There are two basic applications for burglar alarms namely indoors or outdoors and three basic types – hard-wired, self-contained, and wireless. No matter which one you choose these types of alarms do tend to discourage burglar activity. Indoor burglar alarms systems typically operate using six different types of detectors:
- carbon monoxide, heat, and smoke detectors
- glass-break detectors
- microwave detectors
- passive infrared detectors
- photo-electric beams
- ultrasonic detectors
Outdoor systems use different types of detectors including:
- E-field or H-field detectors
- fiber optic cable
- inertia or shaker (vibration) sensors
- microphonic systems
- microwave barriers
- passive magnetic field detection
- taut wire fence systems
Hard-wired burglar alarms require the running of wires from the central control panel to each of the sensors of the system. Self-contained systems are single units which are usually shaped like a common object such as a radio or VCR. Wireless systems operate by virtue of radio waves rather than wiring in order to communicate between the detectors of the system and the control panel.
The 3 primary components of basic burglar alarms system include the following:
- the central control panel
- detection devices
- a siren or sounding device
The central control panel is considered the brains of the different burglar alarms as it processes the information sent to it by the different detection devices in order to decide the type of action to take. Depending on you how you program the operation, it can trigger the alarms to go off immediately and surprise the burglar or it can be time-delayed. On the other hand, if the system is connected to a 24-hour monitoring, there may be no siren triggered at all as it isn’t really a necessary component.
The central control panel is also used for arming or disarming the burglar alarms system which can be done either using the keypad on the control panel or by using a remote. Additionally, the central control panel can be programmed to include or omit certain “zones” in the home and around your property.
Another one of the key differences between the hard-wired and the wireless burglar alarms is that the central control panel on the hard-wired systems are typically larger than the control panels on wireless systems. As all the detection devices have to be wired to the central control panel, it needs to be larger than the control panel used for wireless systems which require only minimal wiring and a smaller area to do so.
