Recipe for Homemade Burglar Alarms

Posted on January 28th, 2008 in Do it Yourself by Alarm

Why would anybody make homemade burglar alarms when home security systems are now so reasonably priced? There are many answers to this question, really. One person might say that he needs a project like this to keep him sane and busy during boring weekends at home. Another would insist that it is his way of keeping his creative juices flowing, hoping to invent an awesome home security device that will make him a millionaire some day. And then there is this middle-aged couple who don’t want to admit that their homemade burglar alarms stringed in their hedgerows are meant to confirm their suspicion that their teen-aged daughter sneaks out the window of her room in the middle of the night. Truly, different folks have different strokes.

But come to think of it, all homemade burglar alarms share one thing in common. They are conceived at the spur of the moment and are meant to accomplish a short term goal. That is why they are ingeniously made of odds and ends that can be found scattered about in the kitchen, garage or workshop. Some examples of these homemade burglar alarms is the one made by a student who wanted to play a prank on a teacher who terrorized his class the whole school year by stringing a pail of water on top of the door of his classroom. Another is designed to catch the mysterious thief who steals the early morning milk deliveries on the front door by tying a fish line to a “decoy milk bottle.” Then, the other end of the line is inserted under the door leading all the way up to the bedroom which is tied to the sleeping owner’s big toe.

The most popular homemade burglar alarms are made of stringed tin cans with one or two pebbles in each tin can. These are very effective especially when combined with barbed wire just like those used in the trench warfare that was waged in the western front in France during World War 1. Another ingenious device makes use of an old rotary type telephone unit just like what a shop owner did to try to catch the person pilfering goods from his shop. He dialed all the numbers of his home phone and when he came to the last number, he inserted a cork on the dialer as stopper which was then tied to a dental floss. He then stringed the floss all over the floor then went home and waited all night for his phone to ring. The idea is that when the thief stumbles on the floss, the dialer will be released and call his home phone to alert him about the break-in. Many homemade burglar alarms have been ingeniously conceived out of necessity for the moment—and necessity, as we all know, is the mother of invention.

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Types of Burglar Alarms and Monitoring System

Posted on January 18th, 2008 in Monitoring by Alarm

Burglar alarms are electronically operated security devices that are installed in residential units, commercial and industrial offices and government facilities that emit loud sirens once they detect unauthorized intrusions. The sensors of these burglar alarms range from simple magnetic or mechanical switches to sophisticated electronic motion detectors. Magnetic and mechanical switches are typically installed on entry points like doors and windows. Once the door or window is opened by an intruder, the switch is tripped off completing the electric circuitry of the alarm and the siren is activated.

The motion detectors of modern burglar alarms may either by a radar system that picks up ultrasonic sounds that are emitted and bounced off a wall by the unit, or a photo sensor that catches a light beam that is sent out from across the room by the alarm system. Any deflection of the echoed ultrasonic sound or brief cut-off of the light beam caused by an intruder crossing or moving about in the room will activate the siren. Other fool proof burglar alarms are equipped with thermal or volumetric sensors that can respectively detect the body heat of the intruder or a change in air pressure when a door or window is opened.

Burglar alarms are either hardwired which are more difficult to install, or wireless systems that can be easily set up. Both systems have control panels that do not cut off the alarm once it is activated until the appropriate security code is entered on the keypad. The output of burglar alarms is local if they just sound off a bell or siren and the output may be remote if a distress call is sent to a monitoring system via the telephone lines or cellular network.

Once the monitoring system receives the distress call, verification is immediately made with the homeowner. If a break-in is confirmed, the monitoring system will immediately notify and request for a police response to the scene of the break-in. In cities where the frequency of false alarms is high, residents tend to ignore alarms that go off while in rural areas the alarms are not even heard at all because the residents live far from each other. In both cases, where there is no response to the alarm, the monitoring system plays a very critical role.

Aside from monitoring of home intrusion, the services rendered by a monitoring system have been expanded over the years to include monitoring of fire break-out, medical response, hold-up and robbery, signal and battery charge tracking and host of other vital and critical services. A monitoring system entails a little cost outlay every month, but the protection it provides the homeowner is well worth the investment.

