Burglar Alarm Systems

Protect Your Home, Business and Valuables

Security systems do work. It is a fact. Many burglars are scared off just by the presence of a security system, and according to STAT Resources of Boston, MA, 90 percent of police believe alarms deter burglar attempts. Are you at risk for a burglary? The unfortunate answer is yes – we are all at risk. In 2002, 2.1 million burglary offenses were committed in our country according to the 2002 FBI Uniform Crime Report with a burglary occurring every 14.7 seconds. Losses due to burglary totaled an estimated $3.3 billion in 2002, with an estimated value of $1,549 per offense.

But, the good news is you can fight off these intruders with the installation of a professionally monitored electronic security system. There are also many other ways to secure you home and protect your loved ones including using deadbolt locks on doors, trimming shrubbery around your home, installing outside lighting around the perimeter of your home, and yes even buying a dog can help.

Help Combat False Alarms

Electronic security systems are a proven deterrent in preventing crime. When selecting a company to install and monitor your system, make sure the company is a member of the Long Island Alarm Association(LIAA). LIAA members are dedicated to providing the highest level of service and also adhere to a stringent Code of Ethics. As part of the Code of Ethics we follow strict guidelines to help reduce false alarms. As professional security installers we believe it is our responsibility to help combat false alarms.

LIAA members work hard everyday to prevent false alarms and we take pride in the work we have done to reduce false alarms, but we need your help. Preventable user error accounts for 80 percent of false alarms, according the False Alarm Reduction Association (FARA).

We believe the key to reducing false alarms is user and installer education. Make sure when you purchase an alarm system that your alarm professional explains how to use the system thoroughly to all members of your household who are going to use it. If you have questions ask them. The alarm professional is there to help you. If your equipment malfunctions immediately call your alarm company. If you forget how to use the system refer to your manual or call the alarm company. They key is communication and education. Our members are trained to help you!

Invest in Peace of Mind

A security system is an investment for your peace of mind. In general, a system is available for any budget. Costs do vary and largely depend on which security features you choose, what you want to protect and the area you live in.

An alarm system is designed to:

Many insurance companies will offer discounts on home insurance for professionally installed systems. Typically, these discounts range from two to 30 percent. Ask you insurance agent for more information.

Diamond Security is here for you to answer your questions and respond to your needs. Remember, it is important to be a smart consumer, but you do not need to be a security expert that is what we are here for!

How do I Decide On the System that is Right for Me?

Step One, understand the basics. The information in this guide will give you the basics of home security systems.

Step Two, determine your goals: for example, to protect your home or businesses when no one is there, protect your family at night, or protect your employees during businesses hours. (Most buyers have multiple goals.)

Step Three, assess the priority areas to be covered. For example, a Temple University study that indicates 60% of intruders enter through a door; therefore, alarming all doors should be a high priority. In the same study it was also revealed that 79% of burglaries in three communities near Philadelphia, the burglar entered through the first floor. The front door, back door, and first floor windows were the most common means of entry.

How do I Select a Qualified Installer

The New York Department of Public Safety Private Security Board (PSB) requires that burglar alarm businesses and installers of burglar equipment be licensed. Ask for a license number when evaluating potential companies.

System Components

An alarm system is made up of a control panel, the “brain” or central processing unit of the system; keypads, allow the user to activate or deactivate the system and check the system via a visual display; sensors, detect activity within the system; and an annunciator, bells, sirens or lights that sound or display when the sensors detect activity within the system.

Control Panel

The control panel is the "brain" of the alarm system. When a detection device of any kind is activated the signal is transmitted to the control panel, which in turn activates the audible sounding device, and the communicator, (if the system has one) to report the alarm. The control panel turns the system on and off via remote arming stations. It also includes the alarm system's power supply and standby battery.

Monitoring

It is strongly recommended having your system professionally monitored. In the event of the alarm being triggered the 24-hour monitoring station is contacted via the system. The monitoring station immediately summons help from the police or fire departments. If a system is not linked to a monitoring station no help will be called in the event you are away or unable to call for help.

Digital Communicators are the most common method used to transmit an alarm signal over regular telephone wires to an alarm monitoring station. When the alarm is activated the digital communicator seizes the telephone line and dials the central station computer, confirms contact and delivers a coded signal giving the location and type of alarm that has been activated. The service should call your home and ask for your password to determine if a burglar alarm was unintentional. If you provide the correct password and state that the alarm was unintentional, they should not call the police. If you give an incorrect password, they should dispatch the police based on a possible hostage situation. If the monitoring service calls and receives a busy signal, an answering machine, or if no one answers the phone, they should dispatch the police.

