10 Reasons To Have A Home Security System

Posted on December 6, 2011 by terryray

1. FBI statistics show that burglary continues to be a serious problem this year! A Home Security System statistically prevents burglary. It’s as simple as that.

Watch the local section of your local newspaper, or the 911 section of your County Sheriff’s website. You may be surprised.

2. If you have a Home Security System, you are 3 times less likely to be broken into, than if you don’t have a system.

3. Some burglars literally go down the street saying to themselves, ”They have an alarm . . . . they have an alarm . . . . they don’t have an alarm . . . . I’ll break in the home that doesn’t have an alarm!” (Makes sense, doesn’t it?)

4. If you watch the “Local” section of the newspaper, you will see break-ins reported day after day after day . . . . they never stop. And if you think it only happens to “the other guy”, believe me that’s what “the other guy” thought before it happened to him!

5. But, if you watch the “Arrests” part of the newspaper, you will hardly ever see anyone arrested for burglary. Ever wonder why? It’s because they normally break in homes without alarms! Does this make sense, or what?

6. Even if they do “try” a home with an alarm, they typically will brak in a back door, and if the alarm goes off, they stop breaking in, and run away! (So once you do have a system, make sure you set it, even if you’re running to Wal-Mart for 15 minutes.)

7. More and more, break-ins take place even when you’re home! This is called a “home invasion”, when the crooks just bust in the door. Scary, but on the increase!

8. A Home Security System actually gives you Four Umbrellas of Protection:

— First, the yard sign keeps the “casual” burglar away.
— Second, if they come up to your house, the window stickers will make them think hard.
— Third, if they did pry open a door, or enter and cross the path of the motion sensor, the interior siren will typically scare them off.
— Fourth, when the alarm is set off, the professional monitoring staff is notified via phone line.
— The professional monitoring staff dispatches the authorities.

9. There is always the possibility of bodily harm, since a burglar is desperate to avoid jail, of course. But even when personal harm doesn’t occur, the average cost of a break-in has risen to over $2000 (I know of many much higher!).

10. Burglars move fast. They cover all the rooms fast, looking for TV’s, stereos, DVD players, guns, jewelry, money . . . you get the idea. They are really, really good sometimes.

And remember, they hardly ever get caught.

And they don’t care what they mess up while they are speeding through your home. Photos, mementos, gifts from grandma . . . things you don’t think about when you say it only happens to “the other guy”, or “my insurance will cover it.”

10a. Bonus reason: Vehicles in your driveway are twice as likely to be broken into if you don’t have a security system. Vehicle burglars don’t like home alarms. Never know who has their finger on the trigger. Plus they figure if you have a home security system, you’re more likely to have a car alarm.

10b. Bonus reason: Dogs, even fierce ones, are not the protection people think they are. Burglars think nothing of taking care of a “Rott” or Pitt Bull with a .22 caliber “short”, or a can of Easy Off Oven Spray in the eyes. If they target your house, believe me, they will get in.

Posted in All Articles, Why Have Home Security? | Comments Off

Home Security System – Five Silly Reasons Not To Get One

Posted on December 6, 2011 by terryray

1. “I have a shotgun . . . .let ‘em try to come in.”

What if you weren’t home? What if a family member was home, unable to defend themselves? What if they broke in silently while you were sleeping? What if they came in with their own gun? Who would have the advantage? That’s why you need a security system.

2. “I can’t afford it.”

Let’s face it, most of us waste massive amounts of money on Cokes, snacks, games, etc. For about the cost of a Coke a day from the Minit Mart, you can protect your home and family, and it’s highly unlikely your budget will even notice. The truth is, you can’t afford not to have a burglar alarm, considering how much is being protected so inexpensively.

3. “We had a burglar alarm at our last home, and we never had a break-in, so we don’t need one.”

No comment on this one, because “duh” would be too rude. (Please get the security system!)

4. “Someone is always home at our house.”

Even if that were true, which it usually isn’t, more and more break-ins happen with the people home! Usually while sleeping! Please get the home security system, already.

5. “We live in a good neighborhood.”

I always urge folks to follow the local section of the newspaper for a few days. Why? Because you will then know that there are no immune neighborhoods! Burglars are everywhere. Believe me, if you knew what I know (and this is my business), you would have a Home security System.

