Home Security Alarm Monitoring – The Truth

Most burglaries take only a few minutes and the thief will be off—with your property—before anyone can respond. An alarm system will not keep burglars out of your house. Unfortunately, far too many homeowners mistakenly rely exclusively on electronic security.

To be effective, electronic security systems, with or without home security alarm monitoring, should be used in conjunction with other visual and physical security measures.

The major use of electronic security is to draw attention to your home when an intruder is trying to get in. Unfortunately, home security alarm monitoring fails to do this. The monitoring company is notified and, if it’s not a false alarm, the police will be dispatched. But all of this is done silently and, by the time the police arrive, it’s too late.

Alarm companies frequently offer ‘free’ systems in exchange for monitoring services. These are usually very basic systems that fail to provide the comprehensive coverage required. If you are using an electronic alarm system, make sure it does the following:

• The system is activated as the home’s perimeter is violated, not after the intruder is already in the house.
• All entrances (including the garage) are protected.
• All accessible windows are protected.
• Several types of sensors are incorporated: motion, glass break, contacts, active audio. Motion sensors alone can easily be evaded by a knowledgeable thief.

A More Effective Solution

An electronic security system can be an effective deterrent if it draws as much attention as possible to the intrusion. The use of outside sirens and strobe lights will put pressure on an intruder and may cause him to give up before he gets in.