Residential Alarms

Types of Residential Alarm Systems

No matter what your budget or the size of your home, you probably do some things to protect your family and your property. Knowing that a burglary occurs every 12 seconds in the U.S. underscores the need for a residential alarm. There are several types of residential alarms, designed to work together for optimal home security.

Choosing the best residential alarm or combination of alarms is relatively simple. Once you know how each type of alarm works, it is easy to see how the various types of alarms work together. The best way to analyze your needs and choose the right equipment is to talk with one of our home security professionals.

We know that a home with no security system is three times more vulnerable than a home with security. Research is needed to determine where to place each device for optimal coverage.

Types of Residential Alarms

Covering all the bases with your home security system will almost always use overlapping sensors and residential alarms, including the following.

1. Door alarms are designed to notify you or set off your residential alarm if someone opens a door. They should be installed on every door. You might also install them on garage and storage shed doors to protect property. Door alarms have a side benefit – they chime when a door opens and the alarm is not activated. This makes it very easy to keep track of where everyone is at all times.
2. Window alarms may or may not make sounds when the system is not activated, but once you turn the system on, they will trip your residential alarm. They should be installed on all ground level windows, windows in children’s bedrooms, and bedrooms of people with special needs. Installing them on garage windows and other out-buildings can also be a good idea.
3. Smoke detector alarms are absolutely essential in every home. The sensors in these devices are sensitive enough to detect the early smoke from a slowly smoldering fire. This is generally your first warning of trouble. The alarm gives you time to either put out the fire before it erupts or evacuate the building. Smoke detectors also make sense in some outbuildings. These should be placed outside sleeping areas of the house and in rooms where fires most often begin.
4. Heat sensors detect changes in room temperature and sound an alarm if temperatures exceed programmed parameters. These are important residential alarms. There are two kinds of heat sensors. The first detects the rate of temperature increase. If it is too fast, you have a fire. The second detects temperatures outside the programmed temperature range. If the temperature drops too low or rises too high, the alarm is activated. These are important fire detectors; but they can also protect your property in a vacation home by detecting fire or temperatures that will cause pipes to freeze.
5. Motion sensors or movement detectors. This is a residential alarm that detects movement within its range of view. These should be placed inside exterior doors and windows to detect robbers. They can also be used to monitor activity in your yard, in a child’s room, in a kitchen, etc. Not only can they tell you where the children are in the house, they can be programmed to ignore pets or small children.
6. Window-breakage sensors or glass-breakage monitors detect and respond to the specific sound of breaking windows and doors. They are most commonly installed inside windows and doors where a robber would be expected to enter the home, but they can also be placed in specific rooms.
7. Gate and fence alarms protect your yard and tell you when someone is unexpectedly on your property. Whether they are programmed to turn on exterior lights, sound an alarm or deliver an electric shock, this residential alarm could be viewed as your early warning system.

Taken together, these residential alarm types create a comprehensive safety and security system for your home and family. Once connected to your monitoring company, you can relax in the knowledge that your family is safe and that if something goes wrong, the local authorities and emergency crews will be on their way immediately.