Posted in All Articles, Why Have Home Security? | Comments Off

Security Cameras – The Basics

Posted on December 6, 2011 by terryray

A Word About Cost

What’s amazing to me is how cheap home security cameras are now. It wasn’t long ago that you practically had to be rich to have such a system. Now they are in reach for almost anyone who wants one.

They range from simple one-camera black-and-white systems which don’t record anything, to very sophisticated multi-camera color camera systems with DVR recording, motion detection, and lenses that pick up the subject in the lowest of light.

Some Decisions:

Hidden or Open

You can choose between cameras that are hidden or “covert”, or you may want to have cameras that are out in the open.

Hidden cameras are generally used for surveillance, such as keeping an eye on a child’s caregiver, or watching and recording employees who might not be trusted.

Normally, however, cameras are left out in the open, so as to prevent unwanted activity, rather than record it when it’s already too late. Seldom will someone who sees a camera watching them do things that they wouldn’t want to be seen doing. Simple logic.

Color and Speed

Most cameras now days are in full color. The cost has come down so much, and the quality is so much better than black-and-white. I would highly recommend color for almost all uses.

But speed is still evolving, and more related to cost. The more “frames-per-second” or “images-per-second” a camera has, the smoother will be the playback of the recording.

We’ve all seen surveillance camera footage on the TV news, where the perpetrator of a crime seems to “jump” from one side of a convenience store to the other instantly. Well, that’s because the camera was slow in it’s “frames-per-second”.

Check out the speed for your own use.

Basic Equipment

Normally home security camera systems will have:

- One or more cameras
- A recording device, normally a DVR “hard-drive” unit
- A monitor, which can be watched from another room
- A motion-sensor, so that recording is done only when there is actually a person present

How Important Are Home Security Cameras?

Only you know your needs, budget, and home situation. Probably the most important advice here is:

Don’t put off getting a Basic Home Security System until you can afford or install a home security camera system.

It’s far more important to have your home secured with door contacts and motion sensor, to deter the ordinary burglar or home invader, than to have camera surveillance. If they break in while you’re gone or sleeping, cameras will be too late.

Get a basic system as soon as you can.

Posted in All Articles, Security Cameras | Comments Off

Motion Detectors

Posted on December 6, 2011 by terryray

Also known as the Motion Sensor, this is one of the most important parts of your home security system.

The typical Motion Detector is known as a PIR or Passive Infrared sensor. They set off your alarm when the sense changes in infrared energy or “heat” levels which are caused by somebody moving within the area protected or “seen” by the motion detector.

They don’t give off any energy of their own. They just “see” or “sense” the infrared energy given off by the persons who move into its space.

They’re quite simple, not very expensive, and are great for protecting sizeable areas of you home.

Although you may want more than one, depending on the size of your home, even one motion detector will do a pretty good job. Why? Because when a burglar breaks in, they are greedy, and will typically run all over your house looking for stuff to steal, likely crossing the path of the motion sensor.

Most standard security systems “kits” come with one motion sensor.
Want to know how much area your motion sensor will cover? Here’s a good rule of thumb:

Pretend that your head was positioned right where you plan to have the motion detector mounted. And pretend that you were looking straight ahead, just where the motion detector would be “looking”.

The amount of space that you could see with your two eyes, without moving them – looking straight ahead, is approximately the area that the motion sensor can “see”. That’s about a 90-degree view, and a typical detector might have a distance range of 40 feet.

Many motion detectors are “pet immune”. That means that a small pet, maybe up to 50 pounds, can run around free in your house while you’re gone, and they won’t set off the alarm. If you have a larger pet, you can “upgrade” to a sensor which can go up to about 75 pounds, or even 100 pounds. Other folks who have large pets simply find some way to seclude them in an area where the motion sensor can’t “see” them.

If you have a large pet, and the thought crosses your mind, “I just won’t use the motion sensor when I’m gone,” please think again. The motion sensor is a critical part of your home security system.

Motion Sensor

Posted in All Articles, Motion Detector | Comments Off

Key Pads

Posted on December 6, 2011 by terryray

Also known as the Touch Pad, this is the piece of equipment that is mounted on the wall of your home, which you use to arm and disarm your burglar alarm.

It typically will have two basic settings, “Stay” for when you are arming it while you are home, and “Away” for when you are leaving the house.

Normally, when you do the “Stay” setting, your motion sensor won’t be armed, so that you can walk freely around your home.

