Commercial Security Buyer's Guide
How does an alarm system work?Burglar alarms are meant to deter unwanted intruders from your business. In addition, a burglar alarm can alert the attention of all those around and the proper authorities that an unauthorized person is in a restricted area, that a break in has occurred or other criminal activity. The mere site of a security system can act as a deterrent for any thief looking for a vulnerable business. Security alarms can alert a monitoring company that an intruder has been detected and they will contact and dispatch the police, or your watchguard service to the location if necessary. There are various types of equipment that are common with today's burglar alarms. Control Panel:The control panel of a burglar alarm is where the detection devices of the alarm system as well as the main wiring of the system are located. These devices may include sirens, motion detectors, door and window detectors, glassbreak detectors, etc. Some of the more advanced control panels are integrated to also work as access control systems, and others can work in conjunction with your video surveillance system. Keypads and Remote Keychains, and Phone Modules:Keypads allow you to operate your security system by entering your security code at the keypad. The keypad can arm and disarm with push-button ease, and literally put security at your fingertips. Good features to look for include illuminated keys to provide you with greater visibility at nighttime, easy-to-read English displays that spell out your system’s status at a glance, and one-touch function keys that provide single-button operation for arming, disarming or emergencies. There are also remote phone modules that allow you to access your alarm system from any outside phone or cell phone, giving you the ability to arm, disarm, bypass, or check the status of your system off-site using your security code. If you value convenience and ease of operation, then consider a wireless keyfob. Similar in size to a remote car alarm key, it offers many of the features of a traditional security system keypad with convenient fingertip control. The press of a single button lets you operate your security system, lights, garage doors and more! And the compact, lightweight keyfob travels with you – fitting easily into purses, pockets and automobile glove compartments.
The Wireless Remote Control Keyfob is the perfect fit for your active life because it’s security that goes with you – letting you enjoy extra mobility without ever compromising your safety or peace of mind. Motion Detectors:A motion detector is a device that contains a physical mechanism or electronic sensor that quantifies motion that can be either integrated with or connected to other devices that alert the user of the presence of a moving object within the field of view. There are basically three types of sensors used in motion detectors spectrum.
Motion detectors are used to detect motion and set off a burglar alarm if motion is present. Some motion detectors are manufactured with “pet immunity” which is a technology that prevents the motion detector from being triggered by small animals yet allows the motion detector to be triggered by the movement of humans. Many modern motion detectors use a combination of different technologies. These dual-technology detectors benefit with each type of sensor, and false alarms are reduced. Door and Window Detectors:Door and window detectors can detect the change of state of doors or windows from closed to opened. Door and window sensors should cover the most vulnerable perimeter openings. When an intruder opens any of those doors or windows, your siren will activate and the alarm system monitoring station will be notified immediately. Glassbreak Detectors:Glassbreaks are acoustical devices that are triggered by the sound of breaking glass or the attempt to break glass. If it detects these sounds, and the alarm is armed, it will trigger the alarm, and send a signal to your central monitoring station. Sirens or Alarms:Devices used to indicate an intrusion, fire, or other events that could signal a need to evacuate the premises. Hard Wired Vs. Wireless Alarm Systems:Depending on the vendor, you can select between a hard wired and a wireless system. If you already have a pre-existing security system it may be easier to stay hard wired. However, if this is the first alarm security system that you are installing in your office or business then wireless may be more practical if you vendor provides it. Backup Systems:In the case of a power loss a backup system can keep your fire and security systems up and running. A backup system can also send a radio or cellular signal to a monitoring site in the event of any damage to your phone lines. We recommend speaking with your qualified Online Alarm Quotes vendor about the choices available for installing a backup system to ensure your business' security in the case of a power loss or the any damage to your phone lines. If your business uses Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as your principle phone system a backup system may be a necessary and unavoidable part of your security system package. Most alarm systems are not considered reliable with VoIP and a backup system is considered must have. Two-Way Monitoring:Two-way monitoring, also known as two way voice response ( 2 way voice response)allows you to speak with a monitoring station operator from different points of your business without the use of a telephone. Through a two-way speaker system you can alert a security technician of criminal activity or any other emergency that would require assistance. Your two-way alarm system is only activated by you or an employee, or when an alarm is set off. In the case of an alarm a monitoring station technician will ask for your password and if the event is a false alarm, with a two-way monitoring system you can also tell the technician a preplanned emergency codeword instead of your usual false alarm codeword to signify that someone unauthorized has gained access into your business and you need help. Two-way monitoring can also aid people with medical problem that may need assistance in the case of a medical emergency. There are many advantages of having two-way monitoring as a part of your commercial security system. Having it can ultimately result in faster, more efficient security service for your business. Panic Buttons:In the event of an alarm, an audible panic alarm will sound a siren to scare off perpetrators and it will signal the monitoring station that the alarm has been tripped. A silent panic alarm can signal to the monitoring station that an alarm has been tripped without setting off any sirens or other audible devices. This type of panic is intended so that the intruder or perpetrator is caught by the authorities while in the act of committing a crime, without placing the client in further danger. If you are interested in the criminal being caught then this may be a more suitable system for your business. Both systems have their merits and which one you and your vendor decide upon will ultimately depend on your specific needs. Open and Close Reports:Opening & closing reports are a valuable management tool for extending supervisory control, gathering performance data and increasing productivity and profitability. The retail business that opens late or closes early loses more than just revenue from lost sales. Customers become dissatisfied and shop elsewhere damaging the company's reputation. In businesses where senior managers can't be on hand every day the opening & closing service can be extended, for example to identify the employee who is opening the premises on a holiday, through the use of authorization codes when turning on or off an alarm. The open & close service can be made available for any alarm or access control system. TYPES OF OPEN & CLOSEThe monitoring of open/closing signals by your security provider fall into 3 categories. Record Open & CloseThe security provider will record into the history of an alarm all opening & closing signals from a premises. No action is required by the Monitoring Station when this happens. Should the client request a report of a particular open & close signal or signals over a specified period then this will be provided. Actionable Open & CloseAction on opening & closing signals means that once the Monitoring Station receives an 'early to open, late to open or late to close signal' the alarm company will first, unless otherwise instructed by the client, call the premises and obtain the correct password/code. If the correct password/code is given then no further action is required by the monitoring station. These actions will be recorded into the history of the alarm. Should the Monitoring Station not receive the correct password/code or there is no answer from the premises then they will call a keyholder and inform them of the situation. If a keyholder cannot be contacted then a reminder will appear on the screen for the Monitoring Station to try and contact a keyholder again. On a 'Late to open' signal being received then the key holder will contacted and advised of the situation. Should the premises open after it has already closed (Unauthorized Entry) then this will be treated as an Intruder alarm and actioned accordingly. Managed Open & CloseManaged opening & closing signals are dealt with in a similar way to 'Action Open & Close'. However there are 2 differences:
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