WHAT IS A SECURITY SYSTEM ALL ABOUT?
A security system can seem intimidating at first. Let’s talk about what they’re all about. Keep in mind we are always available to discuss your own alarm installation requirements at your convenience.
An alarm system helps against intruders trying to come into your home. But did you know that they can also monitor life and property hazards such as smoke, carbon monoxide, low temperature and flooding?
There are many new options available to homeowners today in terms of alarms. In older homes, it is sometimes hard to run wires from the various burglary detecting equipment to the main control panel, usually located in the basement. However, these days wireless equipment exists that bypasses this problem!
Most security systems typically have at least one keypad. This is where the user can arm and disarm the system. It also will display any trouble conditions the alarm is having, such as loss of time or low battery.
There are also wireless devices, similar to car fobs, that can arm or disarm your system with a single button. These are handy when coming home with a pile of groceries, or arming your system from your bedside.
Perimeter Protection includes placing magnetic contacts in the door frames so that the system knows when something opens. It is the first line of defence against an intruder. Typically a delay is programmed on entry/exit doors so that the homeowner has time to key in his or her code before the sirens go off. Doors and windows can also be bypassed so that their opening will not affect the alarm system.
Interior Protection includes motion sensors and glass break detection. The purpose of a motion sensor is to indicate when someone is moving inside, while glass break detectors pick up the sound of breaking glass. Many motion sensors have generic pet immunity up to 60 pounds. This way the pets can still roam freely even if the system is armed. If somehow someone gets by the perimeter, these devices will pick them once inside.
For a system to be truly effective it must be programmed to dial into a remote monitoring station. The staff there will be on constant look-out for dangerous signals generated by your alarm and will dispatch the appropriate authorities.
Barnes Protection Services will be there for you from the initial design consultation and alarm installation to the service and maintenance of your system.
ALARM SYSTEM FUNCTIONS
EMERGENCY KEYS
There are 3 emergency keys on the keypad for police, fire, and ambulance. These keys must be held down for 2 to 3 seconds to transmit. Please note that the police key is typically a silent alarm and no calls will be made before dispatching police. As it is a duress signal the police are usually very quick to the scene.
PROGRAMMABLE OUTPUTS
Most alarm systems have a programmable output at the control panel. This output can be used for a variety of different things. For example, it could trip a relay that could power on lights in the house. Or it could be used to flash a strobe light when the alarm is tripped.
PHONE LINE CUTTING
If the phone line were to be cut on a traditional alarm system that only communicates by phone and the system was armed the sirens would trip. However, any communication to the monitoring station would be disabled. This may scare the intruder away, however it is best to have a cellular back-up if you are concerned about this type of burglary.
CELLULAR BACK-UP
These modules, such as the TG-1 from Telguard, transmit over the cellular network. They can be added to the existing system to guarantee transmission to the monitoring station.
THE BARNES ADVANTAGE
Our security alarm installation team are clean and efficient, and the work can usually be done in a half day. Additionally, our customers enjoy a premium level of service through our affordable monitoring, which allows them to rest easy knowing their homes are secure. Some companies tend to use monitoring stations in different countries where they can operate less expensively.
With Barnes Protection Services, you can rest assured that someone in Canada will handle your call in a timely and efficient manner. Built-in redundancies and a high quality of service allow us to remain confident that our monitoring is active 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Some facts about the monitoring station:
- Vast array of alarm receivers for every known format
- Redundant telephone systems that are digitally recorded and linked between stations
- All stations are interconnected with fibre and copper from different providers
- Cisco switches and IBM quad-core servers
- Main UPS keeps power uninterrupted throughout the station
- At least 2 generators in every station
- HVAC designed for maximum efficiency of computer cooling
- Emergency response vehicle in the event of catastrophic disaster