The obvious first step up in home security is the burglar alarm but as with everything, there are hundreds of variations of the main product. There are two constants with these variations though; burglar alarms can be wired or wireless. These can be further split into two categories:

Bells Only Alarms

Simply put, ‘bells only alarms’ are the standard type of alarm by which if an intruder enters a premises, the alarm rings out loudly in an attempt to scare away the said intruder while also serving to ‘inform’ the neighbours. This type of alarm is becoming increasingly less popular due to the fact that the majority of people now simply ignore ringing alarm because of frequent false alarms in the past.

Monitored Alarm Systems

Monitored alarms go one step further than their ‘bell only’ counterpart. Instead of just setting off an alarm, the monitored alarm system also contacts a list of key holders that have been programmed into the system, examples being friends or family members. Monitored alarm systems are suitable for domestic situations but for more commercial applications, something a bit more sophisticated may be required.

This is where a central monitoring system comes in. It is quite expensive but can literally save thousands in the long run for a large company. It is a requirement that a central monitoring system be installed and serviced annually by a NACOSS approved alarm company. Central alarm systems can automatically inform the police should security be breached.

A standard alarm kit consists of:

A Control Panel – Control Panels are pretty self explanatory, from here you can control everything about the alarm system.

A Back-up Battery – Backup batteries are a key part of the burglar alarm, they prevent burglars from disabling the system by cutting the power supply to the building.

Surface contacts and door contacts for exit doors, windows, etc.

Alarm Cable – To connect your alarms to your control panel

Bell box with strobe light and status LED – This is the part that actually produces the sound which is usually high pitched and accompanied by a flashing strobe light.

The simplest types of burglar alarms work by incorporating the circuit principle. This principle can work in two ways, namely open or closed circuit. In both circuits an electrical current is run through to the window or door contact

In an open circuit system, the circuit is only complete when a window or door has been opened; this triggers the alarm.

A closed circuit system works in the opposite way; when an intruder tries to enter a property via the window or door, the circuit will be broken and the alarm will signal until the panel has been reset.