Monitoring or alarm? Analysis
2023-01-31
Security systems certainly act preventively and effectively deter intruders and provide us with specific information and evidence in the case. Well-chosen security systems are able to provide us with peace of mind and the awareness that we have done everything we could to protect what is important to us. There are more and more systems on the market that are designed to warn in the event of a security breach.
Security systems certainly act preventively and effectively deter intruders and provide us with specific information and evidence in the case. Well-chosen security systems are able to provide us with peace of mind and the awareness that we have done everything we could to protect what is important to us. There are more and more systems on the market that are designed to warn in the event of a security breach.
How does the alarm system work?
An alarm is a system that registers a violation when one of the detectors connected to it receives an exceeded threshold value signal.
Most often, the basic set of an alarm system is:
- alarm panel with its own backup power supply,
- set of detectors,
- beacon,
- system keyboard.
The detectors that are used to protect our property are most often PIR motion detectors. However, in the alarm system, we do not have to limit ourselves to motion detectors only. There are many types of detectors available on the market that can be used in an alarm system.
Examples of sensors that can be used in our alarm control panel are: glass break sensors, reed switches mounted in doors or windows, perimeter protection sensors, smoke sensors or gas detection sensors.
Remote service
Modern alarm systems have the ability to operate the control panel via the application or via SMS commands. The system is able to inform us on an ongoing basis about any change in the status of the control panel, alarms or faults. In addition, we can remotely disarm or arm the alarm.
Current alarm systems are increasingly used to build home automation. Due to the availability of a large number of extensions and modules on the market, we are able to control roller shutters, heating, a garage door system or a garden sprinkler system using the alarm system. All of the above-mentioned possibilities can be easily controlled using the manipulators or via the smartphone application.
Planning an alarm system
When planning the installation of the alarm, it is worth planning the entire installation at the construction stage of the building. If we do not have an alarm system in our house or we need to secure an object that is located a short distance from our alarm system, we can opt for a wireless alarm system. The great advantage of the alarm system is that we can connect it to the monitoring station of the security agency. This solution ensures greater security, because after violating the alarm system, we can expect a response from the security company.
Home surveillance
Until recently, the monitoring system was only within the reach of companies or larger investments. However, technological progress has made the equipment easily available on the market, and the monitoring system for a single-family house is no longer such a high cost.
A video surveillance system cannot directly secure a given facility, but it will provide solid evidence and provide a sense of security. Recording devices also act psychologically on a potential intruder by deterring them. Today's monitoring systems are not only a camera that records the image on a disk in a recorder. Increasingly, manufacturers are implementing software based on artificial intelligence in their devices.
Thanks to the use of new technologies in recording devices, we are also able to receive notifications about the appearance of an intruder in a given area. We may set your notification preferences on a smartphone app, on a computer, or even in an email. Intelligent analytics provide the ability to constantly send information to the user.
As in the case of alarm systems, monitoring should be planned already at the construction stage of the building. However, if we do not want or cannot arrange the installation for monitoring, Wi-Fi devices come to our aid. A very important issue is the location of the cameras themselves and the definition of dead zones for monitoring. If we do not have any knowledge about CCTV, it is worth consulting with experts on the design and security of a given facility. A well-designed monitoring system is a good protection of our property.
When choosing security systems, it is worth considering what we really need to increase the sense of security. What elements are we going to use?
The main difference between an alarm system and a monitoring system is the issue of image recording. Monitoring, however, will not protect us against carbon dioxide and will not inform about flooding. If we have the ability to install two systems at the same time, it will certainly be the best solution. Combining the video system with the alarm system will allow you to view the object through which the given detector was triggered. The combination of the two systems guarantees the minimization of undesirable events involving third parties. In addition, the integration of both systems will give us peace of mind and will give us more opportunity to develop our systems in the future.
Both the alarm system and CCTV are primarily designed to inform the appropriate people as soon as possible about a situation that threatens security.