Burglar Alarms, PIRs and Monitored Alarms



		Secure One can advise you on the best system for your property and we have a wide range of detection and control systems to suit every need. Any system we design and propose will comply fully with British and NACOSS Standards. We offer a free no-obligation survey and quotation from one of our highly trained, experienced surveyors, and to reassure you, our surveyors do not use any high-pressure sales methods to obtain a sale – the choice will be yours. We hope you will want to be a Secure One customer for many years to come by impressing you with our courtesy, workmanship, reliability and value for money services. If you’re new to intruder alarms, here’s some general information on some of the main components and options that can go to make up a Secure One system. There are numerous other special ‘add-ons’ to suit particular security needs and our surveyor can advise you on these if needed. Rapid advances in electronics technology over the last few years have meant that prices have fallen and a comprehensive intruder alarm system is no longer a relatively expensive addition to your home. Unfortunately, with the increasing lack of respect for persons and property in our society today such systems are rapidly becoming a necessity. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to home security, since different components and options will suit different properties, locations and budgets and we would emphasise the need for a professional survey first. Control Panel The control panel is the heart of the system and is made up of two parts, an End Station and a Remote Keypad. The end station would be sited out of the way in a suitable concealed position such as an airing cupboard or roof space, then a stylish and compact remote keypad would be situated next to the your entry point, usually the front door. The keypad allows you to set and unset the system with your own four number PIN code and has a small screen to show user messages. We can also supply a system that is set and unset with the use of a small plastic ‘tag’ which can simply go on a key ring, and does away with remembering code numbers. The keypad also allows you to select which zones are set, for example you’ll set all zones when leaving the house but perhaps only downstairs zones when everyone goes to bed. Detection Devices Detection devices are the components that will set the alarm off if they are disturbed. These can be as simple as magnetic contacts fitted close together so they are part of the alarm’s circuit and if separated will break the circuit and set off the alarm, or more sophisticated ones that detect vibration or movement. Door & Window contacts Small magnetic contacts are usually fitted to doors and windows to detect the opening of these when the alarm is set. Infra Red Detectors Infra red detectors, or ‘PIR’s’ (Passive Infra Red Detectors) are designed to detect the movement of a heat source, such as the human body. When they activate a small ‘red eye’ on them lights and a message is sent to the end station, setting off the alarm if it’s armed. The detectors are strategically positioned throughout your property to provide the best protection. Pet Friendly Infra Red Detectors Advances in technology have now led to detection devices that are pet immune. It’s no longer necessary to shut the cat or dog away in an unprotected room or not set the alarm system. These detectors are immune up to a weight of a 70lb animal but will still activate if there is an intruder. Panic Attack Button In an emergency situation you can be reassured that if you press this button it will fully activate the alarm whether the system is set or not. These can be placed remotely in any room of the house. Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors Fitting a smoke or carbon monoxide detector to the system will give you that all important early warning, and possibly even save lives. The detector is connected to the alarm system so there’s no need to worry about replacing batteries every year. If you’re out and the system is set it will even ring the alarm’s external bell giving neighbours or key holders early warning. Glass Protection A glass detector will protect a glass window or door. It detects the noise of the glass being drilled or broken and activates the alarm. Vibration Detector This detector can be fixed to a door or window frame to detect a physical movement or attack, such as a door being kicked or a window being tried or forced open. Signaling Devices These are the parts of the alarm that tell you – or someone else – that the alarm has been activated. Bell box A modern external bell box with a built in strobe light and the distinctive Secure One logo, clearly shows that your property is protected. One or more dummy versions are fixed at the rear or side of the property to provide complete visible deterrence. Speechdialler A very popular addition to alarms we install is the Speechdialler which has the ability to dial up to four telephone numbers upon an alarm activation including mobile numbers, which enables you, a relative or neighbour to be informed immediately of an intrusion so that the appropriate action may be taken. The Speechdialler is simply connected to your new or existing alarm system and a telephone line. Unlike a fully monitored system there are no additional annual fees. Monitored Police Response What is a Monitored System? The Police will not necessarily attend an emergency call made to them in respect of a ‘bells only’ system. This will depend on (i) whether the caller alerting them can see signs of intruders still on the property, in which case they’ll tend to respond rapidly, and (ii) the Police workload at that particular point in time. A fully monitored alarm system is one that is connected to a specialist monitoring company called an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) which monitors alarms connected to them 24 hours every day. Secure One makes all the arrangements with the ARC if you have a monitored system installed. Monitored systems are most often used to protect commercial and industrial premises but they are also installed in domestic properties where a greater level of protection and Police response is wanted. Police Policy on Response To Monitored Alarms If the alarm is genuinely activated the ARC will contact your Police force immediately and the Police will attend your property. This can still be subject to their workload at the time, but their priority is far higher than with a ‘bells only’ system. