The major differences, positives & negatives of popular home security alarms
Home security alarms and systems can be divided into 3 simple categories. Here you can find our quick buyers guide.
- Audible Only
- Auto Diallers
- Monitored
Please bear in mind, that unless you are going for a simplified “off-the-shelf” DIY kit, the installations should be done by accredited installation teams.
1 Bells / Audible Only
This type of product is usually simple to use. It gets “armed” by using a key pad (or an electronic fob) to set a code and is disarmed the same way.
If the alarm is set off at any point it will trigger audible bells or sirens inside & outside the property.
Positives
- The alarm boxes on the walls can be a visual deterrent
- The noise can interrupt & ward off a burglar
- If you are in the house sleeping the noise will wake you
- Alerts the neighbours to the break-in
- Battery backup in case of power outage
- No ongoing service or maintenance charges
Negatives
- If you are not at the property, or in earshot, you don’t know about the alert
- Experienced burglars can silence the external alarms
- Neighbours sometimes ignore the alarm bells
2 Auto-diallers / Hybrid Alarms
These intruder alarms also have internal & external audible ringers or sirens. There are 2 main products, one that uses a landline and one that uses the GSM network.
3 Monitored security alarms systems
The whole idea behind having a monitored home security alarm is to give the owner 24 hours a day peace of mind and provide a swift level of response adequate to the type of alert triggered.
Apart from burglary, monitoring and responses can be for fire, carbon monoxide gas, smoke, personal assault or “panic button”.
Benefits of monitored home alarms
When armed, the system sends data packages to the ARC via multi-path routes where you can take advantage of landlines, GSM or even your internet connection.
Unlike an audible only alarm, monitored-system alerts never get ignored, there is always an appropriate response.
