Battery Back Up

January 18, 2014 By Leave a Comment

When you have an alarm system installed, you should make sure that it has 24 hour battery backup. Simply put, if the power goes out for any reason, your system will continue to operate without interruption for 24 hours.

The control panel needs a battery.  The biggest determining factor on the size of battery required is what the power draw of all the devices that the control panel powers use.  These are measured in amp hours and the total tells you how much power per hour is used and you multiply it by twenty four.  You also have to factor in the siren being active for a set period of time. This calculation will tell you what size battery you need. You cannot put too large a battery in the control panel because the charging circuit will not be able to charge the battery properly.  Most control panel batteries are 4 to 7 amp hours.

Every other device in your system that has a power supply should also have a battery backup.  If you have remote power for additional devices, that battery should be properly sized as well.  Cellular communicators should also have a backup battery matched to work for 24 hours as well.

Most homes now have phone service provided by their cable company, or some sort of Voice Over IP Service.  VOIP will be a topic for an upcoming post but for today here is the important part – most modems do not have a battery backup built into them and shut down when there is no power. If there is a battery built in, it is only calculated to work for 8 hours. This renders your security system unable to communicate in the case of any emergency unless you have a cellular communicator attached to the security system. You should consider buying a UPS (uninterruptable power supply) and plugging your modem into it.  This will give you some protection during power failures.

As batteries age, their efficiency deteriorates and they cannot hold their charge as long.  That is why it is important to change your backup batteries every 3 to 5 years, or sooner if you receive indications that the battery is low.

If you live in Central or Northern New Jersey and would like information on any of the topics discussed above, or if you would like us to perform a Home Safety and Security Audit, absolutely free, please call 800-369-3962 or simply click the link below.

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What Kind Of Alarm Sensors Are There?

January 16, 2014 By Leave a Comment

An alarm system is comprised of three basic parts – the control panel (the brains of the operation including the communicator), the siren (the mouth of the system) and the detection devices.  Today we are going to talk about the detection devices, commonly referred to in the industry as sensors.  Many times these names are used in a presentation without proper definition.  Here are definitions of the most common sensors so that when you are talking to an alarm professional, you won’t feel he is talking a language you don’t understand. I am going to list them in no particular order.

Contact                A switch that is used on windows and doors to notify you if they are opened or closed.  Contacts come in many shapes, long and skinny 2 piece designed to be mounted on a window to short and stubby that are designed for door jams.  There are also metal contacts for overhead doors and more risky, vandal prone areas.  These switches, also knows as reed switches, are usually magnetic.  There is a glass tube with metal in it and when a magnet is in close proximity, the switch either allows current to pass or not.  Whether or not the current passes is call either a normally open or a normally closed circuit.  When the magnet is moved away from the switch, the circuit either opens or closes causing a signal to be sent to the alarm panel.  Most contacts used today are normally closed.  This is the most common device, found on windows and doors.  They usually, but not always, come in two pieces, the switch and the magnet.

Motion Detector              A detector that can detect motion of a body in its field of view.  Most motion detectors are passive infrared detectors, that is they measure heat.  If the  room is 70 degrees and a human body enters the space, it will detect that 98.6 degree presence and trip the alarm. This type of device is considered interior protection.

Dual Technology Motion Detectors          A detector with two types of detection.  Both must see activity for the detector to trip and cause the alarm system to go off.  Most dual technology sensors consist of a passive infrared detector and a microwave sensor.

Pet Immune Motion Detectors         Typically a passive infrared detector that processes what it sees through a computer chip.  The size of a human is translated to a infrared image and that information is programmed in.  Since the size and weight of the human is known, an algorithm is written so that anything under a specified size, 25, 30 50 or even 90 pounds can be ignored.  That is why pet immune motion detectors will not detect dogs.

Glass Break Detectors                    They do exactly what their name says, if glass breaks, a microphone tuned to the frequency of breaking glass hears it and sets off the alarm.  Glass break detectors are considered perimeter protection, as opposed to motion detectors which are interior, because they  catch an intruder before they enter the home.  They are very effective protection, and computer technology has made them quite false alarm resistant.

