ALARM SYSTEMS
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ALARMS:
Like batteries, not all alarms are created equal.
The two top selling manufactured brands of alarm
controls are DSC, G.E. and Ademco, sales of other
brands pale in comparison. Because of this fact,
if you have a DSC or Ademco control, any alarm company
can help you in your time of need with such things
as programming, parts, etc. The less popular the
brand, the more likely your are of getting stuck
with an alarm control that only a handful of alarm
dealers can work on, hence, they will likely charge
you more money because your options are limited.
In addition, some brands have no "back-door"
into programming. If your original installer and
company changed the factory code to their own secret
code, which is normal for most companies, there
is no way for another company of your choice to
reprogram your alarm and monitor your system, again,
limiting your options. This effectively makes you
stay with your higher priced monthly monitoring
rate and a company you may not be happy with. If
you are in this situation, it may be worth spending
a little money to replace your alarm control and
keypads because you will get it back in the savings
that you will receive with a lower monitoring rate.
Spending more money on your alarm control does not
make it better! The fact is that generally means
the alarm’s manufacture does not sell many
controls in comparison to the more popular brands.
Hard wired
or wireless:
In a hard wired system, wires are run from every
sensor in the system to a main control panel. If
you are building a new house, this makes the most
sense since you can run the wires while the walls
are open. If you have an existing house, then a
wireless system will usually make the most sense.
In a wireless system, the sensors are not hard wired
to the main control panel. Instead, they transmit
radio signals to the main control panel. The bottom
line is that in a wired system, the hardware is
cheaper, but the installation is more expensive
than the wireless system.
Types of
Systems:
Once you have determined whether you will use a
wired or wireless system, the next thing to consider
is how many zones the system will handle. Usually,
every sensor in the system will require a zone.
Control panels can be purchased with 8, 16, 32 or
more zones. Some control panels have some number
of wired zones AND some number of wireless zones.
At Monitoring For Less , we proudly install Honeywell
and G.E. alarm systems.
Types of
Keypads:
Keypads are the devices that allow you to arm and
disarm the system, and give you feedback as to the
status of the system. Usually you would put a keypad
by each exit/entry point, and one in the bedroom.
Standard keypads have LEDs that let you know which
zone has been tripped. We recommend using upgraded
keypads that have an LCD display. Instead of telling
you that "zone 1" has been tripped, it
tells you in clear text that "Front Door"
or "Basement Motion Sensor" has been tripped.
This way, you know exactly which sensor is causing
the alarm without having to remember what sensor
"zone 6" represents.
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Glass
Break Sensors:
Glass break sensors are basically
microphones that "listen" for the
frequencies that make up the sound of breaking
glass. Glass break sensors can either attach
directly to the window, or can mount on a
near-by wall or ceiling covering multiple
windows with a single sensor. |
Smoke
Detectors:
Fire doubles in intensity every two minutes.
Rapid response time is crucial. Smoke detectors
can save lives, especially if they’re
connected to our monitoring center, because
when the alarm sounds in your home, our monitoring
center is immediately notified. A Monitoring
for Less operator will immediately notify
you and the fire department. Our smoke detectors
can eliminate the worry of having to remember
to replace the batteries. |
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Having a monitored smoke detector
can also lower your insurance premium (depending
on your insurance provider).
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Motion
Sensors:
Next, you would add some PIR (Passive Infrared)
motion sensors. These sensors must detect
both a change in temperature and motion to
trigger an alarm. This dual action cuts down
on false alarms. If you have pets, they can
set off motion sensors causing false alarms.
There are three ways to deal with this. First,
you could put your pets into a part of the
house that does not have motion sensors (laundry
room, garage, basement) every time you leave
the house and set the alarm. Second, you could
let your pets roam the house, but NOT use
PIR motion sensors. Instead, you could use
glass break sensors (see below). Third, you
could use a pet sensitive motion detector.
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These sensors mask out any small amount of motion
from animals, and look for larger movement (like
a person). Unfortunately, our experience shows that
false alarms are still possible with this technology.
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Button Keyfob Simplicity
at it's best! You can control your security
system from outside your home and even turn
on the front light before entering your
home using a keychain remote. Another advantage:
this remote control eliminates the need
to enter your access code, thereby reducing
the risk of false alarms.
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Attic mounted Siren
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Outdoor Strobes |
Temperature
Sensors:
Environmental Sensors Temperature, Vibration
and Water sensors
If you only live in your home part of the year,
you might want a low temperature sensor. If your
heating system fails in the winter then the alarm
system can let you or the central station know that
the temperature is below a safe level, say 40 degrees.
This could save you a lot of money if it keeps your
pipes from freezing. You can also use this sensor
in a cold room(for Wine). It will let you know if
it gets too warm in the room as well.
Carbon Monoxide Sensor: A wired or wireless Carbon
Monoxide sensor can be added to the system so that
you will be alerted to the presence of deadly carbon
monoxide.
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