Cell Phone Home Security October 28th, 2009
Until not that long ago, in order to have a Home Security System, you had to have a regular land-line phone.
This is no longer the case.
You can now have a burglar alarm system set up even if all you have is a cell phone. This is a great advance, and fortunate, because many people today only have cell phones, not seeing the need for a land-line phone.
Of course even if someone does have a land-line phone, they are free to opt for a Cell Phone Security System, because there are two main advantages:
1. With the Cell Phone System, a burglar is unable to cut your phone or cable wires to circumvent your Home Security System.
2. If your electricity goes out, with the Cell Phone System you still have security, because the back-up battery in your security system keeps the whole system running.
How does the Cell Phone Security System work without a land-line phone?
Well, a type of cell phone dialer is actually installed with the regular system. This is usually what is called a Telguard TG1. It’s pretty much like a cell phone except it only calls out, and it sends the signal to the monitoring command center that the alarm has gone off.
Then the command center calls you on YOUR cell phone. Of course, if there is no answer, they typically dispatch the police. If you answer your cell phone and you’re not home, by all means tell the command center to dispatch the police, since your alarm has gone off and you’re not home!
This Telguard Cell Phone Home Security system is more and more popular, and might be something you want to ask your Home Security professional about.
Telguard TG1
Control Panel October 28th, 2009
The control panel might be thought of as the “guts” of the home security system. Better yet, it’s the “brains” of the system.
Its housing is usually a steel case, about the size of a child’s lunch pail, is often painted beige or cream, and often has a lock on it, with an accompanying key.
It typically contains the main wiring connections, a computer board, and a back-up battery (automatically rechargeable).
The control panel usually contains what are known as “zones”, so that the panel (and the monitoring company “command center”) can identify what “zone” of your home is causing the alarm to go off, or even where a problem with the system might be located.
For example, the front door might be “Zone 1″, the back door “Zone 2″, the motion sensor “Zone 3″, etc.
If your touch pad has a digital readout, for example, it will actually tell you where a door is open, or if there is some other situation.
The Control Panel is typically mounted in an interior closet, so that it’s not readily accessible to a burglar or Einstein-curious children. It will usually be somewhat centrally located, as a means of centralizing the wiring set-up. Or in the case of a totally wireless system, a central location keeps the wireless components close to the “mother ship” for good communication.
Without the critical Control Panel, you pretty much wouldn’t have a security system at all.