Shock Sensors                   Used around window and door frames, they detect shocks around the opening and set off the alarm.  They come in both passive and active versions, and both are quite effective.

Water Sensors                  These devices also come in active and passive versions.  Strategically placed in areas of the house where water may be present, they can alert you if pipes burst, the water heater gives out or your sump fills above the level it should.  These devices can save thousands of dollars in damage.

Temperature Sensors       They can detect temperature when it rises or drops below certain set points.  Very useful for houses that are empty for prolonged periods of time, when notified you can respond before serious damage is caused by bursting pipes.  These devices come in analog and digital versions.

All these devices come in wired and wireless versions and both are equally reliable and effective.

If you live in Central or Northern New Jersey and would like information on any of the topics discussed above, or if you would like us to perform a Home Safety and Security Audit, absolutely free, please call 800-369-3962 or simply click the link below.

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What Every Snowbird Should Know To Protect Their Home And Property

January 14, 2014 By Leave a Comment

If you are lucky enough to leave your home up here in the Northeast for extended periods of time and stay in warmer climes, there are some things that you should do to make sure you don’t return to a disaster.

First and foremost you should have a burglar alarm installed to protect your home from burglars while you are gone.  If your house is empty for prolonged periods, you open yourself up to another unwelcome possibility – the squatter.  Simply, somebody who found out you are not around and takes the opportunity to stay at your home.  They will not take as good care of it as you do.

Second, add smoke detectors to your alarm system.  If a fire breaks out in your absence, the fire department will respond and handle the situation.  You will no longer have to rely on your neighbors seeing smoke or flames to call the fire department.

Third, add low temperature detection.  You turn your heat down, probably to around 50 degree when you are gone.  If your heater fails, and  If the temperatures drop and stays below freezing, it will not take long for the temperature in your home to drop.  Your pipes that run in outside walls and through the garage are particularly prone to freezing quicker.  If these pipe crack you can have potentially huge problems.  A low temperature sensor will alert you if the temperature in your home drops below a certain point.

4th, add water detection sensors.  Water sensors placed near the hot water heater, sump, and low point in the basement will alert you if your have a water problem in your absence.

5th, add opening/closing reports with reporting.  You will be notified via email or test message when your system is armed and disarmed.  You can see if anybody with legitimate access to your home is entering.  You can also know if the person entrusted to check on your home is doing their job.

If you already have a burglar alarm system, smoke detectors, low temperature sensors, and water sensor can all be added.  Opening/Closing reports can be programmed in.

The central station can notify you and anybody you choose if any of the above events occur.

To make it even easier and more convenient, choose an interactive system for more control.  See our recent blog post on interactive systems.

If you live in Central or Northern New Jersey and would like information on any of the topics discussed above, or if you would like us to perform a Home Safety and Security Audit, absolutely free, please call 800-369-3962 or simply click the link below.

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Adding Cameras To A Security System

January 12, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Video surveillance cameras are now easier than ever to add to your overall home security package.  You can simply add a camera to your interactive service such as alarm.com.  The camera is learned into your account and then you can use the camera either via Wi-Fi or with an Ethernet cable. Indoor and outdoor cameras are available, and they come with IR to see at night.  You still need to power it with a wire, however.  Once learned into your system, you simply go to your app, click video and you see a live view from your camera.

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The camera also records into the cloud and you can view recorded clips either via your phone, tablet or computer.  The thing to remember is typically cloud storage is not as large as if you have a recorder on premises, but then again you didn’t have to buy or maintain it.  To cut down on recording, we recommend cameras be set to record only on motion detected in the field of view, rather than all the time.  Typically with this type of set up, and basic service, you get 4 to 7 days of recorded information stored.  More storage space is available at additional cost.  This solution is becoming more and more popular due to low initial cost and low monthly service cost.  The cameras are high definition and quite sharp and the images load within seconds.  You can also be notified when your camera records something, though you may end up with a lot of notification emails.

alarm.com V720W

2gig camera

A negative is that if your internet is down, the cameras can’t be viewed or record, though in the near future there will be a reasonably priced solution to this problem.

