Home Security

A motion sensor is one of the most useful parts of an alarm system, and one of the most common causes of false alarms in homes with pets. The fix is not to skip motion detection. It is to understand how pet-immune sensors work, choose one rated for your animals and place it carefully. This guide explains how. How pet-immune motion sensors work Most motion sensors are passive infrared (PIR) detectors that react to body heat moving across their field of view. Alarm Grid explains that a pet-immune sensor only "looks" at the zones where a person would walk upright, not at the area close to the floor where a pet moves. Some models are dual technology, combining PIR with a microwave sensor so that both must see the movement pattern before the alarm triggers. Manufacturers rate these sensors by animal weight, but weight is only a guideline for choosing a model. Published limits vary a lot: one ELK wireless sensor is listed up to 40 pounds, Ritter describes pets under 80 pounds, ...

Burglar alarms get the attention, but fire is the bigger danger to most households. Roughly three of every five home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or none that work, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) as quoted by fire departments. This guide covers where to put smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms, how to maintain them and how they connect to a security system. It is part of our complete guide to home security alarm systems . Where to install smoke alarms Inside every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement, according to NFPA guidance published by fire departments. On the ceiling or high on a wall. Not in kitchens or bathrooms. NFPA advises keeping them at least 10 feet from the stove to reduce false alarms. Interconnected, so when one sounds they all sound. The Red Cross notes that for new homes, the National Fire Alarm Code (NFPA 72) requires hard-wired, interconnected ...

"Wireless" on an alarm box can mean two different things, and mixing them up is how people end up with a system that goes silent in an outage. This guide separates how sensors talk to the hub from how the hub reaches the outside world, then covers range, batteries, jamming and what to check before you buy. It is part of our complete guide to home security alarm systems . Two meanings of "wireless" BestReviews explains that wireless usually describes how sensors communicate with the hub inside your home, while cellular describes how the hub sends emergency alerts outside it. Alarm retailer Frontpoint adds that a 100 percent wireless system also reaches the monitoring station over a cellular network, which replaces the old landline connection. Wi-Fi, cellular or both Connection Strength Weakness Wi-Fi (internet) Fast and good for app features Fails if the router or broadband fails, and a signal can be jammed Cellular Does not depend on your router; Alarm Grid ...

Sensors are what an alarm actually sees. The panel and siren are useless if the sensors are the wrong type, in the wrong place or set up to cry wolf. This guide explains the main sensor types, what each can and cannot do and where to put them. It is part of our complete guide to home security alarm systems . The sensor types at a glance Sensor What it detects Watch out for Door and window contact The door or window opening. Two parts, a magnet and a contact; the alarm triggers when they separate Misalignment; it does not detect broken glass Motion (usually infrared) Movement in a room or hallway Pets, foliage and balloons can cause false alarms Glass-break Breaking glass, by sound, vibration or both Acoustic types can miss tempered or laminated glass Smoke, heat and CO Fire and carbon monoxide; see fire safety at home Must be replaced on schedule Flood and water Water near water heaters, pipes and washers; Guardian Protection notes it alerts you but does not stop a leak Needs ...

Professional monitoring is the part of an alarm system you pay for every month, and the part people understand least. This guide explains what happens between a tripped sensor and police arriving, how verification cuts false alarms, what you get over self-monitoring and when it is worth the cost. It is part of our complete guide to home security alarm systems . What happens when an alarm trips ConsumerAffairs describes alarm monitoring as a paid service that connects your system to a response center that watches for threats around the clock. In outline: A sensor trips and the panel sends a signal over Wi-Fi, cellular or both. An agent at the monitoring center follows a verification protocol, which differs for burglary, fire or carbon monoxide, and duress alarms. The agent tries to confirm the alarm. Frontpoint says personnel contact you on one of two pre-arranged numbers, and SimpliSafe says agents ask for your safe word. If you do not answer or give the wrong word, the center ...

New to home security? Start with The Ultimate Guide to Home Security , which maps all our guides. A home alarm system does three jobs: it detects a problem, it makes noise or sends an alert, and, if you pay for it, it gets a person to respond. This guide explains the parts, the main types, how the signal travels and what to check before you buy. It is the starting point for our alarm guides on sensors , professional monitoring , wireless alarms , pet-friendly systems and smoke and CO alarms . How an alarm system works ConsumerAffairs describes a home security system as a household tripwire: sensors watch doors, windows, rooms and hazards, then report to a central hub. When a sensor trips, the control panel checks whether the system is armed and starts the response you set up: a siren, an app alert, a signal to a monitoring center, or all three. Wireless sensors send the signal by radio, and wired ones through installed wiring. The panel then sends the event through Wi-Fi, cellular...