.
Do Burglar Alarms Deter Burglars?
Most burglars would prefer to come and go unnoticed. This allows them to avoid confrontations with homeowners and may allow them to escape before their burglary is noticed. As a result, most burglars will look for signs that your home has an alarm system, preferring homes that do not.
If they still attempt a forced entry and an alarm goes off, they will try to leave the scene before anyone comes to investigate. In this sense, burglar alarms may well help to deter burglars, both before an attempted break-in and during the course of one.
Wired, Wireless and Hybrid Systems
Burglar alarms can be broadly divided into categories depending on whether they are wired, wireless or hybrid.
Wired Systems
As the name suggests, sensors, control systems, and alarms are connected with wiring. These systems are very reliable, and they can be difficult to tamper with, but installation can be disruptive and it may be hard to hide wiring so that it does not detract from your home’s appearance.
Wireless Burglar Alarm Systems
With no wiring to install, these burglar alarms offer an easy, DIY solution. You can also move alarm components around without having to make adjustments - and the alarm system won’t have much impact on home aesthetics.
Unfortunately, professional burglars know how to jam or interfere with wireless burglar alarm signals. Range can also present a problem. They can only communicate information when their signals are unobstructed.
Hybrid Burglar Alarms
Hybrid systems combine wired and wireless alarms, safeguarding the areas you’re most concerned about with a wired system. Wireless components allow you to change the configuration of your alarm system at less sensitive points of entry at will. However, these systems are notably more complex than purely wired or wireless systems. They also tend to be more costly.
How System Monitoring Works
Apart from making a loud noise when triggered, monitored systems send signals to centres where security personnel are alerted to your alarm having been triggered. Because false alarms are possible, for example if you are not quick enough to enter security codes after arriving home, they will usually check in with you.
Operators will try to determine whether you are in trouble, and if you sound distressed or confirm that something is the matter, they will summon help. Many of these systems also include panic buttons you can press if you believe there has been an intrusion.
Where Burglar Alarms Are Typically Placed
Burglar alarms guard sensitive areas, with their sensors detecting movement in places where intruders may enter. Some people even use perimeter sensors to pick up movement if someone were to cross their property line. Others focus on the home itself: doors, windows, and garage doors are typical spots where alarms are deployed.
Burglar Alarms and CCTV With Remote Access
As a further safeguard, particularly useful when you are away, burglar alarms and CCTV cameras allowing remote access can work together. When they detect movement, they can send an alert to users’ phones, allowing them to check real-time footage from security cameras. Users can then decide whether to deactivate the alarm or whether they should call the authorities to ask for intervention.
Security Doors and Windows as A Physical Barrier Against Intruders
Since the dawn of time, people have worked to build physical defences against intrusion, and this strategy remains your best protection against invasion. Although you will be unlikely to build earthworks, wooden palisades, drawbridges, or castle walls with arrow slits in today’s world, the principle holds true.
The more difficult it is to gain entry, the more likely it is for intruders to give your property the go-by. At Stronghold Security Doors, we’ve developed doors and windows that only the most determined assailant can bypass. Meanwhile, while they try in vain to force entry, they are likely to have made enough noise to wake the dead, let alone you or your neighbours.
Are burglar alarms worth it? They can be, but you should combine them with robust physical barriers. After all, you’d rather keep intruders outside than let them in where they can trigger an alarm. Contact us today if you’d like to find out about our security doors, security windows, and secure garage doors. Security can be beautiful and unobtrusive. We make it happen.
