House & Commercial Security Systems


HOUSE ALARMS

The average house does not need a vastly complicated alarm system to help protect it.

Before considering fitting an alarm system ensure that good door and window locks are fitted. Do not leave the keys (including car keys) in or next to the doors or windows, OR IN SIGHT OF ANY WINDOW OR LETTERBOX. Do not allow shrubbery to give a thief cover near to external doors and windows. Consider fitting dusk-to-dawn lighting or flood lighting in some cases. Your local Crime Prevention / Reduction department of your police force will give the appropriate advice.

The average 3 bedroomed house could be fitted with an audible only or a police calling alarm system, consisting of a control box near the last exit door. A neater solution is to have an alarm control box with a separate keypad. The main CONTROL BOX can be fitted under the stairs, or in an entrance hall cupboard in a bungalow, and the small keypad for setting and unsetting the system, fitted close to the entrance / exit door.

The fitting of the control box in a cupboard under the stairs makes the running of cables to the various detectors relatively easy, and there is usually a nearby mains power supply.

Although still referred to as a KEY PAD, a telephone type press button pad is now almost universal-metal keys are a thing of the past. A proximity key tag is now often used to unset systems without using a code.

The EXIT / ENTRY door is usually fitted with a CONTACT (switch) either flush fitted (countersunk) into the door frame and leading top or edge of the door, or surface fitted, screwed to the inner surface of the door and frame.

When setting the system, the customer code or set code is entered on the keypad. If all circuits are shut and clear an exit bleep tone is sounded and the householder can open the exit / entry door and leave the premises, securing the door behind them. Depending on the type of control box, the EXIT BLEEP will stop as the exit door is shut, or will stop after a short predetermined time (exit timer) The system is now set. The ENTRY / EXIT /ACCESS zone allows access to the keypad to turn the alarm on and off, but only for the time set on the entry / exit timer.

If any other zone or circuit is triggered, the alarm will operate immediately. If the entry / exit zone or circuit is tripped the alarm will go into full alarm as soon as the entry / exit time is exceeded.

The easiest way to protect the main ground floor room is to fit a PIR in the corner of the room looking diagonally across the area. Any intrusion into the room through doors or windows will quickly trigger the detector and cause the alarm to sound outside, with the external sounder, and inside

The same method can be used if a separate dining room etc. is to be protected. It is quite common to just protect a rear kitchen with a door switch or contact fitted on the door from the kitchen to the rest of the ground floor area, and to leave the kitchen unprotected. This is not as serious as it sounds. Most intruders will first of all go to the master bedroom looking for cash and jewellery, and will then look for more bulky items, such as CD’s and video / DVD players etc. The door protection from the kitchen area will trigger the alarm before the would-be thief can reach the main areas of interest in the house.

Unless there is easy access to the first floor areas, like a flat roof extension under the window etc. a PIR mounted to cover the first floor landing area is usually sufficient to give the average house good protection. If the house is being left empty, all the detection devices are used, (full set)

At night, provision is made to either isolate the 1st floor landing PIR from the control unit, by omitting the zone that the landing PIR is fitted, or by programming the zone into a PART SET code, which will automatically set all the system except the landing PIR, when the appropriate (part set) code is entered on the key pad.

Designing intruder alarms should be done on the principal that simple is best. Do not get carried away with visions of master thieves creeping around your home. A simple alarm will work. A complicated system will probably keep you and your neighbours awake all night! It is not usually neccessary for a police calling type of alarm to be fitted to the average residence.

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY ALARM SYSTEMS

Commercial Property alarm systems are designed on the same principles as house alarms but the level of protection is increased to deal with the increased risk of attack.

A high security, remote signalling system is usually fitted as a matter of course