Residential security systems have also benefited from the great technological advances of the past decade. Today, you can have state-of-the-art fire, burglar, smoke and other perils monitored in your home 24 hours a day. If you have an emergency situation, you can get help directly from a monitoring station to your home within minutes.

How It Works

When your alarm triggers, it communicates to the trained technicians at the monitoring station. The benefits include:

• A loud alarm that notifies your neighbors and you that an emergency is taking place
• Visual alarm notification on the keypad that changes colors
• Continuous communication with the monitoring station even when the alarm has been turned off
• A display that states the type of alarm, for example, fire or medical

Components of a Burglar Alarm

Start with the control panel. This is the brain of the system and is where the system is programmed. It holds zone numbers for different areas to detect where the alarm is located. When an alarm is triggered, the control panel sends the information to the monitoring station.

The keypad is for arming and disarming the alarms and viewing the system log. They are usually installed near the front or back entryway, so they can be disarmed quickly.

Door contacts are installed in all exterior doors. When the system is armed, an alarm will be sent to the monitoring station that shows exactly which door was opened.

A motion detector reacts when there is movement in a large open space such as a living room or front yard. Indoors, they provide protection if a burglar has passed other defenses. A glass-break detector can identify the sound of breaking glass.

Many systems have a key fob that makes it easy to arm or disarm the system with one button.

A smoke detector can also be added that detects smoke when the system is armed and will send the signal to the monitoring station even if no one is home. The technicians at the station will send the fire department.

Each of the above systems can be hardwired to the control panel or communicate wirelessly. The hardwired system is the best option for a house that is in the process of being built because the wires can be run through the drywall and ceiling.

Keeping your family and property safe and secure is easier than ever. With a monitored system, you can be sure help will be on the way within minutes.