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Get Instant Protection with DIY Burglar Alarms

Posted on January 12th, 2008 in Do it Yourself by Alarm

In our modern and simplified world of instant food, pre-fabricated houses and completely knocked down furniture, do-it-yourself or DIY has become the catch word for the contemporary man and woman of the house. The acronym DIY has become synonymous to simplicity, economy, ease and convenience. It means doing away with difficult and complex jobs that require the services of a professional technician or craftsman. Yesterday’s handyman is today’s DIY man who is capable of meeting his own home maintenance requirements without the help of professionals or the use of special tools, thanks to ready-to-assemble and reasonable priced products such as DIY burglar alarms.

With the unbridled growth of population and the rise of drug-induced crimes, many homeowners who have become increasingly concerned about the safety of their homes and loved ones have begun to consider taking home security measures. Some have armed themselves, and some have installed reinforced doors and stronger locks. And still others who have the financial resources have hired security guards and bought attack dogs to watch over their expensive homes. Fortunately, DIY burglar alarms are available in the market for those who wish to protect their homes from intruders and burglars at reasonable cost.

Unlike hard wired home security systems that are difficult to install, DIY burglar alarms are wireless sleek-looking devices that can be installed anywhere in your house regardless of whether it is a cramp studio-type apartment or a sprawling twenty-room mansion. There is a wide array of DIY burglar alarms to choose from. Some are equipped with sensitive ultrasonic radar sensors or infra-red motion detectors. New state-of-the-art burglar alarm systems are now equipped with volumetric mechanism that can sense slight changes in air pressure cause by the opening of doors or windows of your home.

The ease of installation of DIY burglar alarms is definitely a boon to the home security conscious homeowner. But it has also become a bane for those who took for granted the simplicity of the alarm system and went right down to installing it without first reading and understanding the installation guidelines that come with the system. A lot of malfunctions are due to improper installation. So if you bought DIY burglar alarms for your front porch or living room, take the time to read the instruction manual that came with your purchase before you install these security systems. After all, simple as these alarm systems may be, they still need to be installed properly.

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Burglar Alarm Systems: Electronic Security Guards

Posted on January 6th, 2008 in Home Security by Alarm

Burglar alarm systems are ever present our everyday life. You see these devices everywhere–in your home, office, at the mall, your corner convenience store and even in your car. Is the pervasiveness of the home security system just paranoia or is it a sign of the times?

The danger is very real because drug-induced crime against persons and properties is on the rise. The desire to preserve privacy, assure the safety of loved ones and protect our home and property had always ranked high in our hierarchy of needs. That is why many homeowners have fortified their homes with stronger locks and reinforced doors and walls. But at the most these physical barriers only serve to delay a bit the determined intruder from breaking into their homes. This is where burglar alarm systems come into the picture.

Studies have established that houses that are equipped with even the simplest form of burglar alarm systems are less likely to be broken into because these devices play on the intruder’s fear of discovery, apprehension, prosecution and imprisonment. The modern home security system is actually a simple device that consists of a sensor, siren and a power source. These devices are effective in guarding specific entry points to the house such as windows and doors where intruders are expected to break in. The moment any of the sensors detects the opening of a door or a window, the device sounds off a loud siren.
 
However, these burglar alarm systems are not effective at guarding the interior of a house where the intruder’s movements can not be predicted. Because of this, sensors have been developed with “electronic eyes” that can sweep a wide area of the house interior at random intervals. These electronic eyes may either be a radar system that catches reflected ultrasonic waves that the device emits or a photo sensor that catches a beam of light emitted from across the room.

More advanced burglar alarm systems have infra-red thermal sensors that can detect the presence of body heat in the room and can distinguish the heat emitted a pet cat from that of a full grown intruder. Others are equipped with volumetric sensors that can detect changes in air pressure due to the opening of a door or window in the room.

The most effective burglar alarm systems are those that are monitored every hour of the day by a security call center. Once a house is broken into, these types of home security systems automatically dial the call center and send out a distress call. The call centre confirms the break-in from the homeowner then within minutes a police squad car arrives at the scene of the break-in. Burglar alarm systems are constantly evolving and becoming more effective at guarding your home and love ones.

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