Also, when you do the normal “Stay” setting, if you open a door the alarm will not immediately go off. There will be a normal delay of maybe 30 seconds. So if you accidentally open the door to let the dog out, you won’t have the siren screaming in your ear right away. You will have time to disarm the system before it goes off.

However, when you desire to do so (for example, when going to bed for the night), most alarm systems will allow you to add an “instant alarm” to the “Stay” setting, so that if a door is opened by a burglar the alarm will immediately go off. On my home security system, the “instant alarm” setting is “Star (*) 9?, for example, but each system has its own. Just ask your alarm installer.

When leaving the house, you will use the “Away” setting. You will push the appropriate button BEFORE opening a door to leave, then you will have perhaps 30 seconds to open the door, walk out, and shut the door.

Then the system say, “Oh, they’ve left the house!”, and will automatically arm the motion sensor.

The motion sensor is one of the most important parts of the system, since it will catch a crook no matter how they come into your home. Burglars have come in windows, drilled through floors from the crawl space, come in heat ducts, and other odd-ball ways. So always make sure your motion sensor is working.

Key Pad

Posted in All Articles, Key Pad | Comments Off

Interior Sirens

Posted on December 6, 2011 by terryray

Every home security system should have an interior siren.

When a burglar breaks in, you want them afraid to proceed with their burglary. One of the things that scares them the most is the siren going off.

Most sirens are close to 100 decibels, and they will surely hear it. It tells the burglar two things: 1) these people actually have a security system, and 2) there is shortly going to be someone calling the police.

Common sense tells the crook, “Get yourself outta here!”, and you know what? They almost always do when the siren goes off.

Of course, the siren also alerts you, if you’re home and there’s a break-in. It’s scary, but better that you should know than have the burglar entering your home secretly.

Sidenote: Exterior (outdoor) sirens are not very popular anymore, for obvious reasons. Most time a siren goes off, it’s the homeowner accidentally setting off the alarm. Maybe we forgot it was armed and opened the door in the morning to let the dog or cat out. If a loud alarm blasted to the neighbors every time that happened, the neighbors wouldn’t be too happy. And they probably wouldn’t pay much attention to it anyway, as you’ll often see in the case of car alarms.

But the Interior Siren is a vital part of your burglar alarm. Don’t leave home without it. In fact, don’t STAY home without it, either :)

Posted in All Articles, Interior Siren | Comments Off

Burglar Alarm Systems – Some Clarifications

Posted on December 6, 2011 by terryray

The purpose of burglar alarm systems is obvious. When armed they detect if someone tries to enter your home, by sending a signal to a monitoring command center.

The command center has “operators” standing by, similar to “911? operators, typically 24 hours a day. When these operators receive infromation from your burglar alarm system, they typically call you on the phone. If there is no answer, they dispatch your local police.
Some Clarifications:

1. If you set your security system off accidentally, don’t worry. You normally have 30 seconds or so to disarm it before the command center calls you, and you never get their call.

If you don’t disarm it in time, and they call you, they will ask you for your “password” to prove you’re not the crook. Crisis over, except for the siren noise you had to endure for a few seconds.

2. Often you can get a system for little or no upfront cost, and just pay for monthly monitoring. This helps you avoid the big upfront cost of purchasing a system.

Check around with various companies to see what’s available at this time for your home.

3. Most burglar alarm systems now are quite user-friendly. There are typically two settings: “Stay” (for when you are staying in your home), and “Away” (for when you are leaving your home).

Your security system installer will show you how simple it is to operate your system.

4. If you are concerned about your phone line being cut by a burglar, you may want to opt for a “cell backup” system (where a sorta built-in cell phone sends the burglary signal if your main phone line is cut), or a “cell primary” system (where a sorta built-in cell phone sends the burglary signal even if you don’t have a landline).

Those “cell phone primary” systems are getting more and more popular, with many people not even owning a land line anymore.

Posted in All Articles, General Information | Comments Off

Burglar Alarm Systems – How They Work

Posted on December 6, 2011 by terryray

Burglar alarms systems work by sending an electronic signal to the monitoring company “command center”, over some kind of phone line, when some kind of trigger mechanism sets off the alarm.

The main kinds of trigger mechanisms are:

1. Door or Window Contacts – These are either hard-wired or wireless contacts which are made up of two parts. One part is on the door or window itself, and the other part is on the door or window frame.

As long as the door or window is closed, the two parts of the contact have no “news” to report, but as soon as the door or window is opened, the separation of the two parts says, “Hey! Hey! Somebody opened the door! [or window]”.

