How A Wireless Burglar Alarm System Works

Wireless security alarm systems are ideal for installation in a home that wasn't wired for an alarm system when it was built. Motion sensors, door contacts and window contacts can all be wireless, and not need to be hardwired back to the main control panel. Even the control keypad can be wireless.

The various wireless components use RF (radio waves) to transmit their signals back to the main control panel. The only real disadvantage compared to wired systems is that the wireless components run on batteries, which will need to be replaced once in a while.

These batteries generally last for years, however, and many alarm companies offer service and maintenance plans that will cover the replacement batteries and the installation of them.

The most common wireless alarm components are the following:

Control Panel

This is essentially the "brains" of the alarm system. It's usually mounted somewhere out of the way, like a closet or the basement. It monitors the signals from all the wireless components, and triggers the alarm (and a call to the monitoring station if the system is monitored) if any of the sensors detect an intrusion.

Keypad

The keypad is used to arm and disarm the system, as well as change various settings. It's usually located somewhere near the entrance door for easy access.

Magnetic Switches

These contacts are used to monitor windows and doors. They're made up of a switch that attaches to the window or door and a magnet that is mounted on the frame. If the switch and magnet are separated (the window or door is opened or broken) it will trigger the alarm.

Motion Sensors

Motion sensors can be mounted in large rooms or areas like hallways. They will detect motion - and in some cases body heat - and trigger the alarm if it is out of the acceptable range.

Video Cameras

Wireless security cameras can send a video feed back to a monitor and/or a VCR in the house. They can be used to monitor outside areas that are not very visible from the street, as well as a way of seeing who is at the door before opening it.

Remote Keys

Remote keys are much like the remotes you get with car alarms. They can be used from a distance to arm or disarm the alarm, as well as things like turning lights on or off or unlocking doors.

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How Does A Security System Work?

Protecting your family and your possessions is important to most people. A home security system may minimize the risk of having a burglar enter your home. Studies show that criminals will avoid risky ventures and will generally stay away from homes where there is some type of security device. Most thieves case the neighborhood to determine which homes are easiest to break into and will target those before risking getting caught by disarming an alarm system. Even if a thief does access your home they are likely to leave quickly (thus taking less and minimizing damage) when an alarm is sounding.

A security system consists of a key pad, usually located near the entrance of the home and alarms that will sound when there is an alert. You arm the alarm by pushing a button. If you are leaving home, you will have a few seconds to leave before the alarm is fully functioning. If re-entering, you will have a few seconds to disarm the alarm by entering a pass code.

A security system works by a variety of different means or a combination of them. Contacts placed on doors and windows will detect when they are opened. When you are not in the home, use of motion sensors can be helpful. Your home should not have activity when you are gone, so any motion detected will signal an alarm because it is assumed there is activity where there should not be any. Glass breakage detectors will sound if an intruder forcibly breaks a window or door in your home.

A combination of these sensors is recommended for maximum protection and security. Motion sensors alone may not provide adequate security and only work after someone has already entered the premises. These may also get triggered by active pets, causing a false alarm. Most alarm systems will allow you to remove this option when you are inside the house so anyone awakening during the night will not accidentally set off the system. Another good feature to have is a panic setting. These will allow you to immediately set the alarm off in case of an intruder. A special code is often assigned for cases of kidnapping or forced entry. If a criminal forces you to disarm the alarm, you can put in the special code. This will send a silent alarm to the police, alerting them of a possible hostage incident. No alarm will sound but police will be dispatched.

For maximum security, monitored alarms should be used. This will alert police when the alarm sounds. Generally a callback will be made to determine if there is an actual problem before dispatching authorities. If nobody answers or the secret word that was assigned is not used, police will then be dispatched to investigate. Monitoring is done on a monthly basis for a small fee. It also usually requires an annual permit that can be obtained inexpensively. False alarms where police are dispatched may be charged to the customer for needlessly sending out authorities, so be sure to call the monitoring company if there is a false alarm.

Using a home security system will provide comfort to the family. Knowing you, your family, and your possessions are secure from theft and break-ins is invaluable. Security systems are inexpensive yet provide a valuable sense of security.

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The Combination Lock

A combination lock is a type of lock in which a sequence of numbers or symbols is used to open the lock. The sequence is usually a specific permutation rather than a true combination. The sequence may be entered using a single rotating dial which interacts with several discs or cams, or by using a set of several rotating discs with inscribed numerals which directly interact with the locking mechanism.

