Federal alarm systems - Burglar Alarm Systems - Things You Need to Know Before You Buy
February 12th, 2008
In its simplest form, a burglar alarm system utilizes a control panel, an arming station and a combination of perimeter and interior protection devices which are specifically designed to protect your home or business. They are a valuable resource and a key component of any home security plan and they provide you with a strong deterrent to forcible entry.
A monitored burglar alarm panel is tied into your telephone line to allow it to send digital signals to a central station monitoring facility. The central station receives the alarm signals and immediately tries to verify that the alarm is real.
Depending on the type of alarm received, the alarm dispatcher will first call the premises to try and contact the alarm user. If the user answers the phone, they are asked to provide a pass-code that identifies them as an authorized user. If they can provide the correct pass-code, the alarm is logged, but authorities are not dispatched.
If no one answers the phone, or if the person answering the phone cannot provide the correct password, the authorities are dispatched to the scene immediately.
After the authorities are dispatched, the alarm dispatcher will attempt to reach a call list of individuals who can meet the authorities at the site to let them in so they can investigate the cause of the alarm.
Depending on the size of your home or business, there are many different types of burglar alarm panels that can meet your needs. Hardwired or wireless; from 4 zone hardwired panels to intelligent addressable systems that can monitor hundreds of points, the options are endless and varied, but they all accomplish the same basic thing. They keep intruders out.
Make sure that the control panel that you purchase is listed by Underwriters Laboratory (U.L.) for your application. Underwriters Laboratory offers separate listings for alarm panels that are utilized for residential or commercial burglary and fire protection.
Control panels vary greatly in features and benefits. A smaller 4 to 8 zone panel will only support a few devices and a handful of user codes. Smaller panels will also offer limited choices in arming stations and the total number of users/codes offered to the end user.
If you are installing a basic burglar alarm in your home with four outside doors and three interior motion detectors, a smaller 4 to 8 zone panel will work great.
In a commercial building with multiple outside entrances and hundreds of users, you are going to want a panel that supports multiple zones with individual point identification, an alphanumeric display and individual codes for each user.
Most burglar alarm panels provide an event buffer that keeps track of recent events on the system, such as alarms or opening and closings by the user codes. The buffers vary in size and in some cases, the event buffers can be turned on or off in the system programming. If this is a feature you desire, make sure the panel you are considering supports this option.
An alarm panel can be programmed to send reports of which codes was used to arm or disarm the system to a Central Station Monitoring Facility. The Central Station can then send you a weekly report of activity from your alarm system. The reports will include the date and time of every event and they can be invaluable in an investigation. Central Stations will charge a premium for this service, so be sure to check on the pricing if you desire this service.
Both the event buffer and the opening & closing report features are more valuable and useful if every user of the alarm system has their own individual code for arming and disarming. In a large facility with multiple users, it is also easier to delete an individual code than to make everyone remember a new code. Keep this in mind if you have a high turn over of employees.
Alarm systems normally provide several different “authority” levels for security codes.
The Installer code allows entry into programming, and will allow arming of the system but cannot disarm the system unless the system was armed with this code. All systems come with a default installer code. You should make sure that your security provider changes this code during the installation.
A Master code will arm and disarm the system, allow access to event buffers and provide the ability to add/delete or change the system user codes. These codes should only be assigned to system managers.
A User code allows standard arming and disarming of the system. This code is assigned to the everyday users of your alarm system.
Baby Sitter or Housekeeper codes can only arm the system but cannot disarm the system unless the system was armed with this code.
A duress code is intended for use when you are forced to disarm the system under threat. When used, the code will disarm the normally, but will silently notify the alarm company of your situation. The duress code is only useful if the system is monitored by a central station.
In some cases, you may want to arm and disarm different areas of your building separately and independently from each other. In the security industry, this is called partitioning. There are several manufactures that offer panels with up to 8 separate partitions. Each partition acts like its own independent alarm system.
When it comes to partitioning, you definitely want to enlist a professional. In a partitioned system, User codes can be programmed to arm or disarm single areas, multiple areas or the entire system. If not managed correctly, individual user codes in a partitioned system can be become difficult and confusing.
Central Station Monitoring fees can also be more expensive for a partitioned burglar alarm system. This is especially true if each partition is programmed with a separate account number and you require opening & closing reports from each partition. If you require an alarm system this sophisticated, make sure your factor in the monthly monitoring and management fees into any purchasing decision.
Some other things to consider; all alarm panels should be provided with at least a 4-hour battery back-up. You can increase or decrease the capacity by simply adding more batteries. If you experience prolonged power outages, you might consider adding additional back-up capacity. If you have an existing alarm panel and it is more than 4-years old, you should have your batteries replaced.
If you opt for Central Station Monitoring, make sure that all connections to your telephone line are wired to provide line seizure so that the alarm panel takes precedence over any incoming or outgoing phone calls.
Make sure your alarm panel is connected to a good building ground such as a cold water pipe, or a buried ground rod. This simple measure will insure that your investment is protected from transient voltage spikes.
Always make sure that any hardwired zones on your system are wired for supervision for shorts or tampering with true end of line resistors. Some installers have been known to place the end of line resistors in the alarm panel to make the installation simpler. This method of supervision does not provide supervision of direct shorts or even jumpers placed in the circuit to bypass an alarm.
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Roy Stephenson is a Security Consultant with over 21 Years Experience Designing and Installing High End Integrated Security Systems. He is currently the VP of Marketing at http://www.Security-Kits.Com |
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