For the well being of your family and home, security professionals recommend basic safety precautions such as upgraded locks on doors and windows to dramatically decrease your chances of falling victim to break-ins. Strategic lighting for your backyard, driveway and entryway is another good way to deter criminals who like dark hiding places. Also, trim or remove plants that have grown beyond first- or second-floor windows and keep tree branches (those near your house) at least seven feet from the ground so that crooks have no easy way in.
However, for the most reliable protection, a professionally installed security system is probably your best bet. The good news is that they require very little maintenance and need no special training to decipher whether the person standing at your front door is a potential intruder or a welcomed family friend.
A HOME'S – AND FAMILY’S - BEST FRIEND
For the past eight months, Berks County resident Lyndell Kline has relied on an intrusion product called Simon XT from Interlogix to provide peace of mind and to protect her home and family. The automated system offers a wide range of wired and wireless devices and sensors designed to monitor doors, windows, lights, indoor temperatures and motion in the home. There are also devices, Lyndell says, to convert existing wired and wireless devices to be compatible with current technologies. A talking touch screen provides home status information at a glance, but Lyndell and her daughter can also use their iPhones (and iPad applications powered by Alarm.com) to remotely arm or disarm the system, control lights, unlock doors and more.
“It’s really convenient to be able to unlock the front door if you can’t be at home for a service appointment,” says Lyndell, a district manager for the company. Other convenience features include being able to remotely adjust the thermostat based on inactivity or increased movement to save money on heating and cooling costs. If changes are made, the system sends voice, email or text message reports to family members. In addition, mobile applications can provide additional lifestyle-enhancing information such as the current outdoor temperature and a four-day weather forecast, according to interlogix.com.
The Simon XT can also determine when a family member is home, as well as the time he or she arrived. For example, if a child comes home from school at a certain time each day, a no-activity alert (a text message or email with video clip) will be sent through the system if the system does not detect his or her arrival. “My favorite part is the assurance of knowing that my child is safely home,” says Lyndell.
TODAY’S HIGH TECH SECURITY
In business since 1988, SAH Incorporated (formerly Secure-a-Home) designs and installs electronic security and fire protection systems, closed circuit television, intercoms and central vacuums. The company, located in Shillington, recently installed a Napco Security System (NSS) for a local family in the process of upgrading their home. The client agreed to be interviewed on the condition of anonymity. The NSS Gemini Series is easy to use, they say, and family members with smartphones can set or deactivate it. For example, they can disarm the system from their car as well as activate it when they are away on vacation. “If you understand how to access an application on your iPhone you can understand this system,” they say.
According to Jim Bucciaglia, SAH vice president, this particular client’s system reports to a central station over a high-speed Internet connection. “It’s like having a portable keypad on your cell phone,” he says.
“Each home, each family is different,” adds Beth Hahn, president of SAH, whose company strives to customize every system based on a client’s lifestyle.
Price-wise, according to securitysales.com, in 2009 the average customer paid $1,126 for a professionally installed security system, with a monthly monitoring price of $24 for basic service. Interactive services may be added for minimal cost.
In most standard installations, sensors are strategically placed around the home to detect motion or to react to an open door or window. When the system is activated it communicates with a control panel to either set off a deafening audible alarm or send out a security alert to a monitoring company that calls the police for the homeowner.
According to Jim, you should ask to see an alarm company’s central station certificate to make sure it is up to date. Also, make sure that it is an independent monitoring company that meets all National Fire Protection Agency and Underwriters Laboratory Inc. requirements for commercial and residential fire and security systems.
A system, once installed, is typically connected to a telephone line and/or a cellular GSM unit which handles the dial-out function to activate the alarm if the landline has been compromised.
“There is still the ability to go over traditional copper phone lines, but that is quickly disappearing due to the conversion of phone lines to digital service,” Beth says. “Most current alarm system dialers are still only analog, but cellular is a great alternative since there are no wires at the property or on the poles that can get cut or break when a car takes down a telephone pole.”
High-speed Internet dialers are becoming popular, too. “This would make use of the customer’s existing high-speed Internet connection as well as transmitting over a wireless radio network,” Jim says. New life was breathed into these kinds of systems with the invention of the lithium battery, which allows the door or window transmitter to last a lot longer than its predecessor.
SECURE IT YOURSELF
SAH sells equipment as well as installs systems. “There are many homeowners who want professional equipment and who are quite capable of installing their own systems,” says Jim.
In addition, for do-it-yourselfers, SAH will provide technical support and the level of labor needed to complete the system. “Most homeowners want protection, but at a very low price,” says Beth. “Unfortunately, there are companies that prey on consumers who are talked into long-term contracts and who are paying for services they are not using.”
To save money, homeowners sometimes purchase security through a cable or phone company. “These companies send installers who have no clue how the alarm components actually operate,” Jim says. “They use the least expensive products and improperly install the devices because their installers are improperly trained or simply don’t care, which leads to more false alarms and a big black eye with local police departments.”
TROUBLESHOOTING AND FALSE ALARMS
Every year your security system needs to be tested and inspected. “That would be a matter of testing all points of protection as well as setting your system off and confirming the central station receives your signals,” says Jim.
A low battery and/or a window or door sensor not clearing are the two most common problems in any home security system, says Jim. “The battery is obvious, we can swap that out easily, but the window or door sensor is not so easy,” he says. First, you need to confirm which window or door sensor is causing the problem. In less expensive systems, for example, you might only have five zones of protection for the entire security system, and all 10 rear windows are on one zone. You would have to break the zone down and specifically figure out which sensor is bad. This kind of problem usually requires a service call.
Most false alarms are either from user error or improper installation, and that could be due to the fact that, according to Jim, there is no licensing in the state of Pennsylvania for alarm companies. “You need a license to cut my hair in this state but you don’t need a license to install a security and/or fire system in my home or business,” he says.
To gain more knowledge on home security systems before you buy, visit diyalarmforum.com for system advice, references, downloads, books, classes and more.
RESOURCES
SAH Incorporated, formerly Secure-A-Home | Shillington | 610.372.8872 | sahinc.com Interlogix, a UTC Fire and Security Company | 855.286.8889 | interlogix.com Alarm.com
