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The world today has a plethora of advanced technological means of
protecting their valuables be it jewelry, an expensive electronic
gadget, piece of art, or antique that you have paid a fortune to make
yours!
However, with all good things, there is something bad and
security systems are no exceptions! This means technology too can fail!
Looking
at the brighter side, like I said all your hard-earned valuables could
be protected today without your having to worry 24/7 whether your
favorite diamond ring or antique Chinese vase is no more yours when
you get back home after a hard day at work!
However before you
embark on a search for the best security system for your home, you need
to do a reality check. Your best option is to ask your family and close
friends- people you trust, about their security systems if they have
one. Take a note of all the problems they may have had with their
security systems since they installed them. This will help you to
cross-question all the security firms that you visit and hence clear
your doubts too! Another important consideration is how much are
you ready to shell out to secure your home, now I do not mean just
buying the equipment required because the expenses do not end here. If
you want a complete security system, you also have to consider paying
the security firm that is going to monitor all the events while you are
away! Now to give you a lowdown on the options available to you,
One
you can go in for a do it yourself kit, but again I suggest this option
only if you are confident of setting up the system and of coarse also
if you want to save on costs. However if you goof up, you are obviously
going to be spending a lot more then you thought of saving in the first
place! Second, you can visit a security firm who will give you a
customized system according to your requirements and budget, they also
monitor all the events 24/7, and you will be charged for these daily
services. For the best firm in the market and of coarse one in your
area you can you can search on the internet or again ask friends and
family. To understand the technical jargon in layman terms you can read on.
In terms of location, you have:
Perimeter
alarms As the name suggests such alarms are usually used to stop the
intruder at the boundaries of your property. They are fairly simple in
design, why? The answer is simple; because while guarding a perimeter
your aim is to stop the intruder outside and hence will want to sound
an alarm if somebody crosses the boundary because if they are inside
the your property your alarm was ineffective! Simple switch circuits
are very effective for such purposes. Good examples of these are the
open circuits and closed circuit alarms explained later on in the
article. Building
alarms Now if the intruder has managed to bypass or deactivate your
perimeter alarm then you need to protect your house too meaning the
inside of the building! Again, there are various ways to do so such as
use body heat to detect the presence of somebody inside the building
and sound an alarm on detection or vice versa i.e. radiate energy from
a source and monitor its reflection, if interrupted the reflection
changes and you can sound an alarm. If you want an extensive and
detailed alarm system, you can put up a surveillance system with hidden
cameras, which of course will cost you a fortune but it is worth it if
you have a fortune to protect!
In terms of circuits, you have:
Open
circuit When the intruder completes the circuit by his action of
intrusion, he triggers the alarm. For example, a button embedded into
the doorway or magnetic switch embedded into a window will trigger an
alarm if the door or window is opened.
Closed
circuit In such a system, the electric circuit is complete when the
door or window is closed and hence if an intruder opens the door the
current path is broken triggering an alarm. Now both these systems-
open and closed circuit are very naïve in their designs and hence have
to be controlled using a control box so that the intruder cannot
deactivate the alarm easily!
In terms energy:
Active
Systems This means you have a source that emits either radio waves or
ultra sonic rays into the room and records the reflection of these rays
when they travel back; now if somebody comes in the range of these rays
their reflection pattern changes and this can be used to trigger an
alarm. Passive
Systems These systems use a detector/sensor to sense a rapid change in
infrared energy in the room. What this means is, that when a human
enters the field of the senor there is a rapid increase in the level of
heat, which is sensed by the infrared sensor; this in turn sends a
message to a controller, which in turn sounds a combination of alarms
set by the user. Therefore,
if you are looking for an entire home and property security you can go
to a professional who will do the installation as well as monitor your
home or office for you. Otherwise, you can opt for a do it yourself kit
advisable for those who are technologically inclined or at least those
who can follow instructions!
Finally buying a safe to protect
your valuables from fire or theft is an essential part of sound home
and business security. With a wide range of safes available there is
something to suit everyone...
Anthony Neary works for
http://www.thesafeshop.co.uk
which provides a wide range of security and fire proof safes for your
home and business. For more information on security safes visit
http://www.thesafeshop.co.uk/Categories/security_safes alternatively for the full range of products check out.
http://www.thesafeshop.co.uk
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