There is a tremendous amount of misrepresentation talked about wireless burglar alarms and their installation. Unfortunately, some of it can be from alarm companies who have their own axe to grind. Here we hope to put to bed some of the myths surrounding domestic burglar alarms.
Burglars aren’t bothered about alarms.
Definitely not true. Provided you adopt basic crime prevention rules i.e. closing windows, locking doors etc, you will find that the average burglar is then reluctant to attack the property that has an alarm associated with it. After all there are many other properties in the same area that have no alarms where the pickings are easier.
You need lots of money to install a burglar alarm.
This is definitely not true. Sure, there are sophisticated burglar systems that are very expensive and require professional engineers to install, but for the average domestic property a DIY wireless alarm system will range from under £100 to about £300. Remember the acronym ARC before purchasing and installing security products. Security products should be Appropriate, Realistic and Cost effective.
You need an engineer to professionally install an alarm system.
Again, this will depend on the system and what you are protecting. But the beauty of a wireless alarm system is that it can be installed by almost anybody. The detectors can easily be positioned in rooms, hallways, the garage and even the shed with simple fixings such as screws or in some cases Velcro and they “talk” to the control panel wirelessly.
You need to pay a monthly or annual maintenance contract
Again, for the larger more sophisticated systems, it is a likely requirement of the alarm installer that you sign up to a maintenance contract. However, for the average domestic property it is not necessary to install such a system and additional payments are not necessary.
You pay a lot for alarm monitoring.
Wireless alarm systems have come on leaps and bounds and it is not necessary to have 3rd parties carry out monitoring of your system. Choose a wireless system that has an auto dial system and the alarm will call a series of pre-installed telephone numbers. It will keep dialing the numbers until somebody answers and then it will play a pre-recorded message.
You’ve got nothing worth stealing so you don’t need an alarm
The vast majority of burglars are not professionals. They are usually opportunistic thieves who are looking for any opportunity to strike. You may not think a particular item has any value but to somebody who has a drug habit costing hundreds of pounds per day anything that is not nailed down is fair game.
You only need an alarm if you have valuables
Again we are taking about value and you will be surprised how valuable the contents of the average house are to the average criminal. If you have a TV, DVD player, desk top computer, lap top computer printer, Wii, PSP, electronic games, mobile phones, cash, jewellery (costume or real), camera equipment etc, then you have exactly what the burglar wants – easily transportable and easily saleable. Items that you may think of as valuable, such as crystal glasses or expensive porcelain are of little value to the burglar. He is unlikely to know its true value, he cannot dispose of it easily and it is likely to get damaged during the theft.
Burglar alarms can be bypassed by cutting the cables.
Not if it’s a wire free system it can’t. With a wires free system there is by definition, no wires to cut
Burglar alarms are unreliable.
This depends on the alarm and where you bought it. If you buy cheaply from a car boot sale then yes, you are likely to have some problems. Wireless alarm technology has come on leaps and bounds over recent years. When considering an alarm system it is strongly recommended you choose one that comes up to British Standards (BS6799) and has an operating frequency of 868 MHz. Systems such as these are a lot less prone to false activations. You can see such wireless alarm systems here
So to conclude, fitting an alarm is a proven deterrent to burglars; it does not have to be expensive and a wireless alarm can easily be installed by somebody with basic DIY skills. Now read reviews and compare wireless alarm here.
Neill MacKenzie
www.wirelessalarmsreview.co.uk
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Thank you.
Neill MacKenzie
www.wirelessalarmsreview.co.uk
Did you find this article useful? Would you like to include it in your website or blog? Please feel free to copy the article in full and publish it appropriately however, we do request that you leave intact the authors name and the link back to our site.
Thank you.