Anatomy of a Burglar Alarm Panel

The most expensive and powerful security system in the world will do you no good if you do not acquaint yourself with its interface. To get the most out of the kit, you should be familiar with the burglar alarm panel.

Basically, the burglar alarm panel is the nerve center of the system. It is where all the sensors (from bells to smoke detectors to motion devices) relay the information back and forth. Although there are different types, the following illustrates the typical layout.

The most common feature of the burglar alarm panel is the relay. Basically there is a sensor circuit here which transmits and receives the information from the various controls. In some systems the single relay has been replaced by dual relays.

In other burglar alarm panels, these devices make use of relays that act as modulators. They also have the ability to utilize the telephone lines to communicate with other devices such as the monitoring station. These are also often closed circuit types, which have overtaken the open circuit versions, as they have proven to be more resistant to tampering.

A good burglar alarm panel also has a dual loop feature, which incorporates stronger and more sensitive mechanisms so that you will be able to fine tune the system as need be. Today most security systems utilize these dual loop features.

Most of the burglar alarm panels today are solid state, which means that they make use of shunt switches, so that they can only be disarmed via the control panel itself. This mechanism makes it harder to infiltrate the security system, because even if the intruder has access to the keypad, it will be impossible to access the control and alter the settings.

Other features of modern burglar alarm panels include cellular or wired telephony. This feature will alert the homeowner if the phone line has been cut, and it will also evaluate the status of the phone line at random intervals, or at periods specified by the user. Other burglar alarm panels feature voice grade and multiple drop transmitters. If you want to know more about the different traits of your system, you just have to look at the options as stated in the manual.

These are the basic features of a burglar alarm panel, and the ones that come with your kit may be different. However, by being familiar with the basic layout, you will be able to make comparisons and know whether the features you are looking are present in the system you want to buy.

Tags: Crime Prevention, Wholesale, Home Security, Security, Alarm Systems, Alarms