Alarm systems are primarily designed to protect us against intrusion into the house or company by undesirable people. In this article, we will introduce the subject of alarms, alarm protection and present the practical application of selected types of alarms.

Contrary to appearances, securing your home or business does not have to cost a fortune. In most cases, it is enough to install a few reed switches or detectors to sleep more peacefully. However, is this type of security a sufficient solution for each facility?

The alarm system basically consists of the alarm control panel, detector, detector, siren and devices that transmit information about the system status. Information about the status can be sent using dialers, GSM modules, TCP/IP communicators and using radio waves, i.e. radio messaging. It is also possible to purchase the so-called panic buttons, which allow you to immediately trigger an alarm when you feel threatened.

Alarm panel

The center of the alarm system is alarm panel. It receives signals from other elements of the alarm system, such as detectors, detectors or buttons. Then it processes these signals, successively informs about their status and, depending on the situation, arms and activates the alarm signal.

In addition, the control panels have the option of initiating the transmission of event notifications. Of course, there are also more advanced alarm control panels equipped with functions such as the ability to operate via a computer or telephone.

The control panels also have an event memory that allows you to check the alarm activation and deactivation time, wake-up time and information about which detector triggered the alarm. Another additional function of the alarm control panels is the possibility of telephone notifications in the event of an alarm being triggered. Advanced control panels have self-diagnosis, which informs about possible system faults.

Let's not forget that the alarm system requires constant access to power. In the event of a power failure, the alarm system should be equipped with a battery.

Types of detectors

The basic form of alarm security is the so-called watchers. They are versatile. In combination with a signaling device, they may prove to be an ideal and effective choice. Such a set will scare away a potential intruder and inform about abnormal situations that will take place in the supervised area.

The most commonly used detectors are PIR motion detectors. They operate on the principle of detecting thermal radiation. The detector recognizes heat-emitting objects that appear in its field of view. It detects people, animals and other sources of heat radiation. They are typically used to detect intrusion or man-made motion.

Some models of motion detectors have algorithms that can distinguish between animal and human motion. This is useful, for example, when we live in areas next to a forest or next to our house, property or company, birds often fly by or smaller animals such as a cat or dog pass by.

Another additional protection used in the detectors is anti-masking. If someone tries to bypass or cover the detector, an alarm will also be triggered.

The  MW microwave detector is also a frequently used choice. The detector detects movement using microwave waves. It recognizes the change in the frequency of transmitted and reflected microwave waves caused by the movement of the object. The decisive advantage of the microwave detector is its resistance to false alarms.

What if our current detector detects false situations too often due to climate change or emerging animals? In such situations dual detectors are used. It is a combination of PIR motion detector and MW microwave detector (PIR + MW). This type of detector eliminates false alarms caused by e.g. temperature changes caused by stoves, chimneys or air conditioners. It effectively detects movement in rooms where no one should be present at a certain time. Dual detectors are definitely more effective and resistant to false alarms.

To protect windows and doors,  reed switches, i.e. magnetic detectors, are used. They operate on the principle of a contact that reacts to the decay of the electromagnetic field of the magnet mounted on the other side. Such a violation will trigger an alarm whenever our system is armed.

Signalers and manipulators

An important element of the alarm system is how the violation will be signaled. Signals alarms are divided into acoustic and acoustic-optical. Acoustic sirens generate an audible alarm above 75 dB. Acoustic-optical signaling devices, on the other hand, are additionally equipped with light signaling. Both acoustic and acoustic-optical sirens are available in two versions: internal and external. Signalers may also have additional functions, e.g. possibility of installing a battery, built-in tamper contact or protection against soundproofing with foam.

Another element of the alarm system is keypad. It allows you to enable or disable the alarm after entering the access code, current system operation and free configuration of parameters, depending on your needs.

Currently, there are many types of alarm systems on the market. Manufacturers also care about the appearance of the proposed solutions. Elements of the alarm system can be part of the interior design of our home. The new keypads have a modern design that easily adapts to other devices. Instead of traditional keyboards, intuitive touch displays with more and more smart functions are used.

home automation

The alarm system can be extended with home automation functions. Thanks to them, we can simultaneously protect our home or business and make everyday activities much easier and optimize costs. Home automation allows you to manage heating and control the temperature in your home – even in individual rooms. For example, when we arm the system when leaving the house, the temperature will automatically decrease, and after our return it will return to the programmed value (this system can also be configured according to the schedule).

We can also integrate lighting with the alarm system. We can program the time at which it should automatically turn on or off. An interesting option is to configure the light to turn on when the entrance gate is opened, which can also be connected to the system. We can start the gate with a remote control, through the application or by calling a fixed number. Also roller shutters can be similarly programmed and connected to the alarm system.

Smart home management can also include devices such as garden sprinklers and humidity sensors. A modern alarm system will take care of our safety, home and even the garden. All you need is a well-planned schedule, thanks to which many activities will take place automatically.

We encourage you to talk about an economical and effective alarm system tailored to the protection of a specific facility with our specialists.