Some important issues in selecting monitoring services are:

Arming Stations:

Key operated arming stations use a high security key to arm and disarm the system, A red light is normally used to indicate if the system is armed. A more common type of arming station is the digital key pad. This is much like the key pad on a touch-tone telephone. A preset combination number is entered into the key pad to arm and disarm the system. The combination code can be changed.
Some systems may be controlled with “key fobs” that can be carried on a key chain. Buttons on the fob are used to turn the system on and off.

Types of Keypads:

When Do You Use The Keypad?:
The keypad is the part of the system that you will use on a daily basis. Some of the ways that you will use the keypad, include:

Features Of Keypads:
The features vary by the type of keypad. Following are a few of the more popular and important features.

Annunciators:
Bells, sirens or lights sound or display when the sensors detect activity within the system.

Perimeter Sensors:

Listed below are different types of sensors used in an alarm system. Discuss with your alarm professional what is best for your system. Use varies depending on the space covered, whether there are small children or pets in the household, what the system is protecting for instance specific valuable objects, etc. Sensors installed on doors, windows and other outside openings are called perimeter protection. Area/space protection is when sensors are installed inside a home or business.

Magnetic Contacts:
Magnetic contacts are used to sense when a door or window has been opened. Contacts can be surface mounted on a door or window or flush mounted so that they are concealed when the door or window is closed. They depend on the direct physical operation/disturbance of the sensor to generate an alarm. Magnetic switches are composed of two parts - a two-position magnetic switch mounted on the interior of a door, window or container frame, and a two-position, magnetically operated switch. The standard switch is designed to be either normally open or normally closed, depending on the design. When the door or window is closed, the magnet pulls the switch to its "normal" non-alarmed position. When the door or window is opened, the magnet releases the switch, breaking the contact and activating the alarm.

Mechanical Switches:
Mechanical switches are used to detect the opening of a protected door or window. These sensors are contact switches that depend on direct physical operation or disturbance of the sensor to generate an alarm. Mechanical switches are spring-loaded or plunger devices that trigger when a door or window is opened.

Glass Break Detectors:
These devices sense the vibration or sound of breaking glass in a window or a door and activate the alarm. Some sensors are mounted directly on the window glass others are mounted in the room where the windows are located.

Wired Screens:
Specially designed window screens can be installed with laced wire. These screens contain inconspicuous, built-in alarm wire which protects against cutting or tearing the screen, and also contain a magnetic contact to guard against removal of the screen. When the wire is cut the alarm’s annunciator will signal a break in security. Screens allow you to activate the alarm system while a window is open.

Interior Motion Sensors
Passive infrared, photoelectric, ultrasonic, or microwave detectors sense changes in a room caused by a human presence.

Passive Infrared Detectors:
Passive Infrared Detectors can be used to sense the entry of an intruder into an area. They can be mounted on the wall or ceiling and can be set to cover rooms of various sizes. Flush mounted or disguised sensors are also available. Some detectors have features designed to minimize activation by small pets.
Passive Infrared (PIR) sensors are passive, that is, the sensor does not transmit a signal; the sensor head simply registers an impulse when received. The sensor head is typically divided into several sectors/zones, each defined with specific boundaries. Detection occurs when an emitting heat source (thermal energy) crosses a sector boundary. Passive infrared sensors detect electromagnetic radiated energy generated by sources that produce temperatures below that of visible light. PIR sensors do not measure the amount of IR energy per se, but rather the change of thermal radiation. PIRs "see/detect" infrared "hot" images by sensing the contrast between the "hot" image and the "cooler" background. The PIR wavelength is subdivided into two major range detection categories: one covers Near Infrared Energy (e.g. thermal energy emitted by TV remote control devices), and the other covers the Far Infrared Energy (e.g. thermal energy emitted by people). It is this latter category which is employed in security applications. Infrared energy is measured in microns, with the human body producing energy in the region of 7-14 microns. Most PIR sensors are focused on this narrow band width. When the radiation change captured by the PIR exceeds a certain pre-set value, the thermal sensor produces an electrical signal which is sent to a built-in processor for evaluation and possible alarm.

