The way burglar alarms generally work is by sounding an alarm when an intruder breaks in because burglars don’t want to be caught, the idea is that the alarms alone will scare them off and if not then it should alert neighbours or passers-by who will then call the police. However, if it was as easy as that then wouldn’t everyone have one? This article explores how true this is and whether having a burglar alarm is really worth it.
Do They Protect Your Home?
Approximately one-third of homeowners in the UK have burglar alarms installed into their home, but why isn’t this number more? This doesn’t mean that they don’t work just because the number is low, maybe some people can’t afford one or maybe they just think they don’t live in a nice enough house, so it won’t get burgled.
Usually having a burglar alarm alone won’t stop intruders from coming into your home, however, by making sure your alarm is visible to intruder it may stop them breaking in because they don’t want the alarm to go off and get caught. As well as this there are other measures that can be taken such as installing CCTV cameras or security lights.
Sometimes burglar alarms can actually increase the chances of being burgled as well, this is because some burglars have said that they see alarm systems as a sign of wealth but they also said that they wouldn’t take as many things in fear of getting caught.
Types of Burglar Alarms
You can get so many different types of alarms that there should be something for everyone and each one has it’s benefits, these are some examples of the type of burglar alarms you can get:
Silent or Ringing When Triggered
Like we spoke about before ringing alarms can scare off intruders or at least let neighbours know what is going so they can help. However, what if it is the middle of the night, silent alarms will alert you on your phone so you don’t wake the neighbours and you may also be able to call the police to your house before the burglar leaves so they are caught in the act.
Contacts You or a Neighbour When Triggered
With some burglar alarms, you can choose for them to alert you which is great because, if you were on holiday for example, if you set it up so your neighbour’s phone got triggered they would be able to deal with the problem and get in contact with authorities much faster than you can.
Contacts a Monitoring Station or Police When Triggered
These type of alarms are useful for getting to the intruder as quickly as possible. All alarms are different but some may send an alert to police as soon as the alarm is triggered. After the situation is assessed the police may feel it is the right decision to go to the property.
Wireless or Hardwired
Wireless alarm systems are easy as you can set them up and move them around the house to where is best for you but these will need batteries and sometimes people may forget about this until its too late. Another option is hard-wired alarms which don’t run out of battery and can use backup power in case of a power cut.
Burglar Alarm Alternatives
Sometimes even if people think that a burglar alarm could be beneficial it may not be affordable at the time. While you are saving to get one, why not protect your property in other ways such as:
- Adding security lighting
- Don’t leave your keys near the letterbox, windows or doors
- Cancel deliveries like newspapers or milk if you will be away from home so they don’t build up outside your door as someone will know you aren’t home.
- Don’t leave ladders or garden tools out as they could help the intruder to gain access
- Chop down bushes so neighbours or passers-by have a better view of your house if someone was trying to break in.
- Have someone change the lights around in your house if you are going to be away
Contact Us Today
If you would like a no-obligation quote for a smart alarm system to protect your home, contact us today to arrange a site visit and we will design a bespoke system for youre premises.