Multiple-dial locks
One of the simplest types of combination lock, often used in low-security situations is the bicycle lock, which uses several rotating discs with notches cut into them. The lock is secured by a pin with several teeth on it which hook into the rotating discs. When the notches in the discs align with the teeth on the pin, the lock can be opened. This lock is considered to be one of the least secure types of combination lock.

Opening a multiple-dial lock without the combination depends on the slight irregularities in the machining of the parts. Unless the lock is machined precisely, when the pin is pulled outward, one of the teeth will pull more strongly than the others on its corresponding disc. This disc is then rotated until a slight click is heard, indicating that the tooth has settled into the notch. The procedure is repeated for the remaining discs, resulting in an open lock, and a correct combination, in very little time.

Single-dial locks
Combination locks found on padlocks or safes may use a single dial which interacts with several parallel discs or cams. Customarily, a lock of this type is opened by rotating the dial clockwise to the first numeral, counterclockwise to the second, and so on in an alternating fashion until the last numeral is reached. The cams typically have an indentation or notch, and when the correct combination is entered, the notches align, allowing the latch to fit into them and open the lock.

Combination locks of this type are generally more secure than the multiple-dial lock, but some of them do have weaknesses. For example, early combination padlocks made by Master lock could be cracked by pulling on the shackle of the lock and turning the dial until it stopped; each numeral in the combination could be revealed in this manner.

More recent models of Master padlock with a 40-position dial have a mechanical weakness that can give away the last numeral in the combination, and the first two numerals have a mathematical relationship with the last number. This weakness reduces the number of possible combinations from 64,000 to a mere 100, which can be tried in a relatively short amount of time.

Inexpensive padlocks are often susceptible to the use of a padlock shim, which can be used to release the shackle without entering a combination.

Other designs
Many doors use combination locks which require the user to enter a numeric sequence on a keypad to facilitate entry. These special locks usually require the additional use of electronic circuitry.

The main advantage of this system is that if used for the door of a large office, each employee can be told the code number without having to supply a key to each person.

The disadvantage however, is if the code number is discovered by someone out site the desired group or is not changed regularly, it could allow easy access to a potential intruder.

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The First Line of Defense: Knowing the Facts About Home Security

Sometimes the simplest steps are the smartest! By placing a sign that advertises your home security system in your yard, you can dramatically reduce your chances of being targeted by thieves.

In a study published in the Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, Dr. Yochanan Shachmurove, Dr. Gideon Fishman and Dr. Simon Hakim studied the motivating factors behind a burglar's decision to rob one home over another. Their findings indicated that isolation and occupancy were the two major considerations.

The study indicated that while you are reclining in your lazy chair and flipping through 100 channels of Cable TV (and still finding nothing to watch) you can rest easy. Ok, the study did not read quite that way – but it does tell us that burglars rarely target homes with occupants in residence.

Homes that are more frequently targeted tend to be secluded or isolated. Keep in mind that this definition encompasses homes with an entrance that is not visible from the street, due to foliage or other visual obstructions. The ideal 'pigeon' for a thief is an expensive home that is detached with no security measures and is located less than a mile from a major highway or road.

The study also revealed that the third most important factor is highly visible security measures. Deadbolt locks can't be seen so they did not deter burglars. However, advertising the fact that your home is protected by a security system was a major deterrent. The professors found that if a house is protected by an alarm system, the chances of a burglar's choosing it are virtually zero. Those are pretty great odds!

In the study's conclusion, the professors determined that homes without security systems were 3.5 times more likely to be burglarized than those with protection. If a thief does victimize a home with a security system, they spend far less time in the house during the robbery and therefore remove fewer pieces of property.

This research and similar studies have led insurance companies, such as State Farm, to advise their clients to install home security systems. In fact, many times homeowners with alarm systems will receive an incentive in premiums. The National Crime Prevention Council in Washington, D.C. has also endorsed security systems as a deterrent to crime.

A home security system can range in cost from less than fifty dollars to upwards of tens of thousands of dollars. Sometimes you can actually get a system for free, when you sign a contract with a monitoring company. You can also opt for a wireless system, which is quite easy to install. In fact, these systems typically fall under the "do it yourself" category. But before you decide to tackle that particular project, you need to be armed with a working knowledge of all your security system options. No pun intended!