Many people find the ease of installation, and relative low cost, roughly $195 per indoor camera and around $300 for exterior cameras plus installation makes this a good solution to residential video.

Video adds $5 to $10 dollars to your monthly interactive service.  Video also is available as a standalone service.  Monthly service charges start at $20 per month.

If you would like more information and live in Central or Northern New Jersey, please give us call at 800-369-3962 or simply click the link below.

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What really are interactive services and what do they do?

January 10, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Why should my security system be interactive and oh yea, what does it mean?

Until very recently the only way you could access your alarm system was through the keypad, and typically in very limited ways.  You could arm and disarm the system, the keypad would tell you if a zone was open, and if an alarm occurred, it would tell you what caused it.  Special functions like bypassing zones or seeing trouble signals took various key presses to get to the proper screen.  Most keypads were not plain English, meaning you had to memorize what number corresponded to what zone and what trouble code.  It could be confusing.

home security system

Enter today’s modern security system.  They come with color graphic displays spelling everything out in everyday English.  They prompt you for what to do next.  Couple that with cellular connectivity, and every smart phone, tablet, and computer can become a keypad.  Cellular connectivity gives you a virtually always on connection to your alarm system.  Every event, doors opening and closing, the alarm being armed or disarmed, trouble signals, people walking in front of motion detectors, is transmitted to the data center.  All that information is accessible by you, 24 hours a day from any internet connected device.  You can also get that information, as it occurs via text message or email.  You can also be notified if something doesn’t occur – for example if you would like to be notified when your kids get home from school, you can.  You can also be notified if they don’t get home by a certain time.

In the old days, 3 years ago, if you owned a store and wanted to know when what time your store was actually opened and closed, you would have to sign up for open and closing reports and your alarm system would dial into the central station via phone lines every time somebody armed or disarmed the system.  You would then receive reports either weekly or monthly.  Now you get that information as it happens.  From a home owner’s perspective, you can tell how long the cleaning people really stayed in your home and when the dog walker shows up to take your dog out. This information is available to you as it happens, simply by getting an email or text seconds after the event. If you would prefer, you can simply open the app and see the history of your account.

There are more benefits as well.  I tend to forget to close my overhead garage door after I enter my house.  On more than one occasion I woke up in the morning realizing that the door was open all night.  Now I have a sensor on that door and I set the system to notify me by text if the door remains open for more than 20 minutes, problem solved.  You can even take it a step further but that is a topic for another post.

From a convenience point of view you can log on and see if your system is armed or disarmed and either arm or disarm it remotely.   You can disarm your system to give people access to your house if necessary.

GO!Control Control Panel

An interactive system can do many more things including thermostat control, turning lights on and off, locking and unlocking doors, opening your garage door and closing it.  These functions can be scheduled easily and securely via your user portal on the internet. You can also control all these functions from your smart phone. I’ll go into more detail in an upcoming post.

If you would like more information and live in central or northern New Jersey, please give us call at 800-369-3962 or simply click the link below.

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Monitoring Your Alarm System and Interactive Services

January 8, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Central Station Monitoring, Interactive Service, Cellular Back Up – What Are They and How Much?

In the dark ages, the early 70’s, most alarm systems, when tripped, rang a bell outside the house.  That was it.  The hope was that the noise would scare away the intruder and your neighbors would call the police.  Then came the advent of tape dialers.  Someone realized that it would be terrific that if the alarm tripped, the police would be notified automatically.  A tape recorder was attached to the alarm system and announced to the police department when they answered the phone that there was a burglary in progress.  A problem developed, however.  There was no way to verify that there was an actual alarm or if the user simply forgot to disarm the system.  You also couldn’t tell what part of the house the alarm was coming from.  You simply knew there was an intruder.

Then came digital dialers and Central Station Monitoring.  A device was added to the alarm and automatically dialed an alarm receiver.  By using account numbers, you could tell where the alarm was coming from.  As alarms came in they were printed on paper.  An operator would see the account # and pull the corresponding card from a file, a file which contained all the subscribers’ information.  They would then call the premises requesting a passcode, and if no passcode was given, dispatch the police department. The central station was born and the price of central station monitoring became a normal part of an alarm system.

