Home Burglar Alarm Systems

Normally, the purpose of burglar alarms is to raise alarms against human intervention. But they are used for other purposes like fire, intrusion and for safety alarms.

Nowadays, the combination of home alarm system with fire alarms are available. Their use has been extended from home to business houses and other commercial places also. The scope of this write-up is limited to analyze the home alarm systems.

The first modern home alarm systems was the result of modification of thousands of systems invented. Mr. Tildesley, an English inventor was the first to come out with an acceptable model of a burglar alarm. He mechanically linked some bells with the door lock and made the system to ring when someone touched or tried to open the locks.

The next innovation came in the form addition of electricity and use of magnet. In 1850, the Boston inventor, Mr. Augustus Pope made contact points in the alarm system by the use of electricity wires and magnets. At the use of doors, the contact got closed and an electrical circuit formed to ring the bell.

Mr. Edwin Holmes got the patent rights of Pope's invention and moved his business to New York in search of new and bigger market for use in homes. But initially, people were skeptical about using electricity for them. Mr. Edwin Holmes has been credited to commercialize electromagnetic burglar alarm systems.

The American Telephone and Telegraph Company bought the Holmes Burglar business in 1905 with linking it to emergency call systems for inviting police and fire fighting personnel. In 1970s, the alarm systems were equipped with motion detectors.

After World War II, they became less expensive and more versatile for use in 1980s, and by the middle of 1990s the system has become a standard feature. Then wireless system came. In the most advanced technology, the use of motion detectors, surveillance equipment and electronic tracking devices are being used.

Home security and alarm systems have become synonymous in the security context. With the construction of houses in the outer areas of the city and away from the city limit the security concept has got up with the people.

The direct linking of the modern systems with the local police stations has given people more confidence and has assured immediate help from the law enforcers.

Burglar alarms are, as the name indicates, cautions of signals raised at the strike of burglars or intruders. Basically there are two types of burglar alarms.

• Closed Circuit: Here when the door is closed, the alarm circuit is also closed. Only when someone opens the door, the circuit also gets opened and due to the disconnection, the alarm is sounded.
• Open Circuit: Here when the door is closed, the alarm circuit is open. When someone opens the door, the circuit gets connected and the alarm is sounded.

All the alarm systems in the world operate on either of the concepts.

Any home alarm system consists of three basic components - Sensors, Control Unit and Output devices. The difference lies in the way the combination of the three is achieved. Burglar systems contain sensors, which are connected to a control unit through some low voltage hardwired or RF signals.

The control unit is connected to an interactive voice response device for raising alarms. This type of burglar alarm systems can be used in a building or in corridors ,etc. However, when the detection is to be done in the house, motion detectors are used. Best example of motion detector is the automatic door.

Whenever there is the signal from the motion detector to the control unit is cut or disconnected,the control unit senses the change and the specified action is taken. Ultrasonic sensors, microwave signals,RF signals,etc are used to achieve the level of sophistication needed to make the system completely error-free.

These types of systems have circuitry that are interconnected via wires. For installation of these types of systems professional help is needed. They are considered to be the most reliable one, as each and every sensor is physically connected to the control unit. This will reduce the chances of errors in the working of the system.

The best one from the lot, when it comes to installation. They come in form of Do-It-Yourself kind of kits. The wireless systems offer a wide range of sensors that are already inbuilt and have their respective feedback going to the control unit.

Expansion of the capacity of the system can be easily done by changing a code instead of changing the entire circuit, as it is in the case of hardwired system.

Affordability of the System
The need of the system depends upon the things to secure. If valuables are kept in the house they need some protection for which a person has to spend some money.

Misconstrued with Insurance
'When one has insurance, why one should go for home alarm systems?' is the normal question skeptical people may ask! Then for them the question would be, 'When insurance is there, why you should lock your house?!'

The concept of insurance and security are two different things which should not be mingled and confused. Insurance clauses get activated when you take all precautionary steps for the protection of assets and the loss has occurred despite all possible steps taken for the security.

Passcodes  Are Difficult to Operate and Maintain
But these are the things one has to do for the safety of the belongings! Another common doubt is about its workability in the absence of electric current.

Nevertheless, modern alarm systems come with backup power and works on batteries. In fact, the power interruption the intruders attempt to make results in the form alarms being activated.