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) publishes a code of practice relating to Police response because of the growing problem of false alarms as the number of systems and particularly monitored systems has grown over the last few years. There are over 1m monitored alarms in use and about 1m false alarms a year. If you opt for a monitored system you need to be aware of these rules relating to false alarms that we are obliged to record and liaise with the Police over: The level of Police response is reduced after two false alarms and is withdrawn altogether after a further three false calls in any twelve month period. Any system that loses Police response after five false calls will have to be upgraded so that it is capable of sending a second signal to "confirm" the first one if it is not already capable of this. The three levels of Police intervention are: • Level 1 - Immediate response • Level 2 - Police response is desirable but attendance may be delayed, due to resource availability. • Level 3 - Keyholder response only. There is in effect a fourth level, URN withdrawn, where the Police cease to recognise the system due to unacceptable amounts of false alarms. Most Police forces are following these procedures, but there are some variations. A fully monitored alarm system is more expensive to install and run than a ‘bells only’ one. More equipment must be installed initially and to be accepted by the Police the system must be always covered by a maintenance contract and there are the annual monitoring fees to pay for, but it can still be attained for as little as 69p per day in running costs. How Monitored Alarms Are Monitored There are several communication methods available to send signals to an Alarm Receiving Centre, but they all have one thing in common: ‘confirmation'. This means the alarm system must be capable of sending a second signal from a different detector in the property indicating that this is indeed a genuine alarm call. For example, if a burglar entered the property triggering a PIR in the dining room, the ARC would immediately see this and telephone the keyholder(s) nominated by the customer when the alarm was installed. If the burglar moves into another room, activating a second PIR, the ARC will call the Police immediately as this is the confirmed signal. The main communication methods available to send signals to an ARC are: Digital Communicator, BT RedCare and Dualcom. Digital Communicator A Digital Communicator is a device not unlike a computer PC modem and is used to communicate between an intruder alarm system and an Alarm Receiving Centre. Digital information is passed to the receiving centre carrying a unique reference number (URN) assigned by the Police. From this URN the Police can call up a predetermined response plan. The Digital communicator is a very cost effective method of achieving a Police response, however it has a weakness, namely the phone line. Should the phone line be cut the signals would never reach the receiving centre. This communication method is usually acceptable for most domestic installations but for commercial premises insurers would require a monitored system to have RedCare or Dualcom communication: BT RedCare RedCare is a subsidiary of British Telecom, offering a secure method of transmitting signals from an intruder alarm to an ARC. RedCare is also capable of simultaneously communicating several different messages, e.g. Intruder, Fire, and Panic alarms, etc. Unlike a Digital Communicator no dialling is involved, rather an electronic series of pulses is regularly transmitted via the phone line to the ARC. Should the phone line be cut no regular pulse is received at the ARC and a line cut condition is signalled resulting in a Police response. The system only works on a BT line (not via cable providers, for example) and it can only be obtained through an approved intruder alarm company. It cannot be connected to a phone line which transmits data i.e. fax , modem, EPOS (Electronic Point Of Sale) which can confuse the signals. Since recent changes to the ACPO policy which requires further communication after a line cut, conventional Redcare has a limited use, and in its place has come Redcare GSM which is Redcare with a Cellnet GSM back up, i.e. when the line is cut a line cut signal is received via the landline then intruder signals are passed via the GSM back up - confirming the activation is genuine. If your house requires a system capable of signalling a cut phone line then Redcare GSM could be for you. If not then consider a Digital Communicator. Dualcom In essence Dualcom is a Digital Communicator with a radio back up, Vodafone Paknet. It therefore has two possible communication paths hence ‘Dualcom’. The first path is always the phone line and should that fail the second Paknet radio path is then reverted to. Dualcom is therefore capable of signalling line cuts, and is a similar cost to conventional Redcare, however unlike conventional RedCare Dualcom can signal further signals after a line cut. Redcare GSM however does meet the requirements of the policy and is similar to Dualcom GSM. Dualcom GSM works like conventional Dualcom but instead of Paknet Radio back up uses the Vodafone GSM network as the secondary signal path, both Dualcom GSM and Redcare GSM are more expensive than conventional Dualcom however the GSM networks give virtually total coverage of the UK, more so than Dualcom/Paknet. If your house requires a system capable of signalling a cut phone line then Dualcom could be for you. If not then consider a Digital Communicator.