Over the years technology changed and central stations became highly computerized.  Rather than printing out the account information, the information interacted with a computer system and the information popped up on a central station operators’ screen.

While technology within the central station was rapidly progressing, the way the information was transmitted there remained the same, over the telephone lines.  This method remained popular for primary transmission for years, even while cellular was booming for everyday use. Initially the alarm industry used cellular as a backup.  It was a way to get the signal to the central station when the phone lines were cut. Voice Over IP (VOIP) phone service was also establishing itself as a cheaper alternative to copper phone lines.  Though they worked for voice communications, transmitting data from alarm systems was problematic and you couldn’t be confident that the signal would get through.  As phone lines were getting less reliable for alarm communication, cellular service was improving and going from analog to digital and data transmission was going from 1X to 2G, 3G and now 4GLTE.  It has gotten to the point that in many areas cellular is more reliable than phone lines. This cellular service is provided by a third company, not the central station and not your local alarm company.  Additional monthly charges were added to the price of the central station monitoring to cover cellular transmission.

About 10 years ago, interactive control of your alarm system was being born.  Primitive by today’s standards, text messages would be sent to your alarm to arm or disarm the system. One of the early cellular back up providers, alarm.com was an early pioneer in this field.  This service was possible because the cellular connection was always on.  You didn’t have to wait for a dial tone and then dial a number.  Your alarm would simply connect via cellular to a computer center.  That computer center would process the signal, and if it were a genuine alarm, not a system command, forward that signal to the central station.

Fast forward to today. Americans are cancelling phone lines by the millions, and cellular is the most popular communication method. Many alarm systems sold today use cellular as their only communication path. Interactive service are booming. Interactive services allow you to communicate with your alarm system from anywhere with an internet connection. Not only can you arm/disarm your system, you can see if any windows or doors were left open.  You can also check history and see when somebody entered your house. You can also be notified via email or text if events that you select took place.  For example, if somebody opened a liquor cabinet when you weren’t home, you could receive a text message alerting you of this event. It goes even further.  By combining your alarm with home automation technology, like Z Wave, you can control lights, thermostats, locks, garage doors and more from anywhere in the world. You can also add IP video cameras that send images that are processed by the same company and tie them into your account. You can receive a text message or email with the video clip of someone entering your home. You can also log on and see your home in real time, 24 hours a day. They are also recording clips into the cloud, for your review at a later time. These cameras do not communicate via cellular, but rather over the internet.  Companies like alarm.com process the signal and combine them to your account with the alarm services.  To you it is seamless.

As I mentioned, these services are available for you to use anywhere in the world where there is an internet connection. You can view your account on a computer, smart phone or tablet. Alarm.com is system agnostic, viewable on any brand device.

Now for the price. First off, there is usually a commitment required on your part of several years.  Contracts run from 3 to 5 years, ours is 3. Standard Central Station Monitoring, using phone lines, runs $25 to $35 per month.  We charge $25. Cellular alarm transmission (either as a primary source or as a backup) adds $15 to $20 to the bill.  We charge $15. Interactive service adds $5 to the cellular charge. If you add video, expect to pay $5 or more (depending on how much storage you need).

So here are our charges added up: Standard Central Station Monitoring is $25 per month.  Central Station Monitoring and Cellular Service (Primary or Backup) is $40 per month. Central Station Monitoring and Interactive Service (with cellular) is $45 per month.

Hope this helps when comparing.

If you are in the central or north New Jersey area and would like further information, please give us a call at 800-369-3962.

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How Much Do Security Systems Really Cost?

January 6, 2014 By Leave a Comment

At face value, it’s a pretty simple question. The problem is, no two homes and no two needs are exactly the same.

You see it all the time, systems being advertised for $99, or even free. Understand this: These systems, though possibly offering modern bells and whistles like control over the internet, offer limited security protection. The typical package offers the control panel and keypad (often the same unit), a siren, 3 door/window sensors and a motion detector. That system may be just what you need. If you live in a small second floor condo with 2 doors and no access to the windows from the ground. You protect your vulnerable openings and have a motion detector for back up detection in the unlikely chance that someone breaks in through a hard to access window.

