Is Your Home Protected from the Criminal Element?

Like most technology-based systems, the basic home security alarm system has come a long way. The concept of electronic alarm monitoring was first implemented more than 100 years ago. Nearly fifty years ago, the invention of what is now considered arcane technology – the tape dialer – greatly expanded the market for home alarm systems by adding the ability to play a pre-recorded message over a phone line for police or fire departments to indicate assistance was required. Today’s alarm systems by comparison incorporate sophisticated electronic controls, advanced sensors, and modern wired and wireless digital cellular communications technology. The benefits for homeowners include a safer home, with unprecedented levels of remote system access, control, and information.

The basic and primary objective of an alarm system is to detect the unauthorized presence of an individual within a home, and notify the appropriate parties (e.g., homeowner, local authorities, neighbors, relatives, etc.). Examples of common detection devices include:

· Motion Sensor: Using infrared beams of light, in some cases combined with microwaves to create a “dual technology” detector, motion sensors are designed to detect individuals moving through the space monitored by the sensor. Motion sensors can be an economical approach to secure large areas using a single detection device.

· Door / Window Sensor: Using a small, embedded magnetic switch, a sensor can be mounted discreetly to detect the opening or closing of doors or windows. Magnetic switches make very reliable sensors, and a separate sensor is required for each door or window to be monitored.
· Glass Break Sensor: Using acoustical analysis of sound waves, as its name implies, a glass break sensor is designed to detect the frequencies of breaking glass. Glass break sensors can provide good backup detection for a magnetic window sensor, and like motion sensors, a single glass break sensor can cover an entire room in most cases.

In addition to intrusion detection, alarm systems can also integrate commercial-grade “life safety” sensors such as smoke detectors, heat detectors, and carbon monoxide (“CO”) detectors. Illinois State statutes now require CO detectors in every residence… new or old.

In new construction, or when remodeling, most sensors (intrusion and life safety) can be hard-wired with security- or fire- rated cabling. However, new reliable wireless technology makes nearly any type of sensor easy and practical to retrofit in an existing home. Lithium battery technology allows some sensors to last ten (10) or more years without replacement!

In the early days of alarm systems, a home’s control unit may have contacted local authorities directly during an alarm. Today a “central station” serves as an intermediary between a home alarm and local authorities. Signals from an alarm system controller are sent to highly trained operators at a central station who attempt to “verify” the alarm (or identify the signal as a false alarm) before requesting a dispatch from local authorities. Such verification is crucial in attempting to reduce the burden on local law enforcement imposed by responding to false alarms. These types of central station services generally are referred to as “alarm monitoring.”

The means by which an alarm controller communicates with a central station continue to evolve and improve. Systems installed over the last 30 years or so typically include, at minimum, a landline telephone interface used to dial a central station like an ordinary phone call. As more homeowners have continued to opt for cell phones and VoIP services in lieu of a traditional phone line, or as backup to traditional phone communicators, cellular communication devices have gained popularity as a means of transmitting alarm signals.

In 2008, the FCC stopped requiring all cellular carriers to continue using analog cellular frequencies (often referred to as the Analog Cell Phone Sunset). By eliminating this restriction, the FCC paved the way for a new era of digital cellular communications. However, many cellular communication devices installed for alarm systems until that time were based on analog technology. This switch, or sunset, means that even alarm systems installed as few as two (2) years ago may not be compatible with new digital cellular communication requirements. Moving forward, in addition to digital cellular, expect Internet- or IP- based communications between alarm systems and central stations to become more prevalent.

Perhaps the most obvious benefit for homeowners as a result of technological advancements in alarm systems comes in the form of system access and control. Of course, inside a home the traditional alarm keypad, or even a newer, color LCD touch screen, remains a convenient interface for arming and disarming an alarm system. Wireless keychain touch pads (“keyfobs”) are also available to control system features within a limited radius of the control panel. When on the go, at the office, or on vacation, one needn’t be disconnected from his/her home alarm system. With a laptop, from any web browser, or even from a cell phone, homeowners can still access an alarm system remotely. Forget to set the alarm before leaving the house and need to arm the system remotely? Check. Need to temporarily disarm the system to grant access to a cleaning person or other service personnel? Check. Want e-mail notifications whenever a child gets home? Check. Want e-mail notifications of all alarms? Check. With a modern alarm system, it’s even possible to integrate remote controls for automated lighting, HVAC, and to view digital video from a security camera, thereby further enhancing your home’s safety and energy efficiency – but that’s a topic for a future newsletter.

One final, important note: In Illinois, alarm system installations and alarm monitoring are regulated by the State’s Department of Professional Regulation. Be sure the alarm dealer you choose to implement or upgrade your system is properly licensed as an Alarm Contractor Agency. The State of Illinois provides an on-line license lookup tool at the following link:
https://www.idfpr.com/DPR/licenselookup/default.asp

About the Author: Jeff Klimek is the founder, owner, and operator of TechnoStructure Incorporated (http://www.technostructure.com/), a Naperville-based electronic systems contractor (and licensed Alarm Contractor Agency) specializing in the implementation and integration of security, entertainment, and technology solutions for the residential and commercial markets.