First, there are two basic types of systems. One option sounds an alarm and turns on various lights throughout the home. The other offers those features, but is also connected to a monitoring company twenty-four hours a day. With this system, an employee at the monitoring company automatically calls the police for you, when the alarm is tripped. These systems not only protect against intruders, but can also be hooked up to fire alarms and carbon monoxide protectors.

You may also want to consider a system that provides you with the option to place "panic buttons" throughout your home. These are particularly valuable, for those with a medically fragile family member.

The most expensive systems have surveillance cameras placed at checkpoints throughout your property. You can actually monitor your home yourself from any location, by connecting to a closed circuit program on your laptop.

Detectors can be found not only on doors and windows, but also underneath rugs and in every room in the house. When a detector is tripped, the homeowner checks his control panel to see exactly where the disturbance is occurring.

If there is no danger, the homeowner can opt to cancel the phone call to the monitoring company, or shut down the alarm by entering a pass code on the control center. To avoid sending false alarms, family members should be taught how to use the password system. If the system is not halted, the monitoring company phones the police and they are dispatched to your home.

Now how do you translate all this information into practical applications, when it comes to actually keeping your home from being burglarized? Let's summarize:

- Put a sign up in your front yard advertising your system. Decals on the windows are not as effective.

- Buy a system that sounds an alarm.

- Invest in a system that provides protection against fire and carbon monoxide. One smoke detector in your kitchen is not as effective as a series of smoke and heat detectors placed strategically throughout your home. If your house catches fire when you are not at home, your monitoring company alerts the police immediately.

- Monitoring companies are very valuable in emergencies, but you will also need to educate family members and household guests to maximize the benefits of your system.

- If your house is secluded or in the country, your best defense is a system connected to a monitoring company. A sounding alarm may not offer enough protection.

- Burglars may cut the outside telephone wires before they enter a house. If you don't have a cell phone, you won't be able to call the police and your system won't be able to call the monitoring company. So consider adding a second phone line.

- Cut any foliage hiding doors and windows. Burglars deliberately pick houses that they can enter without detection from the street.

- Join a Neighborhood Watch group or start one yourself.

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The Importance of a Reliable Home Security System

We live in a very insecure world, dominated by robbery and crime. Due to the pronounced differences between the classes of society, cultural conflicts and various other factors, worldwide crime rates have known an exacerbated increase in the last decades, rendering modern society a very unstable and unsafe environment. Every day we hear about all sorts of crimes, robberies and thefts, making us doubt the safety of our homes, possessions and even our lives!

People are feeling more and more insecure inside their homes these days and they reinforce their doors and windows, install extra door locks, and even buy guard dogs to provide them protection. However, it is very important to note that experienced robbers can easily break through to a wide range of home defenses, the previously mentioned precautions only providing a false sense of security. In addition, recently conducted research has revealed that most burglaries and robberies take place while the owners are at home, exposing the home owners and their families to a serious risk!

In present, the only effective means to protect your home against robbers is to install a reliable home security system. Only after you have equipped your home with an efficient alarm system you can actually feel 100 percent safe inside your home. A house equipped with a modern, solid security system is definitely not an easy target for robbers. Even the most experienced robbers will think twice before breaking inside a house equipped with a modern security system. However, even if they break inside a house with a security system installed, robbers will trigger the alarm, alerting the local monitoring station and the police.

As soon as you order a home security system, a team will promptly deliver and install it for you. Home security systems are easy to use, allowing users to control a series of features via keypad. The security system is password-protected, requiring you to type in the previously established password before you can change the settings of the alarm system. After you have typed in your password, you can easily arm or disarm the alarm system, or change various specific settings. Once armed, the alarm will be triggered by any attempt of breaching inside the house. In order to ensure that your home is effectively protected, you should install motion detectors to every door and window of your house.

Home security systems are monitored non-stop by a local monitoring station. When the alarmed is triggered, the security system will promptly signal the monitoring station and you will be immediately contacted on the phone by a member of the security team, in order to confirm whether your house has been breached or the signal has been triggered by accident. If you don’t answer the phone or give the incorrect password, the monitoring station will quickly alert the police.

A reliable home security system is a very effective means of protecting your home. As soon as you equip your house with a modern, effective security system, you are guaranteed maximum protection and ongoing monitoring for your home.

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