If you live in a townhouse or house with first floor windows, that more than likely is not enough points of detection to properly secure your home. Think about it – you put sensors on the front door, door to the garage, and the sliding door out back, and you have a motion detector and you think you are secure. Are you? Not as secure as you may think. All the windows on the first floor are still vulnerable to break in. But you may be thinking, I have a motion detector. Think about it, you can’t use the motion detector when you are home because it cannot tell the difference between you and an intruder. Your home becomes vulnerable when you need the security the most – when you are home. So you should add sensors that detect if the windows are open on all first floor and basement windows.

Proper protection doesn’t stop there. There may be some more vulnerable windows, perhaps over an easily accessible roof or landing on the second floor. Probably not all 2nd floor windows will be vulnerable but probably two or three will. If you choose this level of protection, you can count on your alarm responding properly if an intruder opens a window or door to gain entry when you are home.

Let’s say the total amount of windows is 10. A system of that size with 10 window sensors, 3 door sensors and a motion detector will cost you approximately $950. More than free or $99, but you will have adequate protection and a increased in the likelihood that your alarm system will be effective in preventing a break in.

Now let’s talk about 2 different types of intruders that security systems can protect you from. Fire and carbon monoxide. If your house has existing smoke alarms that are up to code, we would recommend 1 smoke detector per floor connected to the alarm as supplemental protection. The big advantage is that the fire department would be notified in the case of a fire and you would no longer have to count on your neighbors seeing smoke and flame and calling the authorities. In the same house, with three levels, those three smoke detectors would add $375 to the price.

Carbon Monoxide detectors should be placed within 10 feet from the opening to bedrooms. Lets assume 1 CO detector is all you need in this house. It would add $125 to the price.

Don’t worry about drilling holes throughout the house to make the system work, all devices are wireless. They operate on batteries (usually lithium for long life) and transmit via secure radio signals to the control panel. With this system you still need 1 wire for power to the control panel/keypad. The control unit also has a built in cellular communicator so you don’t have to worry about having home telephone service.

So the grand total for the equipment for a home with 3 doors, 10 windows, 1 motion detector, 3 smoke detectors detectors, 1 carbon monoxide detector and a full color graphic keypad/control panel would be $1,450. These prices include installation.

There is another component to the price and that is central station monitoring. Not all monitoring is created equal and that will be the topic of the next post.

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New Referral Program

March 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment

You will be receiving the March issue of The Connection e-Newsletter in your email shortly. Keep your eyes open for it because we announce our new customer referral program. Details coming here soon. If you aren’t on our mailing list, sign up on our home page.

Remember you can now pay your bill on line directly from our website.

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Monitoring Verification and Latest Newsletter

February 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment

If you are a monitoring customer of ours, keep your eye on your mail box for your monitoring verification form. Take a moment to make sure that all information we have on file is correct, as this is the only information that the central station has on file for you.

Pay particular attention to your premise phone number, especially if you cancelled your home phone and didn’t let us know. Also check to make sure that the phone numbers for all authorized individuals is correct. If someone is on the list who no longer lives in the area, delete them. If you would like to add someone else, write it in on the form.

Check your pass code to make sure it is correct. Lastly, please fill in your email address.

Also in the mailing is our latest newsletter, The Connection. You should receive yours in the next week or two. If you don’t, please let us know.

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Secure and Control

February 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Alarm.com is one of the most exciting product offering to hit the security industry in a long time. Simply put, through Verizon 4G LTE, it connects your alarm to your computer, your smart phone, and the monitoring center. Not only are alarm signals sent, but now you can arm/disarm your system, get emails or text messages for virtually any alarm activity, and see a complete history anytime, anywhere from any internet enabled device. All this information is transmitted in seconds. Beyond security, you can control lights, thermostats and locks through alarm.com. If you have been putting off investing in an alarm system, now is the time. It is surprisingly affordable and while it does a terrific job protecting your home and family, can do so much more. Visit our website for more information.

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