Wireless Burglar Alarms - Advice And Information
With an average of 1,500 burglaries a day in Britain, the case for installing a burglar alarm hardly needs making - particularly when you consider the difference that alarms can make. Less than 1% of burglaries occur in homes with effective alarm systems. Gone now are the days when the price or inconvenience of installing an alarm might put property owners off. The coming of age of wireless alarm technology means that there has never been a more practical and cost-effective way of keeping burglars where you want them – off your premises.
Wireless burglar alarms operate differently from their hard-wired counterparts in that the component parts (control panel, sensors and alarm) communicate via radio signals, rather than electrical wired connection across the whole system. Beyond this fundamental difference, the actual methods for detecting intrusion are common to both. In the majority of cases this is based on motion detection using Passive Infrared technology (which actually works by sensing the increased body heat of an intruder), sometimes combined with magnetic sensors attached to doors or windows that trigger an alarm when they are opened.
So what are the advantages of wireless burglar alarms? Essentially all the benefits you can think of arising from the absence of wires, including that:
- they are quick and simple to fit, avoiding the costs of professional installation;
- there is none of the disruption (and potential damage) involved in installing a hard-wired alarm (e.g. removing floorboard, drilling, re-plastering etc.);
- the sensors can be placed almost anywhere – location is not dictated by complex wiring issues;
- they can be easily removed and re-installed in a different building (they are widely used by tenants in rented accommodation where landlords will not allow alterations);
- additional sensors can be added easily, e.g. if a building is extended or the security level needs changing.
Wireless burglar alarm technology has developed significantly in recent years, and is now widely considered to be just as reliable as that of their wired counterparts. There were some concerns about wireless alarms when they were first introduced, mainly regarding signal interference (for example from baby monitors or wireless doorbells) - but these have been eliminated by the leading manufacturers. It is important to recognise though that wireless alarms will not suit every building; they tend to have a set transmission distance and are usually therefore better suited, for example, to houses and small business premises rather than large commercial or public buildings
As the technology has become more established, the cost of wireless burglar alarms has reduced dramatically and prices compare very favourably with hard-wired alarms, particularly when installation costs are taken into account. There are wireless alarms available to suit every budget, with the range of functions varying according to cost. At the most affordable end of the market there are alarms (available for as little as £30) with a basic but highly reliable functionality consisting typically of motion sensors that trigger an alarm and send a pre-recorded alert to a specified phone. The more sophisticated wireless alarms can include features such as:
- a combination of intrusion detection methods based on magnetic sensors that detect the opening of external doors or windows, and motion sensors to detect movement inside the premises;
- the capacity to add on additional functionality to detect smoke, gas leaks or flooding;
- the sending of automated warning messages by phone, text or email;
- integration with a telephone and panic alarm system for elderly or disabled users;
- the ability to allow pets to roam freely without triggering the alarm.
Not all wireless alarms are based on motion sensors. Alarms can be triggered by the detection of the low frequency sound wave created by the pressure change arising from forced entry into a building. Remarkably this system works simply by plugging a single alarm unit (the size of a small radio) into the mains – with no other type of sensor required anywhere else in the building.
Sadly no one is predicting that burglary rates will fall in future – no wonder then that the demand for wireless burglar alarms is growing as consumers choose this cost-effective and hassle free way of protecting their property.
For more information on the Building Security, please browse the range of Wireless Burglar Alarms stocked by Crime Prevention Products.
