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Who Will Respond To Your Intruder Alarm?

Jul 13, 2017

A professionally fitted and maintained burglar alarm is a proven deterrent.

It’s designed to make would-be intruders think twice before stealing from your home. And they work because most break-ins are opportunistic.

Sure, some homes are specifically targeted.

But the majority of burglaries are random attacks carried out by criminals who (in the moment) believe they can break in and out of your home undetected.

So if you can make a burglar uncertain, they’re more likely to walk on.

And that’s why – when considering which alarm to invest in – one of the questions you want to consider is who will respond should my alarm sound?

Let’s explore your options…

1. Your neighbours

If you have a ‘bells-only’ intruder alarm (the most basic option), you’re reliant on friendly neighbours investigating – should your alarm activate.

There are pros and cons with this approach:

  • Bells-only alarms tend to be the cheapest, so if you’re on a very tight budget this could be your best option
  • But if your alarm often sounds accidently, your neighbours may well ignore a real-break in (remember the story about the boy who cried wolf?)
  • And unless someone investigates, you have no idea what activated the alarm

This means a bells-only alarm can leave you in the dark. So if you want more information, text alerts could be a better option.

2. Text alerts

Thanks to advancements in tech, your intruder alarm can be fitted with a built in speech dialler (or text alert system).

In other words, your alarm can be programmed to automatically call or send a text message to you (or your nominated contacts).

Even better, if you install simple cameras, you can even set up your system so it sends images to your phone – so you can see where and what triggered your alarm.

Here are the pros and cons:

  • The text dialler means you’ll be notified if your alarm is activated. So if you’re not at home, you can arrange for someone to take a look (or you can head home yourself)
  • Images will tell you how urgently you need to react. For example, if there’s a sign of a break-in – you can call the police. Alternatively, if a waving curtain has activated the alarm, you’ll get instant peace of mind that there’s no need to panic.

3. Monitored

Text alerts offer more reassurance than bells-only alarms, but what if your battery has died or you’re in a meeting and can’t look at your phone.

If you want reassurance that someone is monitoring your alarm – even when you can’t – then a monitored system will work better for you.

In short, if your alarm is activated, your receiving centre will be notified. This happens 24/7, 365 days a year. The receiving centre will try to contact you or your nominated keyholders. It means someone will be notified to investigate.

Here are the pros and cons:

  • You’ll have constant peace of mind that your alarm is being monitored – continuously. This can provide great reassurance for elderly people who are living alone. However…
  • This service includes a monitoring contract with a monthly or annual fee. As you’d expect, this higher level of service means more cost, but not as much as you might think. In fact, it’s less than a nice bottle of wine each week for total peace of mind. That’s a small price to pay so you can keep what’s yours!
  • You’ll need to find keyholders who are happy to investigate should your alarm be activated (and they must live within 20 minutes of your home)

4. Police monitoring

If you feel you have a high security risk, you may want your alarm monitored by the police.

If you choose this option, the monitoring station would call your keyholders and the local police – in the event of your alarm sounding.

Of course, there are pros and cons with this choice too:

  • If you want a police response (and some homes do require this), then you’ll want this higher level of reassurance.
  • However, there’s no guarantee the police will investigate – it depends on their other commitments at the time your alarm sounds
  • If there are too many false alarms, then your house may be struck off the police monitoring system altogether

Which option is right for you?

Everyone has different reasons for wanting to invest in a burglar alarm.

So whether you want a proven deterrent or you need peace of mind after your home has been violated we’re here to help.

Simply book a FREE Home Security Visit and one of our trained engineers will visit your home to understand your specific circumstances – to help you navigate your options and make the right choice for you. 



Category: Domestic

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