There might be a delay of maybe 30 seconds, depending on the mode the system is in, or it might be set on “no delay”. But either way, when any “delay” time is over, the siren is set off, and the burglar alarm send a signal in to the command center of the monitoring company.

2. The Motion Detector – Motion detectors are a vital part of a good security system, because you never know how a burglar might get into your home. They might come in a window, cut a hole in the side of your home, come in a heat duct, or some other oddball way.

The motion detector receives infra-red rays from a burglar, trips the alarm, sets off the siren, and sends a signal into the command center.

3. Glass Breakage Detectors – You may choose to have one or more glass breakage detectors installed in your home. They are small electronic devices that can “hear” the sound of glass breaking, as when someone breaks a window in your home.

This sound of breaking glass causes the detector to trip the burglar alarm, set off the siren, and send a signal to the command center.
So which parts are most important?

Well, you MUST have door contacts. That’s most important of all. Next in importance is the motion detector. You never know how a crook will enter your house.

I can’t stress how important it is to have at least a BASIC SYSTEM With door contacts and motion detector.

Don’t wait to get a basic burglar alarm system if you can’t afford “extras” like window contacts and glass breakage detectors! You can always get those later. But don’t go without security in the meantime.

If you can afford the “extras”, by all means get them.
Window contacts might cost you from $65 to $150 each, depending on whether they are hard-wired or wireless, and depending on the company you deal with and where you’re located.

Glass breakage detectors might cost $150 each (they vary widely – check with various companies). But one detector may cover several windows, depending how close together they are.

Posted in All Articles, General Information | Comments Off

Door Contacts – Wireless

Posted on December 6, 2011 by terryray

You will definitely want door contacts included in your home security system. Most burglar alarm kits automatically include them.

There are two main kinds of door contacts, “hard-wired” and “wireless”.

In this article we will deal with the wireless.

There are two advantages to wireless door contacts:

1. They are very easy to install, in most cases.

2. They can be place on virtually any door, even those which cannot be accessed for hard-wired contacts.

Examples of places where a hard-wired contact cannot be installed would be in a home with a cement slab on the main floor, or a bi-level home with a cement slab, since the installer can’t get under the floor to drill into the door casing from below.

In any case, wireless contacts of the disadvantage of requiring individual batteries, although they can be expected to last for two or three years or more.

The wireless contact typically consists of two pieces, one attached to the door itself, and one attached to the frame of the door. Most are rectangular box-shaped pieces, but some are recessed into the door and door frame, similarly to a hard-wired contact.

The two pieces are placed directly facing each other, but not touching. They are “connected” by waves traveling through the small air space between them. In this way, when the door is opened, the “connection” between them is broken, and the alarm is set off.

Posted in All Articles, Door Contacts - Wireless | Comments Off

Door Contacts – Hardwired

Posted on December 6, 2011 by terryray

Virtually all home security systems will have contacts on the doors, so that when the door is opened, the alarm will be set off.

Door contacts come in a variety of styles, but the two main categories are “hard-wired” and “wireless”.

The hard-wired door contacts are the most popular, and have two advantages over the wireless:

1. They are less expensive.

2. They don’t require individual batteries.

The hard-wired contacts consist of two separate components. The first is the contact which is embedded into the door casing.

It is recessed into the door casing, so that it is almost invisible. But it is connected by a wire to the security system.

Normally, a hole is drilled into the casing from under the house, either from a crawl space, or some basements. It may sometimes be drilled in from an attic into the top part of the door casing.

In any case, directly across from the contact embedded in that door casing, is a matching magnet embedded into the door itself. It lines up face-to-face with the wired component embedded in the casing.
When the door is opened, the magnetic “connection” between the two components is broken, setting off the alarm.

Sometimes with some floor plans, there is no way to get under the floor of a home or an attic. Then hard-wired door contacts can’t be installed.

For example, a bi-level home with a cement slab on the lower level will usually require wireless contacts, because you can’t get under the cement, obviously, and there is no attic that is close to the door frames.

Another example is when there is a finished basement under the home, with no “drop ceiling” to get into, so there is no way to get to the doors on the main floor, without destroying the finished ceiling of the basement. And so wireless contacts must be used.

Needless to say, door contacts are one of the most important parts of your security system, since it is the most popular way that a burglar enters a home.

Posted in All Articles, Door Contacts - Wired | Comments Off