Photoelectric Detectors:
Photo electric beam sensors transmit a beam of infrared light to a remote receiver creating an "electronic fence". These sensors are often used to "cover" openings such as doorways or hallways, acting essentially as a trip wire. Once the beam is broken/ interrupted, an alarm signal is generated. Photoelectric beam sensors consist of two components: a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter uses a Light Emitting Diode (LED) as a light source and transmits a consistent infrared beam of light to a receiver. The receiver consists of a photoelectric cell that detects when the beam is present. If the photoelectric cell fails to receive at least 90% of the transmitted signal for as brief as 75 milliseconds (time of an intruder crossing the beam), an alarm signal is generated. The beam is modulated at a very high frequency which changes up to 1,000 times per second in a pattern that correlates with the receiver's expectation to guard against a bypass attempt by using a substitute light source. In order to bypass the sensor, the angle of the beam and modulation frequency would have to be matched perfectly.

Ultrasonic Detectors
The Active Ultrasonic sensor is a motion detecting device that emits ultrasonic sound energy into a monitored area and reacts to a change in the reflected energy pattern. Ultrasonic sensors use a technique based on a frequency shift in reflected energy to detect intruders. Ultrasonic sound is transmitted from the device in the form of energy. The sound uses air as its medium and travels in a wave type motion. The wave is reflected back from the surroundings in the room/hallway and the device "hears" a pitch characteristic of the protected environment. When an intruder enters the room, the wave pattern is disturbed and reflected back more quickly, thus increasing the pitch and signaling an alarm.

Microwave Detectors:
Microwave sensors are motion detection devices that transmit/flood a designated area/zone with an electronic field. A movement in the zone disturbs the field and sets off an alarm. Microwave Sensors may be used in exterior and interior applications. Although very little power is used, the system provides enough energy for a detector to project a signal up to 400 feet in an uninterrupted line of sight. The detection of intrusion is directly related to the Doppler frequency shift principle. Most sensors are tuned to measure the Doppler shift between 20 Hz and 120 Hz. These frequencies are closely related to the movements of humans. Objects that fail to produce a signal or produce a signal outside the tuned frequencies are ignored. Objects that fall within the range cause the sensor to generate an alarm signal.
Microwave sensors can be used to monitor both exterior areas and interior confined spaces, such as vaults, special storage areas, hallways and service passageways. In the exterior setting they can be used to monitor an area or a definitive perimeter line, as well as to serve as an early warning alert of intruders approaching a door or wall.

Dual Technology Detectors:
Dual-Technology Passive Infrared/Microwave sensors use a combination of both microwave and passive infrared technology in combination with AND logic to provide a lower False Alarm Rate (FAR) sensor than either of the sensors independently. This category of sensors are typically referred to as Dual-Tech. In this type Dual-Technology sensor, a passive sensor (PIR) and an active sensor (Microwave or Ultrasonic) are combined into one unit. Both sensing elements are located in a single casing, and are connected electronically by using the AND Logic function. The areas of coverage for each sensor are similar in shape so the detection zone is uniform. Since the two sensors will not "sense" an intrusion detection precisely at the same instant, the system is designed to generate an alarm when both sensors produce an output in a pre-selected time interval.

Audio detectors:
Audio detectors listen for noises generated by an intruder's entry into a protected area, and are generally used, but not exclusively, in internal applications, from an entrance foyer to critical data/resource storage areas. The sensor is made up of two devices: Pick-up units mounted on the walls or ceilings of the monitored area, and an Amplifier unit which includes processing circuitry. The Pick-up units are basically microphones that listen for noise. These microphones collect sound for analysis by the processor circuit, which can be calibrated to a noise threshold that is characteristic for an intrusion attempt. If a certain amount of noise is detected from a monitored area within a selected time period, an alarm signal is generated.

Wired Versus Wireless?

Systems can be hardwired into a home or business or can be wireless. There are pluses and minuses to each. A wireless system uses radio frequencies to communicate with the systems components, whereas a wired system is hardwired together via wires from one system component to the next; these wires may be exposed. Wireless systems require the maintenance of battery changing but have the convenience of portability if a homeowner decides to move. Hardwire parts may be less expensive than wireless; however it may be costly to conceal wires in a hardwired system.



Diamond Security | Bellport, NY | Tel.: (631)775-7580 | Fax: (631)775-7581 | NYS Lic# 12000043827